HELPING YOURSELF HELP OTHERS: A BOOK FOR CAREGIVERS. (ROSLYN CARTER & SUSAN K. GOLANT).   Term Paper ID:28709 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Personal & informative guide for caring for severlely ill & disabled written by wife of former President Jimmy Carter.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Personal & informative guide for caring for severlely ill & disabled written by wife of former President Jimmy Carter. Paper Introduction: Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers In her book, Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers, Rosalynn Carter, the wife of Jimmy Carter, the former President of the United States, provides a personal and informative guide for caregivers in their challenging tasks of caring for the severely ill and disabled. Carter is able to provide an empathetic and personal perspective to this issue because she has also experienced the difficulties and challenges of caregiving in her younger years. During her adolescence, Carter’s father was afflicted with leukemia and died half a year later, leaving Carter, her sister and two younger brothers in the care of her mother (Carter 16-8). After her husband’s death Carter’s mother had to work in a variety of jobs in order to raise her family and take care of her ailing father-in-law (Carter Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Now let's see whatyou can do to ease your feelings" (Carter 8 ). Theseare normal responses for a person in a caregiving role. In thissection, Carter separates the strategies in accordance with the differentemotions experienced by caregivers. Instead of feeling frustrated by the present,the caregiver-readers can recognize the fact that the caregiving experienceis an evolving process that will not stagnate forever. Carteris able to provide an empathetic and personal perspective to this issuebecause she has also experienced the difficulties and challenges ofcaregiving in her younger years. Through her participation in the Governor's Commission to ImproveServices to the Mentally and Emotionally Handicapped while her husband wasgovernor of Georgia, Carter began her "formal education about the problemsof those suffering from mental illnesses" (Carter 25). Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers. While thebook contains stories of frustrated caregivers such as Faye who feeloverwhelmed by their enormity of their tasks (Carter 13 ), it also includesthe story of Sissy. With the high costs of living, bothparents have to work in order to make a living. Furthermore, bysponsoring annual conferences and doing research, her institute has broughtpeople from all walks of life together in order to explore the problems ofcaregiving (Carter 36-7). New York: Times Books, 1994. In the book, Carter provides diverse suggestions for copingwith myriad aspects of caregiving. The personal accounts of the informal caregivers also serve anotherimportant purpose. Without a doubt, Carter's book is an effective guidebook forcaregivers. In this comprehensive book that explores a wide array of issuesregarding caregiving, Carter incorporates the diverse perspectives ofindividuals who are involved in the caregiving process: psychologists,patients, formal and informal caregivers. Following the style of therest of the book, Carter sets up a personable format that helps the readerunderstand and apply the information to their unique situation. Essentially, sheemphasizes that informal and formal caregivers should recognize the factthat they are on the same team. By presenting the perspectives of formal caregivers, Carter shows herwillingness to address the negative relationships between formal caregiversand informal caregivers. Conflictsoften occur because caregivers do not realize that when the patients lashout at them, they do so out of fear rather than malice. In her long list of organizations, she divides them clearly intodifferent categories: self-help clearinghouses, information clearinghouses,hotlines, general organizations, hospice organizations and organizationsthat deal specifically with different conditions. Beyond mere statistics and psychological models, the personalexperiences of these informal caregivers challenge the reader to empathizewith the daily struggle of caregivers. The inclusion of the personal stories of informalcaregivers and her comments capture vividly the trials and tribulations ofmany informal caregivers. The frequent use of the"you" in her book creates the impression that she is conversing with thereader. Once again, by highlighting the conflicts andperspectives of the different groups, Carter attempts to overcome thedifferences between the informal and formal caregivers. Carter also helps the caregiver-readers learn aboutpreparing for emergency situations (6 -7). During her adolescence, Carter's fatherwas afflicted with leukemia and died half a year later, leaving Carter, hersister and two younger brothers in the care of her mother (Carter 16-8).After her husband's death Carter's mother had to work in a variety of jobsin order to raise her family and take care of her ailing father-in-law(Carter 19-22). In this well-written and comprehensive book, Carter has drawntogether a wealth of information from psychologists, philosophers, formaland informal caregivers. Her presentation of the informationfacilitates the caregiver-readers' absorption of the information by using aclear and simple format. However, Carter points outthat the transformation of the institution of family and the changingdemographics have radically altered the dynamics of caregiving in today'sworld. Therefore, it isimportant for caregivers and patients to maintain an open line ofcommunication in order to resolve tensions that have arisen due tomisunderstanding (Carter 74-76). Apart from offering strategies for practical issues, Carter alsoaddresses the emotional trauma of coping with the caregiving experience.Carter recognizes that negative feelings inevitably arise during thecaregiving process. Furthermore, they can help one another overcome financial andemotional difficulties and improve the lives of all individuals concerned.Therefore, by presenting the multiple perspectives of various groups inthis caregiving process, Carter has not only provided a comprehensivediscussion of caregiving, she has also sought to establish vitalconnections between groups in conflict with one another. Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers In her book, Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers,Rosalynn Carter, the wife of Jimmy Carter, the former President of theUnited States, provides a personal and informative guide for caregivers intheir challenging tasks of caring for the severely ill and disabled. By presenting the point of view of patients, Carter builds animportant bridge of communication between patients and their caregivers. Instead of classifying the emotions ina vague and impersonal way such as "frustration" or "anger," she uses amore intimate and personal style:"I feel as if my life is spinning out of control...I feel as if I'm a different person than I was before the illness..."