Publisher's Synopsis
Caregivers Are People Too concerns the search for growth within the care giving situation. Most caregivers believe they are driven by duty and love. Perhaps so, but this book serves as a guide to finding the variety of hidden motives which determine and perpetuate a person''s care giving role. Most importantly, it stresses the concept that caring for another person need not mean self-sacrifice. It is possible, if one is open to introspection and the use of practical suggestions, to care for someone else and still enrich one''s own life. To illustrate and clarify these ideas, this book is filled with relevant vignettes. They demonstrate that long term care giving usually results in social isolation of both the caregiver and the recipient, causing them to become circumscribed and centered on the disability. The resulting interdependence can severely impairs both parties social adaptation. This book addresses not only the role of care giving, but also offers strategies for promoting a healthy care-giving dyad. It is called a primer, because it forms the basis for further development. It guides the caregiver toward intense self-examination. Knowing yourself is the key to further growth. The book also contains information about the ramifications of the various disabilities and practical suggestions for controlling troublesome symptoms. Knowing your partner is essential to finding ways to broaden his/her horizons. Everyone, including caregivers, has the right to explore his/her own potential and look forward to fulfilling it. This guide is geared to investigating choices and finding ways to pursue one''s special ambitions. It is not so much an advice book, as it is a road map to help you reach your desired goals.
