The Unexpected Journey of Caring

With a foreword by Judy Woodruff, The Unexpected Journey of Caring is a practical guide to finding personal meaning in the 21st century care experience. Personal transformation is usually an experience we actively seek outnot one that hunts us down. Becoming a caregiver is one transformation that comes at us, requiring us to rethink everything we once knew. Everything changesresponsibilities, beliefs, hopes, expectations, and relationships. Caregiving is not just a role reserved for saintseventually, everyone is drafted into the caregiver role. Its not a role people medically train for; its a new type of relationship initiated by a loved ones need for care. And its a role that cannot be quarantined to home because it infuses all aspects of our lives. Caregivers today find themselves in need of a crash course in new and unfamiliar skills. They must not only care for a loved one, but also access hidden community resources, collaborate with medical professionals, craft new narratives consistent with the changing nature of their care role, coordinate care with family, seek information and peer support using a variety of digital platforms, and negotiate social supportall while attempting to manage conflicts between work, life, and relationship roles. The moments that mark us in the transition from loved one to caregiver matter because if we dont make sense of how we are being transformed, we risk undervaluing our care experiences, denying our evolving beliefs, becoming trapped by others misunderstandings, and feeling underappreciated, burned out, and overwhelmed. Informed by original caregiver research and proven advocacy strategies, this book speaks to caregiving as it unfolds, in all of its confusion, chaos, and messiness. Readers wont find well-intentioned clichs or care stereotypes in this book. There are no promises to help caregivers return to a life they knew before caregiving. No, this book greets caregivers where they are in their journeynew or chronicnot where others expect (or want) them to be.