PDF The Caregiver Compass How to Navigate with Balance Effectiveness Using Mindful Caregiving Holly Whittelsey Whiteside 9781449599362 Books
PDF The Caregiver Compass How to Navigate with Balance Effectiveness Using Mindful Caregiving Holly Whittelsey Whiteside 9781449599362 Books
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The Caregiver Compass How to Navigate with Balance Effectiveness Using Mindful Caregiving Holly Whittelsey Whiteside 9781449599362 Books Reviews
- Again Ms. Whiteside has done it again. She is compassionate, understands the physical and emotional toll of caregiving and offers excellent, useful advise for caregivers. I would recommend this book to all family caregivers. Additionally, having worked in homecare I would recommend this book as a resource to all working in the field.
- Excellent excellent excellent is my thoughts about this book I read it in couple days it hit home for me on several aspects of me helping my mom thank you for sharing.
- Gave direction and picked your brain...! I would recommend to anyone needing to make sense of caregiving journey ... ..
- The Caregiver's Compass is an excellent guide both for those who are already primary caregivers and for those who know it's right around the corner. The design is very helpful, including an index for quick reference, lists of additional readings that might be useful, and many personal examples that make it easy to relate to the issues and suggestions.
This book is, itself, an example of mindful caregiving...from its warm and supportive tone to its practical delivery of a difficult message.
Thank you, Ms. Whiteside! - Ms. Whiteside is a writer as well as a life coach and experienced caregiver, and brings a simplistic but effective, holistic approach to the subject of caregiving. She makes the distinction, early on, that caregivers can be near or far; indeed, a relative thousands of miles away, arranging care and making important decisions on a patient's behalf, is no less of a caregiver than the individual who is on site dealing with the patient's daily needs.
The book sets out basic concepts of caregiving, perhaps the most important of which include dealing with the myriad of emotions that come into play. Readers are encouraged to relate each short, no-nonsense chapter to their own situation, by writing down their feelings about the subject in a "caregiver's journal" which the author considers a vital tool. Concepts such as self-care, pre-grieving, asking for help when needed, and knowing when to let go are handled in a straightforward, honest manner, covering bases that might otherwise get overlooked in a caregiver's overburdened life. The author also relates her own experiences as a caregiver and as the one receiving care after a cancer diagnosis years before.
An excellent, recommended resource that can be a comfort to those needing guidance or reinforcement that they are doing their best for their loved one. Four caring stars out of five.
- Bob Lind, Echo Magazine - Organized in two parts and seven chapters, the first part overviews three mindful caregiving principles--being present, shifting communications, and welcoming change. The second part applies these principles to three parts of a caregiver's experience--emotions, well-being, and effectiveness.
Author, Holly Whittelsey Whiteside applies fifteen years of life-coaching principles to caregiving, while illustrating with excerpts from her journal as decade-long caregiver to her mother who initially lived alone and then moved into an assisted living community.
First, Whiteside emphasizes the need to be "present" and "self-aware." This means that we listen attentively; fully engaged in what the other person is saving. When we're distracted or try to move forward without focus and clarity of thought, unexpected outcomes may surprise us and cause us to get angry. When this happens, Whiteside advises that we not minimize our feelings but embrace and understand our anger; so that we can move forward.
By being present, we can be more aware of changing how we "think" and "speak" about our experiences. One way to accomplish this is to try and understand how it may be to live in the world as our care recipient. How we communicate will affect how we navigate the caregiving journey, which impacts our well-being. How we "label" our experiences will determine how we experience it. We can choose to be happy. Holly writes of how she found ways to laugh on demand. For example, while running errands she'd sing old love songs to herself in an Elmer Fudd voice, like "Fwy me to de moooon." She adds I laughed till I "cwied" and almost went off the "woad." She offers a helpful tool--"Housecleaning for Self-Connection Matrix" in order to maintain balance between your needs as a caregiver and the needs of your care recipient.
Whiteside's decision to care for her mother was not easy. Coming from a self-described difficult childhood, she writes (paraphrased) To care "for" Mom, I had to care "about" her. These two words bear significance for many challenged caregivers. Imagine how differently you'll care for someone, once you decide to care about him/her.
The Caregiver's Compass applies to other aspects of our lives as well. Whatever you endeavor that may cause uncertainty and with it a worrisome fear (a major life decision to retire, move, take on a new job, learn a new skill-Whiteside explains, takes us out of the present moment into a future that has not yet happened and therefore does not serve us. She provides exercises (as she does after every principle) for us to identify our fear and then let it go accepting that the future holds unknowns.
Caregivers should read, digest, and apply one principle before applying the next one. In about one month, a busy and overwhelmed caregiver can receive daily nourishment and coaching to transform his/her experience. Support group facilitators can also guide support group members in the application of one principle at a time.
Reviewed by Brenda Avadian, MA
Editor, The Caregiver's Voice Book Review - Whiteside blends theory with much practical help in this well-written and thoughtfully-designed book. Each concept is presented in only two pages, a good meal but not too much to digest at one time.
Care givers with a background in basic psychology will especially benefit from Whiteside's advice. Readers without that knowledge will benefit from later chapters. Also people being cared for can understand from this book what effective care-givers do.
The author's six chapters include concepts about making choices, directing one's thinking, and choosing communication strategies. She advises caregivers to welcome life changes and to deal rightly with emotions while caring for own well-being (a most important concept). She ends the book with ideas on how to apply the principles for effectiveness, and how to live after care-giving ends. Care givers will learn to develop a healthy balance as they care for someone with love, understanding and acceptance.
Whiteside is a life-coach, a care givers coach and a writer. She cared for her mother for ten years so speaks from experience as well as from her education.
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