Perhaps not everyone has the experience of being a caregiver, but with more and more of the American population aging, it’s becoming a universal experience. As author Loren M. Gelberg-Goff cites in her book TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE: A Caregiver’s Guide to Finding Freedom in the Midst of Overwhelm, 43-million Americans provide care to loved ones. So the growing reality is that, at some point, most folks will find themselves in the position of having to give permanent or temporary life-sustaining care to someone close to them.
Caregiving is no simple task. Much is asked of those individuals who step up to provide safety, comfort, and connection to those who have lost their fortitude due to age or circumstance. Days are filled with shuttling family from appointment to appointment in between sorting medication. There are sleepless nights of intense worry and stress. And that’s just the beginning.
Gelberg-Goff has experienced caregiving both in her personal and professional life. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 35 years experience in many types of therapeutic capacities, including creating the virtual support group, Take Back Your Life: The Art of Self Care. She also has provided long-term care for her husband and aging parents.
Her book furnishes readers with a firm, but empathetic structure, that may help them to break free from anxiety and helplessness. The book includes thoughtful prompts, workbook exercises, meditative breathing techniques, useful resources, and practical real world teaching examples, whether the circumstance is age sapping the strength from a parent or disease besting the most vital, energized child.
Rather than focusing on what cannot be changed, Gelberg-Goff urges caregivers to earmark “desired outcomes.” Whether they ultimately decide that they need to hire a health aide or simply take a night off, Gelberg-Goff provides the advice to helps them get there.
TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE endeavors to award caregivers the same compassion they give to loved ones in need. Gelberg-Goff provides peace of mind allowing readers to, truly, regain control.
~Nicki Yowell for IndieReader