When Caregiving Calls

“Expert Aaron Blight explores the daily realities of caregiving and offers candid, practical advice to help family caregivers cope with their many challenges. . . . This outstanding guide will be a lifesaver for anyone saddled with these immense responsibilities and seeking peace of mind.”—BookLife Reviews (Editor’s Pick) "Candid, compassionate, and comforting caregiving advice."—Kirkus Reviews Caring for a parent, spouse, or relative who cannot care for themselves due to age, infirmity, or illness is one of the noblest human activities. It’s also one of the most stressful, posing challenges that can be painful, confusing, frustrating, and deeply rewarding—sometimes all at once. When Caregiving Calls is an invitation to a deep conversation about caregiving and its meaning for you. Aaron Blight has lived the caregiving experience many ways—as a family caregiver for his mother-in-law, as a professional who owned a large home care company and served as a national health care policy leader, and as a scholar studying caregiving as a phenomenon of social science. Now he shares his insights in eighteen brief, thoughtful chapters that examine the many facets of caregiving. He explores how caregiving reshapes family relationships, challenges comfortable assumptions, and stresses your ability to manage your time, energy, and emotions. He shows how the changing mental and physical state of a loved one can lead to growing vulnerability, need, and loneliness on the part of care receiver and caregiver alike. He shares stories—poignant, funny, and often inspiring—that vividly capture the unique daily realities of the caregiving life. And he offers candid, practical advice that can help family caregivers do a better job of coping with the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual challenges they face.