The Comfort of Home for Chronic Heart Failure is a must-have for the over 5 million families (in the United States alone) dealing with this major disorder. Many books have been written about heart failure for physicians, nurses and other health care providers. A few have been written for the heart failure patients themselves. This is the first to be written specifically for the caregiver until now, the silent partner in the war on this deadly disorder. This book is wonderfully written with detailed explanations and discussions as well as quick bullet points on each page to make reading more educational and fun. While the book is targeted to the caregivers, it is a must-read for health care providers as well, providing details about home care, financial resources and end-of-life planning not available in the existing medical textbooks. It will forever occupy a key spot on my office bookshelf. David O. Taylor, M.D., FACC ,Professor of Medicine, Director, Heart Failure Special Care Unit, Director, Heart Failure/Transplantation Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Author: meyer4834@gmail.com
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_This book is a unique resource for individuals who care for patients with chronic heart failure. It is packed with solid advice and practical tips for caregivers on how to take care of patients and themselves. It is written with passion and affection by individuals whose commitment and dedication to patients are evident on every page. It is an essential guide for anyone who cares for someone with chronic heart failure._ **** Steven E. Nissen MD MACC, Chairman, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University
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This is an exceptionally well written reference which should prove invaluable to people with liver disorders as well as to the family and friends who will assume responsibility for providing care to these individuals. The authors have successfully married a wealth of information with an easy reading style. I was particularly impressed with their ability to convey the essential components of very complex subjects to readers who lack formal medical training. The notes and tips interspersed in the text serve to artfully focus the readers attention and to emphasize key elements and concepts. Andrew S. Klein, M.D., M.B.A., Esther and Mark Schulman Chair in Surgery and Transplant Medicine, Director, Comprehensive Transplant Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
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_Meyer and Derr (coauthors, The Comfort of Home Caregiving Journal), in collaboration with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, have compiled a large amount of detailed, practical advice on caregiving for MS patients in an easily digestible format. The book is divided into three major sections: one that addresses decisions about and preparation for homecare, one that deals with the activities of daily living, and one that collects additional resources such as a glossary, lists of abbreviations and organizations, and types of medical specialists. Every page has something useful to offer, e.g., caveats, checklists, sample forms, and schedules. There are helpful graphics throughout, demonstrating, for example, range-of-motion exercises or how to make a bed with someone in it. This is an invaluable addition to bibliographies for the home caregiver. Hospital libraries will want to have a copy on hand for physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and any staff dealing with MS patients and their caregivers. Highly recommended for all public libraries and consumer health collections._ **** Library Journal -Cleo Pappas, Lib. of the Health Sciences, Univ. of Illinois, Chicago
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_This book is empowering to caregivers and patients by offering step-by-step answers to the many questions that we face day-to-day. A broad stroke of issues, with clear visuals, this book is easy to read, in a well-organized format with critical information and resources at your fingertips. If home is where the heart is, this book educates the reader about the many issues that stand before people living with chronic conditions and provides answers and avenues for getting the best care possible. I will definitely keep a desk copy for myself as well as for my medical team and friends who will benefit from this concise and realistic view of managing life with a chronic condition. Its a manual for decision making through difficult times._ **** Kathleen Wilson MA, MFA; Founding President MSWorld, Inc.;www.msworld.org
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_This really is a must-read for anyone who cares for someone with MS. People with MS who are currently care-free (or care-less) would do well to read it also. Mindfully illustrated, well-organized, and exhaustive in its breadth of information, the book addresses the important issues facing those who are trying to retain quality of life at home while coping with worsening MS. There are chapters on major hurdles, such as financial planning, deciding on and implementing the level of care needed, and adaptive physical/material considerations. There are usefully illustrated chapters covering body positioning and transferring for one who cannot move voluntarily. There are also detailed chapters about hygiene, catheterization, feeding, and otherwise maintaining both the body and spirits of a loved one with MS. Those details could be chilling for one who has MS and may be daunting for a caregiver, too, but the writing is calm and supportive. One feels encouraged to explore options rather than run from unpleasant realities.There are, thankfully, suggestions for caregiver relief and extensive resources for outside aid involving respite care and vacation/travel arrangements. There is discussion of the potential for abuse (both of caregivers and of care-receivers). End-of-life planning is also covered. There are lists of agencies that may be of help. Our life experience doesnt generally prepare us for coping with disability as a matter of course. This book might reasonably have been titled Caregiving for Dummies for it at least touches on almost everything one might ever need to know. In fact, there is much in the book that I wasnt even aware was knowable. Writing as a reviewer who has worsening MS, I cant say I felt light-hearted while reading it, but I would refer to this book without hesitation should I need the knowledge it contains. The possibility of a loved ones MS worsening is always a threat. It is good to know that someone has taken the trouble to research and organize the information one might require and to present it invitingly. It is, indeed, a comfort._ **** Reviewed by Dean Kramer, Essayist, Author of**Life on Cripple Creek; Essays on Living with Multiple Sclerosis**, Management Team MSWorld, Inc.
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This book should lighten the load for anyone giving or receiving care at home. InsideMS, Theodosia Kelsey
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The collaboration between Maria Meyer and Paula Derr with Kimberly Koch and Diane Afes from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in presenting The Comfort of Home Multiple Sclerosis Edition is a huge success. The information in this book is presented in a clear, precise manner that is easy to follow. I realize the book is geared towards multiple sclerosis caregivers but it has so much information that is useable for me, a person living with MS, that it will find a valued spot in my library of books on multiple sclerosis. The tips, notes, checklists, resource information, and the publication guides are all great tools. Anyone living with MS, whether patient, family member or caregiver, will find information that they can immediately use in this edition. Teresa Rapozo
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The Comfort of Home Multiple Sclerosis Edition: An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide for Multiple Sclerosis Caregivers (The Comfort of Home) Highly recommended. Can never have too much help in making life easier for all of us! Valued Spot in my Library of Books on Multiple Sclerosis The collaboration between Maria Meyer and Paula Derr with Kimberly Koch and Diane Afes from the National MS Society in presenting The Comfort of Home Multiple Sclerosis Edition is a huge success. Highly recommended.
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Testimonials.29
The Comfort of Home : An Illustrated Step-By-Step Guide for Multiple Sclerosis Caregivers by co-authors Maria M. Meyer and Paula Derr RN is a comprehensive and practical guide written for anyone, especially family members, responsible for the care of someone with MS. No experience or knowledge is presumed of the reader; chapters walk one through everything from basic advice for making ones home safe and comfortable to ensuring a balanced diet and sufficient exercise to avoiding caregiver burnout and much more. Simple black-and-white drawings illustrate key points where a visual aid is valuable in this practical book, which covers matters such as saving money and applying health care effectively as surely as the more labor-intensive aspects of caregiving. Highly recommended.