Family & Relationships : Aging

Mary Ellen Geist decided to leave her job as a CBS Radio anchor to return home to Michigan when her father's Alzheimer's got to be too much for her mother to shoulder alone. She chose to live her life by a different set of priorities: to be guided by her heart, not by outside accomplishment and recognition. The New York Times wrote a front page story on Mary Ellen on Thanksgiving 2005. It was one of the most e-mailed stories for the month. Through her own story and through interviews with doctors and other women who've followed the "Daughter Track"--leaving a job to care for an aging parent--Geist offers emotional insights on how to encourage interaction with the loved one you're caring for; how to determine daily tasks that are achievable and rewarding; how the personality of the patient affects the caregiving and the progression of the diseases; as well as invaluable advice about how caregivers can take care of themselves while accomplishing the Herculean task of constantly caring for others. Geist's years in journalism allow her to report on Boomers' caretaking dilemmas with professional objectivity, and her warm voice brings compassion and insight to one of the most difficult stituations a son or daughter may face during his or her life. more...

Price: $13.99

What's the right thing to do for mom and dad as they get older?. Thanks to advances in science and medicine, more of our parents are living longer than ever before. And though we are rewarded with more time with the people we love, we are also faced with new sets of complications—more diseases, more disability, more need for support and careful judgments. Yet while our health care system may help people live to an older age, it doesn't perform so well when decline eventually sets in. We want to do the best thing but are overwhelmed with the staggering choices we face. Geriatrician Dennis McCullough has spent his life helping families to cope with their parents' aging and eventual final passage, experiences he faced with his own mother. In this comforting and much-needed book, he recommends a new approach, which he terms "Slow Medicine.". Shaped by common sense and kindness, grounded in traditional medicine yet receptive to alternative therapies, Slow Medicine advocates for careful anticipatory "attending" to an elder's changing needs rather than waiting for crises that force acute medical interventions—an approach that improves the quality of elders' extended late lives without bankrupting their families financially or emotionally. As Dr. McCullough argues, we need to learn that time and kindness are sometimes more important and humane at these late stages than state-of-the-art medical interventions. My Mother, Your Mother will help you learn how to:. —form an early and strong partnership with your parents and siblings;. —strategize on connecting with doctors and other care providers;. —navigate medical crises;. —create a committed Advocacy Team;. —reach out with greater empathy and awareness; and. —face the end-of-life time with confidence and skill. Although taking care of those who have always cared for us is not an easily navigated time of life, My Mother, Your Mother will he more...

Price: $11.99

The lowdown on long-term care—from a geriatric specialist with over twenty years in the field. Placing loved ones in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities is a stressful decision—and for good reason. In previous decades, some homes were plagued by scandal, and everyone wants to know that their family members will be safe and sound even when they can’t be nearby all the time. Here, prominent geriatrician Joshua Schor, M.D., guides the reader through this emotionally challenging process step by step, covering such topics as:. • The small—and revealing—details to watch for when touring a home. • Determining whether a family member needs long-term or sub-acute care. • Deciding whether assisted living may be a viable alternative. • Questions to ask about medications, meals, and activities. • Knowing your rights and getting the information you need. • Special concerns for younger patients. • And more... more...

Price: $16.00

The men are on one side. The women on the other. They're ready -- they're set -- they're off!... Well...maybe not. Seasoned comedy writers Martha Bolton and Brad Dickson take an unconventional, refreshing look at the over-forty race to the Fountain of Youth. Instead of heaping on the pressure to exercise more, eat less, manage your time, and save all your money for retirement, Bolton and Dickson offer a take-it-easy approach to aging with chapters like:. If Menopausal Women Ruled the World. How to Calculate Your Real Age. I Am Woman, Where'd I Go? Desperate Grandmas. He Died of What? Gimme a Head with Hair. Filled with gentle encouragement and rolling humor, Race You to the Fountain of Youth will remind you to focus on the things that truly matter -- contentment, personal growth, faith, and joy. Relevant, real, and always funny, this look at the better half of life doesn't ask you to change one thing about yourself -- except maybe to laugh a bit more and worry a bit less. more...

Price: $13.99

From the author: I find the small acts within my observation interesting enough to merit writing about. The little boy mending shoes by the roadside, the millionaire mill-owner who shows a rare form of kindness, birds who talk and beasts who don’t find a place in my collection of vignettes. My questing eye has roamed over the sordid and the sublime and found humor and pathos in everyday situations. Both scoundrel and hero are depicted here. Yet, unlike the camera, which does not lie, I have slanted my writings to show dignity and goodness, honor and faith. For an author bio, photo and a sample read visit bosonbooks.com. more...

Price: $7.95