Would you read a book about caregiving? Do you wish there was a strong source about caregiving before you started doing it?

You know, after reading FreqFlyer's answer it occurred to me that an Eldercare For Dummies kind of book might be really helpful.
So many of the questions on the forum are repeated again and again and it's obvious that the newbies haven't got a clue how to even begin. Informing people about the basics
- like government agencies they've probably never heard of such as local agencies on aging, APS, the realities of medicare and medicaid look backs
- the difference between normal aging and dementia, and that dementia is an umbrella term that includes Alzheimer's
- senior housing options and their differences
- options for dealing with incontinence
- what is needed to make a senior friendly home
- all the wonderful gadgets and durable medical equipment available and where to get it and how to pay for it
- how to find resources on line and the benefits of you tube videos

and many more

Hey Dixidoddle, love your cute name. I was giving it some serious thought of writing a caregiver book for quite sometime now. I bet there are lots of caregivers out there with the same thoughts. Wouldn't it be nice if caregivers got together on this site and helped write a better than excellent book on the subject of caregiving. RN's, LPN's, aides, managers, doctors and various other people from all sorts of backgrounds could contribute to the book from experience they obtained through the years of caregiving. I think it is a great idea and the caregivers would benefit tremendously.

Dixiedoodle, I believe most people who never did caregiving or even thought about it for the future would read articles before hand. I know I didn't. It just wasn't on my radar.

Then when it all hit, that my parents needed help, I didn't know what to do. In fact, I had never heard of caregiving agencies until my Dad was in the hospital and the case worker told me about professional caregiving agencies that one can hire to help at home. Never even heard of hospice. Never heard of Independent Living, or Assistant Living nor Memory Care.

I just wasn't around seniors. My parents were still walking 2 miles a day when they were in their very late 80's, and still lived in their home. It wasn't until my Dad had to stop driving that the journey began. Believe me, I was a fish out of water. What an eye opener.

It was my primary doctor who gave me a website name, and on that Internet search is when I found Aging Care :)

As Midkid had mentioned, I also learn from other people's situations and how they solved it [if it can solved].

Would go a long way for ANY book on the things we face going in with no idea, and with no one to help. I would include such things as caregiving, managing for elders who can no longer make their own decisions, how to get POA, the difference between POA and Trustee of Trust, who to turn to when you need help, and the costs of turning various places. How to begin processes of looking for in home care, of costs of assisted living and memory care in different areas of the country. There is so much to consider from the beginning to managing the estate of a loved one after. I have never honestly seen a good resource. Some of my best answers have come right here. If anyone knows of sources already out there I would love to know, I sure don't see any. With an aging population this is going to be needed more and more.

I think that most people aren't interested in caregiving until they are
already immersed in it and begin to look for answers and support. Honestly, I prefer to get my information on line, the studies and information on dementia is changing rapidly and helpful resources can be very area specific.

I’m not sure it would be possible to write a book like that without making it personal; a “memoir” as you say. Although there are similarities, each caregiver’s journey is a very personal one. There are many variables in each case and it would be impossible to address them all. It would be difficult to write a “how to” book because of those variables. Not every person who suffers with dementia goes through the stages the same way, in the same order. I guess what I’m trying to say is that to write an “instruction manual”, so to speak, would be a daunting task. Look at the sheer volume of posts, experiences and scenarios on this site. There are some common threads in these posts, but each post is based on the poster’s personal experiences as a caregiver and they’re all pretty different. You could write about what worked for you with your mom, but how you handled your issues might not work for everyone. That’s something that’s more or less understood by all of us when we post advice here or read another poster’s advice to us. If writing a book like this would be cathartic for you, that’s wonderful. I wish you all the best!

I think that is a great idea!! We all come here to learn from each other through triumphs and failures.

Having a one place source for support with the aging situations would be awesome. I felt like I have just been feeling my way in the dark as I give care, to DH, Mom, Daddy, FIL....even caregiving for a short respite period of time.

I actually WORKED in Elder Care as one of my many jobs. I learned so much from that experience.

For people to whom the whole CG thing is totally out of their wheelhouse, a reference book would be great.

You'd be able to cull like 90% of the info you'd need from all of us here on AC.

However, as helpful as that could be--for me? nothing beats reading about someone else's dramas and hopefully saying something to help them.