Caring for Your Aging Parents: A Sourcebook of Timesaving Techniques and Tips
Kerri S. Smith. American Source Books, $9.95 (117pp) ISBN 978-0-9621333-8-1
Anyone who is responsible for caring for an elderly parent or relative, especially one in ill health, needs all the counsel that is available. Smith, a journalist who specializes in women's issues and elder care, provides many time-saving schemes and other ideas for harried care-givers juggling jobs and their own families while also trying to look after an elderly parent. She includes information on where to find free or low-cost health services, how to modify the home environment of elderly parents and how to organize their financial and legal affairs. Smith also describes how to cope with long-distance care-giving, balance care-giving with professional responsibilities and hands-on care-giving techniques. Particularly helpful are listings of national organizations that provide information on elder-care topics and a home shopping guide for difficult-to-find products often needed by the elderly. Nor does the author neglect the emotional and physical needs of the care-giver. Solutions to burnout and guilt are generous. Still, advice is not action, and some of Smith's are unrealistic--most of us living out of town do not have the means to hire a private security firm to patrol Dad's neighborhood and check to see if the doors and window locks are secure. (Feb.)
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Reviewed on: 02/03/1992
Genre: Nonfiction