If you are a new caregiver then you know the struggles of taking care of someone who is going through something that we have never experienced. It is challenging and often feels like a walk in the murky waters for most new caregivers. And with no one to turn to, it becomes even more difficult. Thankfully, there are writers who thought of you and others with such thirst of knowledge on how to go about with caregiving and gave their time, knowledge and expertise to help you through it through senior care books.
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| Price | Product | Our Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions (by Paul Hogan) | 9.6 | ||
| Home Care How To: The Guide to Starting Your Senior In-Home Care Business (by Brendan John) | 9.8 | ||
| How to Take Care of Old People Without Losing Your Marbles? (by Suzanne Asaff Blankenship) | 9.7 | ||
| How to Care for Aging Parents? (by Virginia Morris) | 9.6 | ||
| Coping with Your Difficult Older Parent: A Guide for Stressed-Out Children (by Grace Lebow, Barbara Kane, Irwin Lebow) | 9.4 | ||
| The Complete Eldercare Planner (by Joy Loverde) | 9.4 | ||
| Tips for Helping Your Aging Parents (Without Losing Your Mind) (by Kira Reginato) | 9.2 | ||
| Elder Rage, or Take My Father… Please!: How to Survive Caring for Aging Parents (by Jacqueline Marcell) | 9.7 | ||
| Role Reversal: How to Take Care of Yourself and Your Aging Parent (by Iris Waichler) | 9.9 | ||
| Honoring Aging Parents: How to Grow Up When Mom and Dad Grow Old (by Klaus Dannenberg, Bruce Black) | 9.9 | ||
| When Reasoning No Longer Works: A Practical Guide for Caregivers Dealing with Dementia & Alzheimer’s Care (by Angel Smits) | 9.1 |
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These books help you navigate the different aspects of caregiving including how to start a caregiving agency, dealing with seniors with degenerative conditions as well as scheduling caregiving tasks and responsibilities. In this guide, we will cover some of the most resourceful and informative books on senior care that we believe will be more than helpful for you. But first, let’s help you make the best buying decision with our buying guide.
Read on….
Buying guide
There are several factors to consider when choosing the right book on senior care, here are some of the key things to look out for:
Format
There are different formats, however, E-books seem to be the best option if you are not a sucker for hardcopy books. This is because you do not have to wait for delivery, you can start reading on your device immediately. Furthermore, the e-book version is less expensive than the hard copy and is not prone to wear, tear and loss.
Topic and content
It is important to ensure that the subject matter pertains to your unique situation. Books on senior care are available on different topics thus the need to consider carefully what you need knowledge on is helpful. For instance, if you are struggling with an aggressive and difficult senior, then you would want to look for a book that talks about dealing with difficult seniors and probably how to deal with the emotions that you are bound to experience with such.
Type of text
No one wants to read a block of texts for hours, it is not only boring but painstakingly strenuous. A good book should be easy to read and have lots of illustrations, images, and diagrams where possible. There should be a good flow of content and the author should talk to a human and not a robot. Senior care is not really an intriguing topic and so the texts should be appealing if you are to even read half the book.
Author experience
Check the author’s credentials and qualifications to ensure you get information from a reliable, trusted source. Consider books that have a good number of positive reviews and high ranks. Authors who have won awards are certainly trusted. Go for books that have been written by either a journalist, educator or professional. Good memoirs should be those written by someone who has the experience, preferably in writing as well as senior care.
Best Books on Senior Care 2023
There are several books out there on senior care but most do not cover the critical things that a caregiver ought to know about senior care. Some are too shallow while others are written by inexperienced authors. To write about senior care, an author must have gone through the process to understand it to the tee. This is why we have filtered only what is best for you. These books have great experience backing and have been authored by best selling authors in the senior care niche. Whichever you pick, we can guarantee you that it will be a resourceful tool in your journey as a caregiver.
#1 Stages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions (by Paul Hogan)
Written by Paul Hogan, this bestseller has been rated among the best books on senior care. It is not only informative but also practical. It is a complete manual that will guide you on the best ways to care for the elderly. Besides offering guidelines to caregivers on caring for seniors, this book also provides the elderly with various helpful options. It is well written, well-researched and very comprehensive.
Besides writing, Hogan supports seniors staying at home. He also provides adequate information that will help caregivers know when to seek additional care as well as information on senior centers and nursing homes. This book contains content that will help you know and weigh the pro and cons of nonmedical caregivers, nursing homes, adult care centers, assisted living facilities and retirement communities. It also informs you of the costs of these facilities and senior care options. This book will no doubt help you make well-informed decisions on taking care of your aging parents.
