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'from making major medical decisions to making sure you don't burn out.
Written by Muriel R. Gillick, MD, a geriatrician with more than 30 years' experience caring for older people, this book highlights the importance of understanding your friend's or family member's overall health. With compassion and expertise, this book will help you ""think like a doctor."" The content
helps you navigate the health-care system
shares important information about treating basic geriatric syndromes, including delirium, dementia, and falls
teaches you about preventive care options
enables you to manage medical decisions related to both acute and chronic conditions
discusses what Medicare covers'and what it doesn't
guides you through different approaches to care
weighs the risks and benefits of hospital vs. home, nursing home, or hospice care
provides a detailed list of medical supplies that you might want to keep on hand
offers you additional resources and emotional support
Throughout, Gillick provides helpful information and concrete concepts that caregivers can put into practice today. Authoritative, comprehensive, holistic, and highly illustrated, The Caregiver's Encyclopedia will help you figure out how to be the best caregiver you can be.
Introduction. What This Book Is (and What It Is Not) Part I. Underlying Health StateChapter 1. Why Health State Matters Chapter 2. Ingredients of the Underlying Health State Chapter 3. Thinking like a Geriatrician: Geriatric Syndromes Chapter 4. Determining Your Family Member's Health State Part II. Going to the Doctor Chapter 5. The Role of the Primary Care Physician Chapter 6. What to Expect from Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants Chapter 7. What to Expect from Nurses, Social Workers, and Therapists Chapter 8. What to Expect from Medical Specialists Chapter 9. What a Geriatric Assessment Is and When to Ask for One Part III. Going to the Hospital Chapter 10. The Perils of Hospitalization Chapter 11. Choosing a Hospital Chapter 12. Working with a Hospitalist Chapter 13. The Technological Imperative Chapter 14. Acute Care for the Elderly Units Chapter 15. Hospital-Based Palliative Care Part IV. Going to the Rehabilitation Facility Chapter 16. Choosing a Rehab Facility Chapter 17. How Rehab Runs Chapter 18. Your Role in the Rehab Chapter 19. Hospital-Lite'Another Role for Rehab Chapter 20. Discharge Home Part V. Chronic Care at Home Chapter 21. Your Medical Bag Chapter 22. High Blood Pressure Chapter 23. High Cholesterol Chapter 24. Arthritis Chapter 25. Coronary Heart Disease Chapter 26. Diabetes Chapter 27. Chronic Kidney Disease Chapter 28. Heart Failure Chapter 29. Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias Chapter 30. Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Chapter 31. Depression Chapter 32. Prevention Part VI. Acute Care at Home Chapter 33. Chest Pain Chapter 34. Shortness of Breath Chapter 35. Cough Chapter 36. Nausea and Vomiting Chapter 37. Constipation Chapter 38. Confusion Chapter 39. Dizziness Chapter 40. Bleeding Chapter 41. Abdominal Pain Chapter 42. FeverPart VII. Care in the Nursing Home Chapter 43. Choosing a Nursing Home Chapter 44. Why You Will Still Be a Caregiver Chapter 45. Medical Care in the Nursing Home Chapter 46. Team Meetings in the Nursing Home Part VIII. Getting Additional Help Chapter 47. Choosing a Health Plan Chapter 48. Paying for Health Care Chapter 49. Planning for Future Medical Care Chapter 50. Community Resources Chapter 51. Home Hospice Chapter 52. Involving the Rest of the Family Chapter 53. Caregiver Support Epilogue. Rest in Peace Acknowledgments Index
A knowledgeable, useful guide that will help caregivers navigate the complicated territory of medical care for their family member. An experienced physician who is well-versed in policy issues, Dr. Gillick has been a champion of family caregiving involvement."" - Carol Levine, Families and Health Care Project, United Hospital Fund, editor of Living in the Land of Limbo: Fiction and Poetry about Family Caregiving""While caring for my beloved mother during her last three years, I learned that teaching Geriatrics is a lot easier than being a caregiver. I wish I had had this book to help. Dr. Gillick has provided caregivers with a comprehensive resource that will be both understandable and useful."" - Joseph G. Ouslander, MD, Florida Atlantic University, coauthor of Essentials of Clinical Geriatrics""Dr. Gillick offers a great resource for millions of dedicated caregivers. She displays a rare ability to translate medical lingo into useful advice for those who care for aging family members. This book offers both a big picture and specific tools to help people be the best caregivers they can be."" - Eric De Jonge, MD, President, American Academy of Home Care Medicine""This book will be a godsend for the millions of people who are now caregivers and the many millions more who are entering this role in the years ahead. Covering a wide scope, it is indeed encyclopedic, but it is easy to find what you need and reads like an open conversation with a good friend who happens to know the questions you should ask and how to find the answers."" - Christine K. Cassel, MD, University of California San Francisco, author of The Practical Guide to Aging: What Everyone Needs to Know""Muriel Gillick has long been a brilliant thought leader in the field of geriatrics. In reassuring, user-friendly prose, she has taken a brilliant approach to the challenge of looking after a beloved elder and arranging for their medical care in the final decade or two of life. This is the book that family caregivers have been waiting for."" - Katy Butler, former family caregiver and bestselling author of The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to a Good End of Life
