Book offers advice, resources, for family caregivers

Suzanne Mintz, president of National Family Caregivers Association shares her own story and makes a call for change

According to U.S. Census data, more than one quarter (26.6%) of the adult population has provided care to a family member or friend during the past year, a statistic that translates into more than 54 million people. These caregivers are underpinning the health care system—the value of the services they provide for free" is estimated to be $196 billion a year. They work around the clock—and they need help. Suzanne Mintz, president and co-founder of the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) has written LOVE HONOR AND VALUE YOURSELF: A Family Caregiver Speaks Out About the Choices and Challenges of Caregiving (Capital Books, November 2002, $14.95) to address the needs of the millions of family caregivers struggling to balance the demands of care with those of every day life.
It is clear that family caregivers are making a tremendous contribution," Mintz says, Not only to their loved ones, but to American society as a whole, and some of them are doing so at a huge physical, emotional, and financial cost." NFCA espouses a philosophy of self-advocacy and self-care that is predicated on the belief that caregivers who choose to take charge of their lives are in a position to be happier and healthier individuals. They are then able to have a higher quality of life and to make a more positive contribution to the well being of their care recipient, all of which has a positive impact on society and health care costs. LOVE HONOR AND VALUE YOURSELF is a guide to implementing that philosophy.
Mintz begins by sharing her own story of caregiving. In 1974, her young husband was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and Suzanne has spent the past 28 years caring for him as his health declines. Her story is typical of family caregivers, and she shares the frustration, the grief, and the difficulties she faces.
With the background established, LOVE HONOR AND VALUE YOURSELF goes on provide suggestions, strategies, and resources for family caregivers. Some of the topics she addresses include:
 The common bonds of caregiving felt by all family caregivers: anger, frustration, isolation, grief, sadness, and what you can do about them
 How to take charge of your life and the care of your loved one
 The importance of taking care of yourself—physically, mentally, and spiritually—in order to provide the best care for another person
 The importance and benefits of asking for help, and how to go about doing that
 An examination of the social issues involved with caregiving
At the back of the book is an appendix listing sources for general caregiving information, resources and support on specific conditions, end of life, palliative, and hospice care, health insurance and medical care, and referral services for home health care, transportation, and respite care.
The appendix also gives guidelines for finding a support group, how to handle legal and financial matters, what to look for in a nursing home or home health aide, and how to deal with issues such as loss of intimacy and the health of the caregiver.
Family caregivers really are the care coordinators" of their family," Mintz says. Long-term care is not measured in months or by individual crises, but rather by years and maintenance of function for loved ones. Family caregivers are the historians and managers of their loved ones medical social, financial, and cultural lives. Without family caregivers, our current healthcare system could not function. The length of hospital stays, the need for institutionalization and professional home care services would expand significantly."
   These facts make caregiving is a social issue," Mintz continues. It is of concern to policy makers and politicians at the federal, state, and local lievels, to employers, insurers, and healthcare providers. Today caregiving is much more than a personal family issue. It is the issue of our age, because it sooner or later will affect every family in America, and we are not prepared either as individuals or as a society to deal with it."
   Suzanne Mintz is the president and founder of The National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), which is a grassroots organization dedicated to supporting and improving the lives of America's family caregivers. She is the author of The Resourceful Caregiver: Helping Family Caregivers Help Themselves.
NFCA was created in 1993 to educate, support, empower and advocate for the millions of Americans who care for their ill, aged or disabled loved ones. NFCA reaches across the boundaries of different diagnoses, different relationships and different life stages to address the common needs and concerns of all family caregivers.
      For a review copy or author interview, please call Kristen Gustafson, 207-990-0710.
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LOVE, HONOR, AND VALUE YOURSELF: A Family Caregiver Speaks Out About the
Choices and Challenges of Caregiving
Suzanne Mintz, Director and Co-Founder of the National Family Caregivers Association
November 1, 2002    ISBN 1-892123-56-8 $14.95
Hardcover, 192 pp., 5 ½" x 8 ½"