#2 Home Care How To: The Guide to Starting Your Senior In-Home Care Business (by Brendan John)
If you are looking for senior care books that will guide you in opening a senior in-home care business, this book by Brendan John will be more than helpful. Having been in the home care industry for over ten years, John shares the secrets of starting a successful home care business as well as his experience in the industry.
The book provides everything you need to know about starting and running a profitable senior in-home business. It will help you explore the steps to starting your home care agency, tips to getting started, how to market your business, how to get qualified staff, how to manage the business and information on state health department licensing as well. In addition, it directs readers to a helpful website with forms, tools, and resources stated in the book. This website complements the book and allows you to download these tools and resources. This book is for sure a great place to start for entrepreneurs aspiring to start an in-home care agency.
#3 How to Take Care of Old People Without Losing Your Marbles? (by Suzanne Asaff Blankenship)
This book by Suzanne Asaff Blankenship is among the most practical elder care planning books available in the market. It features topics on financial planning, housing options, Medicare, long-term care insurance, and legal docs. This insightful and informative book with a little humor is very easy to read and very helpful especially to those caring for aging parents or relatives. It will keep you organized and help you plan ahead. It not only guides caregivers on how to care for seniors, but it also offers young people practical guidelines on how to prepare for old age.
#4 How to Care for Aging Parents? (by Virginia Morris)
How to Care for Aging Parents by Virginia Morris is a greatly revised and improved edition of an elderly care book published in 1995. This book is a great old age manual that thoroughly explains the aging process and experience and offers various solutions. This book explores a variety of issues including dealing with dementia, financial issues, sharing care responsibilities with siblings, legal issues, nursing homes, medical issues, and the hospice option. This well-researched and comprehensive book offers support to both the caregiver and the elderly.
It also covers psychosocial areas like death and dealing with death and spiritual needs as well. It is for this reason that it is among the most helpful elderly care nursing books. In addition, the book contains reference information, agencies, and phone numbers. It also has checklists, anecdotal experiences, and resources that will make the experience as a caregiver less stressful.
#5 Coping with Your Difficult Older Parent: A Guide for Stressed-Out Children (by Grace Lebow, Barbara Kane, Irwin Lebow)
Written by Grace Lebow and Barbara Kane, this book provides solutions and a way to cope with children struggling with difficult elderly parents. These include parents who tend to make irrational demands, obsess over health problems, will blame you for everything and those who are hostile and critical as well. Dealing with such parents can be stressful, to say the least.
The authors of this book, being professionals in the field for over two decades, provide instructions on how to effectively communicate with a difficult parent. The authors also highlight various practical techniques for dealing with a challenging parent. They provide tips such as how to prevent the parent’s negativity from overwhelming you, how to avoid the cycle of nagging and how to deal with an impaired parent who refuses to stop driving.
#6 The Complete Eldercare Planner (by Joy Loverde)
Joy Loverde, in this fully revised and updated edition of The Complete Eldercare Planner, explores more practical and newer options available today for caregivers in caring for seniors. From sharing responsibilities and organizing caregiving tasks to handling complex tasks, this book provides practical, detailed and comprehensive tips on how to best care for your aging relatives or parents. It is one of the most popular eldercare planning books that makes caregiving easy.
It covers a variety of issues such as managing medication, being a caregiver when you live far away, discussing sensitive topics with seniors, creating long-term care plans and managing finances. The book also features an index of internet resources as well as downloadable forms of essential documents. It also contains worksheets, checklists, The Document Locator, step-by-step action plans and other resources that will be very helpful.
#7 Tips for Helping Your Aging Parents (Without Losing Your Mind) (by Kira Reginato)
Written by Kira Reginato, an elder care manager, gerontologist, and consultant, this insightful book offers step-by-step instructions on how to guide adult children in caring for their aging parents while at the same time caring for themselves.
Reginato provides practical suggestions to caring for aging parents that she addresses with compassion. The book contains checklists and simple ideas for easy tasks like choosing the best caregiving products, managing emergency room visits, creating a safe environment at home to avoid accidents, having peace of mind while caregiving and handling parents who refuse paid help. Reginato explores all areas of family caregiving from the easily accomplished tasks to difficult and complex areas. This book is short but comprehensive and is hence one of the most helpful senior care books to help you practice caregiving without neglecting yourself and your needs as well.
