Aging Families and Caregiving

by Sara Honn Qualls (Editor), Steven H. Zarit

With the field of geriatric mental health growing rapidly in the next decade as the Baby Boomers age, this timely guide brings together a notable team of international contributors to provide guidance for caregivers, families, and those who counsel them on managing caregiving challenges for aging family members. Aging Families and Caregiving helps mental health professionals guide families and other caregivers as they adjust to the demands of caring for aging family members and provides essential guidelines for the professionals treating this special-needs population.

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 12, 1999

Reviews

[Wren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for grad school. It's directed towards clinical geropsychologists, people who counsel older adults and their family members. It helps define the needs of care recipients and caregivers as they negotiate through the uncharted waters of late-life health challenges. The book does list some services and programs, but it also addresses the emotional challenges during this time of transition. The clinician helps family members identify themselves as caretakers (sometimes this just creeps up as a spouse or parent has growing needs). They help assess the needs of the recipient as well as the caretaker and creates a plan for who will help address these needs. What can the care recipient do? What can the caretaker do? What can members of the broader kin network do? What services will be done by professionals? The mental, physical and social welfare of the caretaker is addressed throughout. If he or she isn't living a balanced life, then the care recipient will probably move into long-term care sooner when the caretaker becomes ill from the stress of caretaking duties.

A few chapters will become dated because they discuss proposed legislation and proposed software packages. Nevertheless, the need for good laws and good technical support will persist.