Toolkit for Caregivers: Tips, Skills, and Wisdom to Maximize Your Time Together (Caregiver Series)

I read this book because I sometimes read books totally outside of my field of interest. I like to broaden my horizons. And you never know—my parents are over 60 now.So, I didn't read Toolkit for Caregivers to solve my immediate problems and needs. I read it as a book. And it's a good book.CONSIt has almost no cons. The tone is a bit dry sometimes. Deidre goes over the list of caregiver duties like a pilot runs through a checklist. But I guess it's necessary. As passengers rely on a pilot for their safety, a human life depends on the caregiver's full attention and skills.Also, Americans will get the most out of the book. Whenever Deidre speaks of some purchases, she refers to the shops she used. Those may be not directly correspondent to the shops in Canada, Australia, or Germany. The same applies to some offices and health care.In fact, I wrote the above to write anything at all about cons. Because this book is as close to perfection as it gets.PROS1. It Serves Its Purpose Perfectly.This book was written with the intention to equip common mortals upon whom the unexpected responsibility was bestowed. Usually, it happens pretty rapidly. No one ever is prepared for it.Deidre had been a nurse—she thought she was ready for full-time caregiving, and yet she still found herself not prepared. It is 100 times more overwhelming for those who had no such experience and who became caregivers due to some random event, not a chronic illness.Toolkit for Caregivers fulfills its purpose perfectly. Of course, Deidre's prose is not ornamental it’s not the kind of flowery prose that belongs in literary fiction. This book is for caregivers. It covers all the angles. It's very practical. It's useful. It doesn't artificially inflate the page count.It's perfect.2. Covers All the Angles.The author very methodically goes through everything a caregiver needs, from equipment and sanitary supplies, through nursing procedure and the emotional needs of both a caregiver and a patient.I can imagine how overwhelmed an accidental caregiver can feel. Having this toolkit, you can scroll (or turn) the pages till you find whatever you need at a given moment. You don't have to know it all. You can learn step-by-step exactly what you need and when you need it.3. It's Practical to the Bone.A caregiver deals with things he or she probably never planned to face, like cleaning the intimate areas of a patient. And it's just one vivid example of MANY "unusual" things a caregiver does. And you know what? Deidre talks about ALL of them. She does it not in some figurative fashion. She provides the exact steps, tools, and procedures you need to apply.Deidre explains every tiny details of bathing, shaving, or defecating. Everything. And it's practical. You can open the book and perform a specific procedure for the first time in your life following her instructions step-by-step.4. It Comes from Experience.This shines through each page of the book. Deidre has been there and done that. Therefore, she has four times greater of a chance to teach you about giving care than people do who have certificates and education but not practice.She was in your shoes. She can help. And you can feel her compassion to fellow caregivers and their patients. It makes this textbook-like book compassionate as well. You get the best of both worlds: someone who knows what is she doing and someone who speaks about it tenderly.5. Resources.Yes, the author mentions where to buy the best items and where to look for help. But the best resources are right within the book, especially the photos accompanying the instructions. You won't only read how to move or wash a patient; you will see it too.SummaryIf you never expected to end up as a caregiver, I cannot imagine a better book for you. The author of Toolkit for Caregivers provides everything you need to take care of your loved ones. Deidre doesn't shy away from any topic and covers them all.She also knows exactly how you feel as a long-term caregiver and has some solutions not just for your patient, but for you.Awesome, awesome resource for caregivers!

I was honored to be by this author and her husband during the last year. This nurse learned almost as much from them as I pray they learned from me. This book is filled with life saving, frustration sparing, care giving tips. If you have never cared for a bed bound individual, or even if you have but were left feeling less than, this book will change your world and that of the individual you are caring for. Not only does this book give practical tips, you can tell if comes from the heart. The heart in this book let's you know it isn't just another how to for dummies. It's a living, breathing testimony of an exhausted wife caring for her best friend. I will definitely recommend and mention this toolkit to my patients caregivers. I have always said that being a caregiver for your loved one is the hardest, but most rewarding job you can ever do. It isn't one day at a time sweet Jesus, it is one hour, and sometimes, one minute at a time.

This is an extremely helpful resource filled with advice and good practices that come from D. Edwards' own experiences. As she says, nobody should have to re-invent the wheel whenever they go through such a situation. This book covers all areas of Caregiving, from personalising your loved one/patients hospital bed in order to maximise it's safety and comfort (try using bedding layers and foam piping around handles and foot guards). There's a great idea for no-touch zones that comes with photos to explain how to quickly rig such a simple solution to protect against rash/skin burn etc.The author goes deep into Infection control, best practices for washing and shaving, changing bedding (there are diagrams and step-by-step details to show the best way to do this), and the importance of keeping your loved one/ patient entertained and stimulated. There is also a Business Side checklist, to deal with everything that comes later - invaluable.

After nursing 20 years in the acute care setting, building a Palliative Care program in two critical care units and leaning deeply into the terminal diagnosis of several amazing family members, I have scaled the peaks of beating the disease as well as traversed the vast landscape of caring for the dying by celebrating and honoring how they define is the best way to live. This was to leave the chaos of the hospital and come home. Deidre's brilliant caregiving book not only highlights the tips/tricks/tasks to ease caring for your beloved husband, or grandparent or daughter...but the self care necessary to facilitate the caregiver's soul to recharge and not just endure the difficult days, but to thrive in giving your absolute best to your loved one. And I have shared the magic of Cetaphil facial cleanser with families-no spoiler alert here-but you will have many ah-ha moments during this vital read!! The business side of dying should be offered to every single family when a chronic and terminal illness has been diagnosed. I have heard tragic stories from widows about not just the loss of their beloved but the nightmares of finances after the funeral. Deidre shares the finer points that ease the transition and revealed uncommon knowledge reserved the after care, yet many silently suffer. I am so grateful to donate her amazing books to my church where it is offered to families who are care takers and my hospital has dispersed it to the case management/giftshop and Home Health/Hospice. Show your family how much you love them if you are heading towards this benevolent arena by using this book to share the practical, the loving and the tender ways to demonstrate agape love. God bless, Dawn B. Smith, RN