#8 Elder Rage, or Take My Father… Please!: How to Survive Caring for Aging Parents (by Jacqueline Marcell)
Elder Rage by Jacqueline Marcella has received over 500 positive reviews on Amazon with high ratings and ranks among the top elderly care books. It is not only an elderly care book but also a self-help book that helps caregivers deal with difficult elders. It offers solutions to various issues in caregiving like medical, financial, legal, emotional and social issues.
Jacqueline Marcell, in this book, narrates her experience, challenges, and successes in caring for her aging parents with humor, honesty, and courage. She tackles complex caregiving issues and hard questions like how to get the elder to see another doctor, accept help with cleaning, take medication, move to a new place, stop driving and accept to attend an adult daycare. It contains a lot of valuable resources as well as a Q&A section that will help you find answers and solutions to the challenges you face as a caregiver.
#9 Role Reversal: How to Take Care of Yourself and Your Aging Parent (by Iris Waichler)
While most senior care books and elderly care nursing books focus on providing the best care for seniors, this book by Iris Waichler helps caregivers cope with the challenges that come with caregiving. Waichler incorporates her expertise as a clinical social worker and a patient advocate with her personal experience to produce this comprehensive guide for caregivers. The book contains very useful information that covers various areas of caregiving from finding the best care for an aging parent to sensitive topics like grief and anger.
Wailcher also includes various invaluable resources and puts emphasis on recognizing and respecting the dignity of elderly people. The book analyzes the various issues and problems caregivers face and the difficult decisions that they are required to make. It offers advice and solutions to these difficult situations and guides caregivers in making informed decisions. This book is perfect for caregivers who feel overwhelmed by responsibilities, those who struggle with financial and emotional issues, paperwork and making major decisions.
#10 Honoring Aging Parents: How to Grow Up When Mom and Dad Grow Old (by Klaus Dannenberg, Bruce Black)
Honoring Aging Parents by Klaus Dannenberg and Bruce Black uses real-life examples that caregivers can relate to help them understand their aging parents and relieve emotional turmoil. This book also eases anxiety and feelings of isolation that come with parents aging. It seeks to explain and provide insights into various caregiving topics including the emotions encountered, the available options and difficult conversations with aging parents and with siblings as well.
The authors provide excellent advice on not only medical issues but also legal issues as well as the emotional roller coaster that comes with caring for aging parents. They discuss the challenges associated with dependant living and the difficulties that come with transitioning into a caregiving role. The book also addresses sensitive and difficult topics such as preparing for death and a loss of mental faculties. The authors write from their personal experiences and also from a Christian perspective. It is one of the most popular eldercare books that offer helpful and practical suggestions to caregivers.
#11 When Reasoning No Longer Works: A Practical Guide for Caregivers Dealing with Dementia & Alzheimer’s Care (by Angel Smits)
This book by Angel Smits is one of the top elderly care nursing books that address Dementia and Alzheimer’s, which are common conditions among the elderly. Angel Smits is a Gerontologist with over two decades of experience and a social worker as well. She writes this comprehensive and practical book from her expertise and experience with many Dementia and Alzheimer patients.
The book offers insightful information that helps you understand dementia and how it affects the brain. It also explains how it is diagnosed and how to deal with its effects. In addition, Smits explains how to avoid a catastrophic reaction, how to diminish wandering, when to look for help, what to do when a wanderer is missing and how to deal with aggressive behavior as well as disruptive behaviors.
This book is a good start to caring for elders who have been diagnosed with these conditions. It will help you as a caregiver recognize and understand why your loved one is behaving in a certain manner and provides you with effective techniques on how to handle them. It not only helps you know how to treat and handle a catastrophic behavior but also enables you to recognize triggers that lead to catastrophic behavior so that you can avoid it.
Conclusion
If your loved one is already a senior and still in good health, as well as living independently, you may not feel any dramatic changes or concerns. But a time will come when the effects of aging become more evident hence long-term care nay be needed. A good book on senior care would provide all the necessary guidelines to help all those involved in such a process cope and maneuver smoothly. It will help you prepare emotionally and plan for caregiving ahead of time. And if you are already caregiving, it will help you learn the various ways to cope with caregiving challenges. The books we have reviewed vary in content and so you may need to pick more than one depending on what you are currently struggling with or need knowledge on.
