Caresharing: A Reciprocal Approach to Caregiving and Care Receiving in the Complexities of Aging, Illness or Disability Book

Prelude xi

1 The Dance of Sharing Care 1

An Invitation to Share Care 1

A New Vision for Sharing Care 2

The Basic Steps of the Caresharing Dance 7

Expanding the Caresharing Network 13

The Body/Mind/Spirit Connection 21

When Things Get Complicated 30

2 Sharing Wisdom: What the Frail Teach the Well 37

Inner Wisdom 37

Clearing the Way 39

Putting Yourself in the Role of a Learner 42

Gaining New Understanding from Stories 51

Receiving Spiritual Strength 54

3 Families Sharing the Care: Reinventing the Roles and Rules 58

Family Systems 58

Family Roles 60

Family Rules 72

Family Secrets 78

4 Sharing "Soul to Soul": A Special Relationship with People with Cognitive Limits 83

Facing Difficult Challenges 83

Understanding the Stages of Dementia 84

Building Effective Communication 93

Keeping the Spirit Alive 100

Dealing with Difficult Behaviors 105

Connecting Soul to Soul 107

5 Sharing Grief: Coping with the "Large" and the "Little" Losses 118

The Presence of Grief 118

Facing Transitions 119

Facing Losses 120

Dimensions of Grief 127

Grief Responses 138

Coping with Grief 141

Spiritual Dimensions of Grief 147

6 Sharing Forgiveness: A Key Spiritual Journey in Caresharing 155

The Importance of Forgiveness 155

The Nature of Forgiveness 158

The Barriers to Forgiveness 160

Relationship Matters 165

Daily Matters 168

Where to Start 172

Spiritual Dimensions of Forgiveness 180

Reconciliation 183

7 Sharing Hope: An Active Process One Step at a Time 188

The Importance of Hope in Caresharing 188

Definitions of Hope 190

Four Key Aspects of Hope 193

Keeping Hope Alive 200

An Action Plan for Building on Hope 206

Postlude 223

Suggestions for Further Reading 225

Acknowledgments 227