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WINNER–2020 Best Indie Book Awards, Non-Fiction: Caregiving
“Expert Aaron Blight explores the daily realities of caregiving and offers candid, practical advice to help family caregivers cope with their many challenges. . . . This outstanding guide will be a lifesaver for anyone saddled with these immense responsibilities and seeking peace of mind.”—BookLife Reviews (Editor’s Pick)
“Candid, compassionate, and comforting caregiving advice.”—Kirkus Reviews
Caring for a parent, spouse, or relative who cannot care for themselves due to age, infirmity, or illness is one of the noblest human activities. It’s also one of the most stressful, posing challenges that can be painful, confusing, frustrating, and deeply rewarding—sometimes all at once. When Caregiving Calls is an invitation to a deep conversation about caregiving and its meaning for you.
Aaron Blight has lived the caregiving experience many ways—as a family caregiver for a mother-in-law struggling with a brain tumor and cancer as they stole her mental clarity and ultimately her life; as the owner of a home care company that supported thousands of families living their own versions of the same journey; and as a researcher, lecturer, and consultant traveling the world to learn from family caregivers and their professional helpers.
Now he shares his insights in eighteen brief, thoughtful chapters that examine the many facets of caregiving. He explores how caregiving reshapes family relationships, challenges comfortable assumptions, and stresses your ability to manage your time, energy, and emotions. He shows how the changing mental and physical state of a loved one can lead to growing vulnerability, need, and loneliness on the part of care receiver and caregiver alike. He shares stories—poignant, funny, and often inspiring—that vividly capture the unique daily realities of the caregiving life. And he offers candid, practical advice that can help family caregivers do a better job of coping with the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual challenges they face.
“This book is an important road map from one who has journeyed as both a family caregiver and a professional caregiver. His guidance can help others have the best chance to survive and maybe even thrive while carrying the burden of caregiving.”—Martin J. Schreiber, former Governor of Wisconsin and author of My Two Elaines: Learning, Coping, and Surviving as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver
“This easy-to-read book provides family caregivers with valuable insights, guidance, and affirmation that reflect empathy and respect for their role. Dr. Blight’s poignant stories will help both family caregivers and the professionals and other family members who support them.”—Rhonda J. V. Montgomery, PhD, internationally recognized expert on family caregiving
“No family caregiver should be without this book. In clear and concise chapters, it covers all the topics caregivers need to understand the journey they are on and provides a reference source to be revisited again and again.”—Robert Mastrogiovanni, President, Well Spouse Association
“When Caregiving Calls is written with passion and wisdom. Aaron Blight provides us with reassurance and hope as we better understand the role of caregiver. Personal and professional caregivers, this a must-read!”—Jennifer T. Martin, RN, certified hospice and palliative nurse, Chief Nursing Officer, Blue Ridge Hospice
“When Caregiving Calls is a masterpiece—a well-written book that highlights the author’s personal experience of caring for a loved one, which was a changing point in his life. Readers of every background all over the world can learn a lot from Aaron Blight’s captivating work.”—Charles Senessie, MD, MSc, PhD, Founder and President, Afro-European Medical and Research Network
From the Publisher
Caregiving expert Aaron Blight
Honored for Excellence
In 2020, Aaron Blight’s When Caregiving Calls won top honors in the Non-Fiction: Caregiving category of the Best Indie Book Awards. It has also earned high marks from reviewers. Publishers Weekly BookLife made it an Editor’s Pick and said, “This outstanding guide will be a lifesaver for anyone saddled with these immense responsibilities and seeking peace of mind.” And Kirkus Reviews praised When Caregiving Calls for its “Candid, compassionate, and comforting caregiving advice.”
Wisdom for Your Caregiving Journey
Aaron Blight, Ed.D., is a speaker and consultant on caregiving, aging, and health care. His work is rooted in his personal experience as a family caregiver; his professional background as the owner of a large home-care company and as a leader at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and his study of caregiving as a phenomenon of social science. His firm, Caregiving Kinetics, has been recognized as a Top 100 Healthcare Leader by the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare.
Why Thousands of Caregivers Have Turned to Aaron Blight for Guidance, Insight, and Support
Publisher : Rivertowns Books (October 10, 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 236 pages
ISBN-10 : 1733914145
ISBN-13 : 978-1733914147
Item Weight : 9.9 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.54 x 8.5 inches
Dale
This book was very helpful
There is a lot of good information for caregivers. But what helped me most is realizing that I am not unique in my feelings and frustrations. I learned some good coping mechanisms. Thank you for all you do to help caregivers and for writing such a great book!
