November is a time to recognize family caregivers who devote countless unpaid hours to providing essential personal care to relatives and loved ones who cannot care for themselves.
If you're a family caregiver, you are not alone. In 2020, more than 53 million adult Americans cared for aging or disabled family members. The value of all that combined unpaid caregiving work added up to an estimated $600 billion in 2021.
Family caregivers have to balance the demand of jobs, careers, and raising children to provide care, comfort and compassion to their aging or disabled loved one. The cost of caregiving not only impacts a family's budget, but the amount of stress can take its toll too.
Thank you to all our family caregivers. Your community appreciates you.
Caregiving Resources in Michigan
Guide for Family Caregivers in Michigan
The AARP has developed a family caregiver guide as a starting point no matter where you are in your caregiving journey.
Help for People Caring for an Aging Parent or Loved One
The Area Agency on Aging 1-B is a nonprofit organization supporting older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers in southeast Michigan. It is part of a national network whose mission is to help people access support services they need.
This free, searchable database connects families to the assistance they need in their communities. Anyone can call, text, chat or search to get help from health and human service agencies. This service is made possible in partnership with The United Way.
Canton Leisure Services: Community Senior Services
Canton Club 55+ provides contact information to supportive care services in our area such as transportation, food assistance, elder care, etc. If you need to connect with a caregiver support group, call Club 55+ at 734-394-5485.
Caregiving Resources at the Canton Public Library
Travelers to Unimaginable Lands by Dasha Kiper
These compelling case histories meld science and storytelling to illuminate the complex relationship between the mind of someone with dementia and the mind of the person caring for them.
Who Cares by Emily Kenway
When Emily Kenway became the full-time caregiver for her terminally ill mother, her life was changed forever. Millions of caregivers are silently suffering from poverty, loneliness and depression, overwhelmed by the strain of caring in an uncaring world. Kenway opens the door on this global crisis, offering a roadmap for building a world that cares for its caregivers.
Caregiving with Love and Joy by Patricia A. Boswell
When it comes to caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, the right caregiving can make all the difference. Whether readers are providing the care themselves, managing a caregiver, or sharing the responsibilities, this book presents the most effective tips, tricks, and small changes that can reduce stress and make life easier. It offers a singular resource for anyone who is looking to provide or manage outstanding daily care while maintaining and even enhancing their own health and mental well-being.
Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years by Star Bradbury
Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. The responsibility of caring for an aging loved one is often daunting and when trouble hits, the sudden barrage of questions you face can be overwhelming.
Dignity for Deeply Forgetful People by Stephen Garrad Post
A new ethics guideline for caregivers of "deeply forgetful people" and a program on how to communicate and connect based on 30 years of community dialogues through Alzheimer's organizations across the globe.
We’re Stronger Than We Look by Jill Case Brown
Drawing from her experience caring for her quadriplegic husband and leaning into the lives of fellow caregivers, Jill Brown shares 35 essays to lift your soul and breathe life into your spirit. Designed to be picked up and read at any time, each passage can be read in three minutes or less. Includes questions for reflection or discussion to help you process, journal, and review with a friend or caregiving group.
Floating in the Deep End by Patti Davis
In a singular account of battling Alzheimer's, Patti Davis eloquently weaves personal anecdotes with practical advice tailored specifically for the overlooked caregiver. After losing her father, former president Ronald Reagan, Davis founded a support group for family members and friends of Alzheimer's patients. Drawing on those years, Davis reveals the surprising struggles and gifts of this cruel disease.
The Caregiver's Encyclopedia by Muriel R. Gillick
An indispensable, comprehensive reference for family caregivers. Caregivers hold the key to the health, well-being, and happiness of their aging relatives, partners, or friends. The Caregiver's Encyclopedia provides you with all of the information you need to take the best care of your loved one.
My Father’s Brain by Sandeep Jauhar
In an intimate memoir rich with humor and heartbreak, Jauhar relates how his immigrant father and extended family felt, quarreled, and found their way through the dissolution of a cherished life. Along the way, he lucidly exposes what happens in the brain as we age and our memory falters, and explores everything from the history of ancient Greece to the most cutting-edge neurological and bioethical research.
Coffee with Mom by Mike Glenn
A book about a mom's fight with dementia and the struggle of a son who wanted to help but didn't always know how. Most of their conversations, and sometimes battles, happened during morning coffee. This book isn't about knowing all of the answers. It is one son's journey with his mom—a mom with Alzheimer's and a son who did the best he could, and who wrote this story in hopes that you'll find a few laughs for your journey, realize you're not alone, and find the courage to do the best you can.
My Parent’s Keeper by Jody Gastfriend
This book helps caregivers cope with numerous challenges, including parents who need but refuse help; siblings who don’t get along; the complexity of healthcare systems; financial issues; juggling work and caregiving; the use of technology; the power of connecting with a loved one who has dementia; and realizing the benefits amid the burdens of caregiving.
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