Category: Testimonials

We have 70 caregivers that receive the newsletter and we have received many comments on the useful articles in the newsletter. Rick Beechner, Director, Elk County Council On Aging, Inc.

We use the Caregiver Assistance News for all our staff at Extended Care for in-service. The information is always informative and helpful and a convenient way to get monthly in-service hours.Julie L. Smerkar, LM, Program Coordinator, VNA Extended Care

_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.

I have found the monthly in-services to be extremely informative and helpful to the nurses aides. They have a requirement of 15 hours per year. I have been with The Comfort of Home since 2004. Great in-service for the staff.Debra Popovich, RN,MHA, President/CEO, Personal Care Home Health Services, Inc.

This book should lighten the load for anyone giving or receiving care at home. InsideMS, Theodosia Kelsey