When Caregiving Calls

Guidance as You Care for a Parent, Spouse, or Aging Relative

By: Aaron Blight

Narrated by: Aaron Blight

“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 18 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.

©2020 Aaron Blight (P)2021 Aaron Blight

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This book was obviously written and even read with careful intent. The content is easy to absorb and I found the audio version to be an easy and enjoyable listen.
Personally my favorite chapters were 2 - Roles and 11 - Independence. I imagine that every reader will have different chapters that will be more meaningful to them.......and with 18 different chapters there is something for every caregiver.
I appreciated the "Questions for Reflection" at the end of each chapter and feel that this book not only gives your insight and guidance - it allows you to draw out your own unique map to your caregiving journey.

must read for any level of caregiver to a loved on

valuable to anyone who takes care of a loved one. If you have not started or are in the middle of taking care of a loved one.

Hope Renewed

I've never written a review before, but I had to for this book. The book was a life saver for me personally. I found this book after an especially upsetting morning taking care of my 83 year old Mother. Trying to work full time and taking care of my Mother when not at work has been extremely hard. Mother is recovering from a brain surgery she had July 2021. It wasn't cancer, but because of her age she's had several setbacks. Thankfully, my adult daughter was able to move back home to be Mother's caregiver so that I could go back to work.

I'm crying as I'm listening while I'm working. It was like the author was writing about my life taking care of my Mother. I was struggling with ALL THE EMOTIONS the author described in the book.

When I got home after listening to this book, I broke down crying telling my Mother that I was sorry for the anger I had felt towards her that morning.

This book has gave me a renewed sense of hope, definitely a better understanding of what my Mother is feeling being completely dependent on someone for everything. All the guilt, anger and impatience towards Mother was weighing me down so much so that I felt a terrible resentment towards her at times. I felt an incredible sense of calm after listening to this book.

My Mother is and has always been my best friend, I now have a better understanding and the knowledge to continue being Mother's caregiver, hopefully many years to come.

This is a must listen for anyone caring for a loved one. The author's calming voice is especially a pleasant surprise.