{"id":6614,"date":"2015-08-23T17:59:04","date_gmt":"2015-08-23T22:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=6614"},"modified":"2020-10-14T08:07:42","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T13:07:42","slug":"the-caregiving-trap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2015\/08\/the-caregiving-trap\/","title":{"rendered":"The Caregiving Trap"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Caregiving Trap\"The<\/h1>\n

Book Review: The Caregiving Trap by\u00a0<\/i>Pamela D. Wilson<\/h2>\n

Most people will at some point experience being a caregiver for a loved one or needing one themselves. For how common a part of life it is, it\u2019s not something many of us think much about until it happens \u2013 and how it happens tends to be through a process most people don\u2019t see coming.<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>The Caregiving Trap<\/span><\/i>, Pamela D. Wilson describes a scenario she\u2019s seen many times in her work with seniors and their caregivers. Parents little by little start to find everyday tasks more difficult and ask their kids for help \u2013 one thing at a time \u2013 until the overwhelmed kids suddenly realize one day they\u2019re spending as much time taking care of their parents as they are on their own job or kids. <\/span><\/p>\n

Too often, by the time they realize what\u2019s happened, they\u2019re already suffering from stress and the many negative health effects that come with it \u2013 and setting themselves up to need a caregiver themselves earlier than they would have otherwise. It\u2019s a dangerous cycle and one that many families are experiencing because they simply don\u2019t know enough about what to expect from caregiving and what their options are.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not good for the caregiver or the loved one they\u2019re taking care of if the caregiver takes on too much. If their other relationships, their health, and their career start to suffer, the care they offer will suffer as well and resentment is inevitable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wilson\u2019s book mixes anecdotes and personal experiences in with advice for handling the caregiving process in a way that works best for everyone. By improving communication, having clearer expectations, and being willing to turn to outside resources like paid caregivers<\/a><\/strong> and assisted living homes<\/a><\/strong>, the book suggests that much of the vicious cycle that Wilson calls \u201cthe caregiving trap\u201d can be avoided. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a very general summary of a book that packs in a lot of detailed advice over nearly 300 pages. Here\u2019s a cursory idea of what the book covers:<\/span><\/p>\n