Jeannie Lopez
Effective, complete, comforting, rewarding.
Wow! First book I have ever read on caregiving that is so complete, informative, comforting and rewarding. This book is a masterpiece in understanding the struggles caregiving brings and in providing the wisdom to deal with those struggles. You will learn about your loved one as well as yourself. To all who delve into the wisdom spilling out of this book, I know your journey will be enriched and more comforting. This book has left an impression on my heart and has helped me comprehend why I went through all I did when caring for my disabled and aging mother. When Caregiving Calls is an effective guide to Caregiving…a true gem for the caregiving soul.
Julia M. Connell
A great (and timely) resource for our family!
I read this book and then gave it to my siblings as a gift. I wanted them to understand what I grew to understand and accept once I read this engaging book. It provides such practical and useful insights on what a family goes through in caring for a loved one and making touch choices on what’s “best”. Our family was in the midst of making decisions on my mother’s living situation and reading Dr. Blight’s book helped bring us all to the same place with respect to compassion for our mother’s feelings and her fears as she was about to enter her last phase of life. I truly believe that this book helped us have greater respect for one another in the role that each plays in caring for our mother. Thank you for this masterpiece!
Christopher Arnold
Iâm so glad I bought this book. I now know Iâm not alone in this.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it dealt with emotions that I was so scared for having and it showed me as the single gay hiv+ middle son of 3 boys am entitled to my feelings and it gave me a lot of coping ways to process my feelings and communicate them to my brothers. I mean we were raised blood is thicker than water and I will take care of my aging parents as long as I physically can. It is the circle of life. But when one parent fell and broke her back the other needed help with simplest chores my brothers seemed to just dump this responsibility on me because they had families and spouses and grandchildren of their own and trying to find the middle ground of being able to help my parents and keep up with my own home yard bills and dr appointments just got so overwhelming and I was losing myself for the sake of my parents. And donât get me wrong I will gladly adjust to their failing health and do everything I can to know my roll as not only the son but the caregiver alsoWhat I walked away with from this book the most is I learned I am not alone with these kind of situations an emotional breakdowns I was beginning to suffer from. I will never be ready to lose them but I wonât let them fall through the cracks of their twilight years alone either. Good book
Ralph L. Huntzinger
Common sense brought into Consciousness
Many of the things Aaron points out we really already know and yet haven’t thought of in that way. He helps us to understand and also believe that we have a choice in how we caretake. There shouldn’t be guilt if and when we ask for help. If that means only occasionally or choose to put our loved one in the full time care of someone else, we are still taking care of them. I love how he breaks this information into small easy to digest pieces. He uses graphs and questionnaires to really help a person analyze how they are feeling.I am not actively caregiving, but I once had a 96 year old great aunt that came to stay when we had all of our 6 children at home, one was just a toddler. Rather quickly I saw that her in our home was not in the best interest of any of us. I found a lady that brought seniors into her home and cared for them. I visited regularly, but I didn’t realize I was still carrying guilt about not caring for her in our home until I read Aaron’s book. Actually there are many things I became to realize about that time spent with that Great Aunt. One, is that my sister took care of this great aunt in her home for 2 years before I did. My sister finally asked for help, and I took her. I never thanked my sister for this selfless service, it’s about time I did!Thanks Aaron Blight for writing this wonderful book!
Amazon Customer
Great resource!
This is an excellent manual written for those who find themselves in a caregiving role or who anticipate it in the future and want to prepare. I love the thought-provoking questions and the relatable way that the author shares his experiences, both professional and personal, which lets the reader know heâs been there and understands the needs of the caregiver and the family.
hk
Helpful
I purchased this book for my father who is caring for my grandmother who is dying of brain cancer. He has indicated that this book has been very helpful for him in many different ways. He has read it and reread chapters of it. I’m glad I purchased it.
Natasha Goldstein-Levitas
a meaningful guide for the care partner journey
Aaron Blight takes us on a personal, reflective journey, and offers sound, practical advice that honors the multifaceted processes (physical, emotional, social, and spiritual) experienced by both care partners and care recipients. His meaningful, single word chapter headings and compassionate tone is comforting and validating. An essential care partner companion.