In her dedication Harriet describes caregivers as the unsung heroines and heroes of life. Do you agree with this statement?
The title of the first chapter is “Caregiving is an Expanding Role.” Think about some of tasks associated with caregiving and share them with the group.
Are you a stand-by family caregiver, someone who is available when schedules conflict?
Which caregiving tasks do you think are hardest for family caregivers?
Is your community wheelchair friendly, with wide store/restaurant doorways and enough wheelchair parking places? What else is needed?
Harriet shares some personal stories in The Family Caregiver’s Guide. Is there a story that touched you?
Pretend you are an architect. How would you design a place for home caregiving?
Which skills are essential for family caregivers?
Although most caregivers are women, men are assuming this role. What special skills do men have?
Is anyone really prepared to be a family caregiver? Share some of your thoughts.
Harriet devotes an entire chapter to caregiving “nuts and bolts.” Think of some other things that are necessary for home caregiving. Have you seen any new products?
Caregiving is an evolving role that involves constant learning. Are courses available in your community? If so, what are they?
In the guide Harriet writes about sleep deprivation. Have you ever been sleep deprived? How did it make you feel?
Does your loved one have a health problem? How do you feel about this problem?
Becoming a care receiver can be demeaning and make the care receiver feel helpless. Think of some ways to reduce this feeling.
You may have arranged for mobile services for your loved one. How did they work out? Were the costs reasonable?
Self-care is important for caregivers. Share some of the ways you practice self-care.
The Family Caregiver’s Guide ends with a chapter about the rewards of caregiving. Discuss these rewards. Which one seems to be most important?
Each chapter ends with Smart Steps—reviews of the main points in the chapters. Was this section helpful? Did you follow any of the suggestions?
Harriet writes about the benefits of affirmation writing. You have read The Family Caregiver’s Guide. Would you read the second book in her series, Affirmations for Family Caregivers?