AARP Meditations for Caregivers: Practical, Emotional, and Spiritual Support for You and Your Family

by Barry J. Jacobs, Julia L. Mayer

Overview

Family caregiving has its challenges: emotional overload, time constraints, anxiety, burnout, missed work, adult sibling conflicts, and marital issues.AARP Meditations for Caregivers blends emotional and spiritual motivation to minimize the strains while helping caregivers view their work as a mission from the heart. Chapters are organized by theme, including topics such as accepting your feelings, knowing your limits, seeking support, and managing stress. Each reading offers a poignant meditation, an anecdote drawn from the author's personal or clinical experience, and hands-on or psychological advice to foster coping skills and a sense of fulfillment.

The meditations in this dispensable book will provide you with solutions to typical caregiving challenges, offer relief and renewal through mindfulness, and inspire you to find meaning and value in the work you do.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738219028
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	07/12/2016
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	133,042
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Barry J. Jacobs, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist, family therapist, and the author of the book The Emotional Survival Guide for Caregivers: Looking After Yourself and Your Family While Helping an Aging Parent. Dr. Jacobs has given more than 400 local, regional and national presentations on family caregiving for family caregivers and community groups, mental health/social service professionals, and physicians/nurses. Since 2008, Dr. Jacobs has been the national spokesperson on family caregiving for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. He is on the expert panel for the Caregiver Crisis Great Challenge for TEDMED.com, an honorary board member of the Well Spouse Association, and a past board member of the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association. He is on the expert panel for the AARP Advisory Panel and writes a monthly caregiving column for AARP.org. As a clinician, Dr. Jacobs specializes in helping individuals and families cope with serious and chronic medical illnesses. As an educator, he works as the Director of Behavioral Sciences for the Crozer-Keystone Family Medicine Residency Program in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and has had adjunct faculty positions with the Temple University School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and the Department of Psychology of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Julie L. Mayer, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist, has been doing individual and couples therapy for almost 25 years. She is the author of the novel A Fleeting State of Mind. Dr. Mayer has a private practice is in Media, Pennsylvania, where she specializes in women's issues, including caregiving and other relationship concerns. She has held adjunct teaching positions at the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology of Widener University and in Widener University's undergraduate programs. She was also an Instructor for the Master's Program in Creative Arts Therapy at Hahnemann University for eight years, teaching courses on human development and psychoanalytic theory.

Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Mayer, who are married, previously wrote online columns of psychological advice for WebMD and HealthCentral.com. They live in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

Chapter 1 Accept Your Feelings 1

Chapter 2 Anger or Resentment 7

Chapter 3 Anxiety and Worry 15

Chapter 4 Commitment, Intention, and Responsibility 22

Chapter 5 Community 28

Chapter 6 Devotion and Dedication 35

Chapter 7 Encourage Your Loved One's Independence 43

Chapter 8 Flexibility and Creativity 50

Chapter 9 Forgiveness 56

Chapter 10 Gratitude 64

Chapter 11 Grief 71

Chapter 12 Guilt 78

Chapter 13 Helplessness 87

Chapter 14 Humility 95

Chapter 15 Humor 103

Chapter 16 Joy and Happiness 109

Chapter 17 Know Your Limits 116

Chapter 18 Listening, Sharing, and Paying Attention 125

Chapter 19 Love, Cherish, and Honor with Compassion 133

Chapter 20 Mindfulness 141

Chapter 21 Optimism and Hope 149

Chapter 22 Respect 155

Chapter 23 Rewards of Caregiving 161

Chapter 24 Sacrifice 167

Chapter 25 Seek Out Other Caregivers 173

Chapter 26 Stress Management 179

Chapter 27 Trust Your Instincts 188

Chapter 28 Moral Compass 194

Resources 203

References for Quotations 213

Index 215

About the Authors 221

Editorial Reviews

"This invaluable, wise, and compassionate guide is frank, inspirational, and altogether timelessly human."—John Rolland, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine"

AARP Meditations for Caregivers will help caregivers find their own way to a place of calm and purposefulness."—Carol Levine, director, Families and Health Care Project, United Hospital Fund"

AARP Meditations for Caregivers is filled with stories of hope, perseverance—even transcendence. Drawing from their personal experience as well as others, Drs. Jacobs and Mayer remind us that providing care for a loved one can be a sacred, moral, and enriching endeavor."—Katy Butler, author of Knocking on Heaven's Door

"This collection of lessons and insights assures us that our caregiving experiences are not unique. Stressed caregivers will be able to draw solace from these anecdotes."—Robert L. Kane, MD, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, and author of The Good Caregiver

"This book is truly a bible for caregivers. Barry Jacobs and Julia Mayer tell more than 100 stories of dilemmas faced by children, siblings, husbands, and wives thrust into a role of caregiver...Reading these all-too-human tales, caregivers won't feel quite as alone—and they'll see that even when they're angry, frustrated, sad, stressed out, they can find ways to express love, empathy, and humor."—Marc Silver, author of Breast Cancer Husband

"AARP Meditations for Caregivers captures the frustrations and determination, sorrows, and joys typically experienced by family caregivers. Drs. Jacobs and Mayer offer concrete suggestions and inspiration for those who provide countless acts of loving care."—Janis Abrahms Spring, PhD, author of Life with Pop: Lessons on Caring for an Aging Parent

"Like many of the AARP resources, this one is high on practical advice."
—Outreach NC

From the Publisher