Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories

• Media Guide

God bless you, Carol.
It is people like you who are doing so much more for people like me than I could ever do...you have helped to define caregiving in the highest of terms, full of love, compassion and understanding. You, in turn, are continuing to help caregivers understand that they need to care about themselves, too. 
 
  Leah Jones, Person with dementia 
 

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  An Enormous Gift to Caregivers and Caregivers to be
This book is far more than a delightfully well-written collection of inspiring stories.... The book really seems to prepare one for something one can't prepare for!!...It's quite brilliant...through a collection of vividly told stories, the reader has actually been there, ...with differing elders, personalities, needs, wishes, emotions, settings, timetables, etc.. .all are unique, yet all are similar in that they are all trial and error on the caregivers part...uncharted waters you will just get into ...but the hope of the book (to me) is that the caregiver finds out there is no right way....far too many forces are at play... beyond the caregivers control...so you suck it up, do the best you can.. ..and don't fight natural events and ones desire to have done a better job. Readers are really lifted with more confidence, less guilt, and the definite feeling of not being alone. You will learn that you are not going to be perfect, but you can get the job done by doing the best you can. We can't be Carol, but we can learn from her going before us. What a friend to all caregivers. What a gift she has given us. 
 
  Skip Jones, Human Service Professional and family caregiver 

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  Carol,
How does one begin to thank you for all your insight-your information that you give each and everyone of us. I find it most useful with my parents and also the home Helpers that I work with because I deal with mostly elderly people who I love. I just wanted you to know that you are a God sent person in each of our lives and I appreciate you! 
  Blessings, Celeste Flanagan 

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  America's Baby Boomers will become increasingly familiar
with the challenge of elder care. Carol Bursack's
compassionate stories help chart this difficult territory. 
  Eric Maisel, Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Author of both fiction and non-fiction 

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  I intended to 'leaf through' Minding Our Elders and ended up being pulled in to it. I read the entire book in one sitting. I have great respect for writers that can weave words together in a manner that creates not only a picture in your mind, but invokes the emotion of the heart and soul of the reader. You may never know how many hearts you touch with this book, Carol, but you will be blessed in many unforeseen ways for this contribution. It speaks to the reality of elder care issues with an honest look into the small moments that change each of us on this path.       
 
  Barbara Mascio, Senior Approved Services 
 

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  "I've always looked to books for the answers and Carol Bradley Bursack's book Minding Our Elders was there at the very time that I needed the emotional support necessary to confront the prospect of aging parents... there is such comfort in knowing that one is not alone and that others have been able to successfully and compassionately deal with this difficult life transition."
 
 
  Sue A. Campbell, Children's Librarian / Consultant, San Francisco 

"America's Baby Boomers will become increasingly familiar with the challenge of elder care. Carol Bursack's compassionate stories help chart this difficult territory." Eric Maisel, Ph.D.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Author of both fiction and non-fiction

Eric Maisel, Ph.D. is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist living in Concord, California. His fiction includes The Black Narc, The Kingston Papers, Dismay, The Blackbirds of Mulhouse, and the Fretful Dancer. His non-fiction includes Staying Sane in the Arts, Artists Speak, A Life in the Arts, Fearless Creating, Affirmations for Artists and Fearless Presenting.

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"This book is a 'must read' for those of us in healthcare. We need to be reminded, not just once, but often, of the life-changing experiences faced by our elders and those who care for them."

Charlotte M. Feldman, BSN, RN, C

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"I just meant to take a glance at Minding Our Elders and read it later, but I simply couldn't leave it alone! I finished it the same day. These are issues I know I will be dealing with soon."

Arlene Huseby, retired

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"I really wish we'd had this book years before when we were helping Dad take care of Mom, let alone more recently when it was Dad's turn to be taken care of. There were several places where my wife and I were both tearing up over passages that took us back to some of our own experiences.

"I expected the book's primary objective, that of helping people cope with their own troubles by sharing the experiences of others. However, I didn't expect what has turned out to be an even bigger value to us than that important one. Perhaps it is because our experiences with our own parents are finally (whew!) behind us. But the really big value for us was that both of us kept thinking all the way through, 'What about us when it's our turn to be taken care? Are we ready? Have we planned the way we should so that things will go as smoothly as possible?' Our answer was a resounding 'NO!'

"We are beginning to do some serious estate planning for ourselves and will pay serious attention to educating those who will be caregivers for us when the time comes so that they are better prepared to assume the role than we were with our own parents. We have this book to thank."

Richard Sandin
San Diego

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I actually started reading your book from the very beginning, instead of from back to front. I could count on one hand how many books have enticed me to do that! God inspired every word you wrote, Carol. Your imagery – wow – it’s beyond compare!

Barbara Carlisle
 

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