Caring for Mom and Other Loved Souls: A Journey of Love and Loss - Paperback

Tackling the mental and emotional challenges of caregiving

Caring For Mom and Other Loved Souls is a memoir about a family's caregiving experience in their multigenerational home, caring for an elderly mother who passed away at the age of 93. Along with the author's own story, she interviewed over a dozen longtime caregivers-many having loved ones with Alzheimer's disease-to gain their additional insights and perspectives on coping with the emotional side of caregiving.

The combined stories touch upon many tough subjects: the family drama sometimes surrounding a loved one's care (who makes the tough calls, unequal involvement in a family member's care, handling the cost of the care, the emotional fallout when a caregiver tries to do everything themselves), elder over-medication-and the importance of having the right doctor on speed dial, why you shouldn't fear hospice, the need to keep one's faith, dealing with isolation and the de-prioritization of non-caregiver roles (spouse, parent, friend), and moving forward from loss. The book highlights the benefits-and many challenges-of multigenerational living ("sandwiched caregiving"), and discusses the importance of managing both caregiver stress and the seemingly endless feelings of caregiver guilt.

Current caregivers will relate to both the author's and "other loved souls'" journeys, and the book's honest and heartfelt narrative has prompted early reviewers to laugh, cry, and reflect on their own precious caregiving moments. The book shares the humor and lighthearted stories more typically found behind the public curtain of caregiving.

An older parent may be interested in reading the book-and perhaps gifting it to their adult children-as it provides an insight into what their son or daughter may experience as their future caregiver role evolves over time. It may help with early-on discussions relating to caregiving expectations and concerns. Many initial readers have commented that they purchased a second or third book for their adult children. Young adults have found the book has helped them to better understand and prepare for their future role as part of an aging parent's caregiving team.

Caring For Mom and Other Loved Souls is not a handbook for daily caregiving tasks. Instead, it provides the reader with helpful and inspirational guidance-and practical advice-centered on the mental and emotional struggles of caring for a loved one, losing them, and surviving their loss. It also underscores the importance of family and shines a light on what caregivers are truly capable of doing in the name of love.