(Carter 81-7).By using these personal sentences, Carter captures the complexity of thecaregivers' emotions more accurately than the use of one-wordrepresentations of feelings. Since herdeparture from the White House, Carter has continued her efforts in thefield of caregiving by establishing the Rosalynn Carter Institute ofGeorgia Southwestern College. Therefore, the personalaccounts of these caregivers at different stages provide a larger pictureto the caregiving process. From her extensive experience, she realizes that allthe players have something important to contribute to the caregivingprocess. On the other hand, Carter also highlights the frustration offormal caregivers towards the over- or under-responsiveness of informalcaregivers. Sissy who has institutionalized her grandmother dealswith her effort to recover her past life, one that does not involve theconstant devotion to her grandmother (Carter 191). Apart from presenting the perspective of the informalcaregivers, these amazing stories can be an inspiration for many caregiver-readers whose beings are worn out by their responsibilities. Because she has written the book for caregivers, Carter seeminglyembraces and comforts the caregivers through a personal and direct style ofwriting. Her presentation of theperspectives of research specialists such as Dr. Carolyn L. Contrary to their sense ofloneliness and isolation, their emotions are experienced by many others whoconfront similar situations. For example, Dr.Lindgren's model of the different stages of the caregivers' experience-theencounter stage, the enduring stage and the exit stage--draws together theexperiences of individual caregivers. Inher depiction of the patients' experience, she reveals the patients'diverse fears including their fear of dependency and isolation. By giving the readers along list of resources, she recognizes the fact that there are manycaregivers in the U.S. Because of medical advancesand better nutrition, the elderly live longer than they have ever before.Therefore, many more people have to shoulder the burden of taking care oftheir elderly parents for even longer periods of time (Carter 32-4). Therefore, with her extensive experience in thefield of caregiving, Carter is more than qualified to write about the issueof caregiving. Furthermore, such models allow readers who are caregivers to know thatthey are not alone in their experience. Carter's mother, who is still living, serves as a personalinspiration for Carter in her work to improve the lives of caregivers inthe U.S. Although Carter's mother faced a daunting task ofraising a family of four on her own in the 194 s, she also received theassistance of relatives, neighbors and friends. Instead of presenting the information as though she is an expertdistanced from the experiences of the caregivers, she shows that sheempathizes with their emotions and problems: "If you answered yes to any orall of these [questions about your feelings], do not feel ashamed. Families often cope with the task of caregiving in isolation becausemembers live far away from home. Work CitedCarter, Rosalynn, and Susan K. With this institute, Carter has initiatedprograms for helping formal and informal caregivers. Furthermore, her appendices provide a comprehensive list oforganizations, resources, and books for caregivers to do further research(213-7 ). Lindgren honesin on the specific components of the caregiving process. Certainly, by presenting the multipleperspectives of psychologists, patients, formal and informal caregivers,Carter encapsulates the complexity of the issue of caregiving. The distinctive voices and the uniqueexperience of the informal caregivers included in this book provide a senseof belonging to the isolated caregiver- readers. Thus, they should not act as though theother group is the enemy. Apart from giving information about resources forcaregivers, she taps into the frustration and emotions of the caregivers intheir challenging tasks. Unlike a typical resource guide replete with information but lackingin humanity, Carter's book creates a warm and nurturing environment for itsreader. This technique further increases the bond of intimacy betweenCarter and her caregiver-readers. Many physicians arenot trained to treat informal caregivers as partners in the treatment ofthe patient. Therefore, she also provides strategies for dealingwith the different types of negative emotions. Although these perspectives are informative, the personal accounts ofthe experiences of informal caregivers best encapsulate the poignancy andthe challenge of the process of caregiving. As the First Lady,she joined in the government's effort to address the problems of healthcare for the mentally ill and the elderly (Carter 25-8). Her analysis of thecaregiving crisis in the 199 s illustrates Carter's recognition of thedifficulties experienced by caregivers in today's society compared with theexperience of her family. Clearly, in this book, Carter has attempted to achieve the objectiveof her institute to forge relationships between the vital players of thecaregiving process. Although shecannot conjure the problems of caregivers away, she does provide helpfulrecommendations and information to provide guidance for the caregivers intheir rocky, but also fulfilling journey of caregiving. Jerry's account of his struggleto take care of his son who suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease isrepresentative of the amount of physical and emotional sufferingexperienced by caregivers (Carter 77-78). Golant. For example, in her suggestion for gatheringinformation about the patient's condition, Carter offers a list of optionsto the readers: doctors, support groups, hotlines and library research (56-9). Caregiver-readers can also relate easily to Carter's book because shedemonstrates her awareness of contemporary realities. For caregiverswho are unable to attend support group meetings, this book provides apowerful source of emotional support. Although individual caregiversrespond differently to their situation, they can all identify with therange of emotions and the difficulties highlighted in this model (Carter 1 -12). Through these personal accounts,Carter succeeds in leaving an indelible impression of the caregivingexperience. These diverse suggestions not only cater to the individual needs of theindividuals, but they also respect the latter's preferences for differentmethods of research. Informal caregivers often complain about the lackof cooperation and indifference of formal caregivers. The caregivers presentedin this book are at different stages of their caregiving process. Like their informal counterparts, formal caregivers are alsooverwhelmed by the responsibilities of caring for numerous patients at thesame time (Carter 153-6). By retaining the distinctivevoices of these individuals, Carter manages to capture the emotionalintensity of the caregiving process. In the section titled "Plan fora crisis," Carter organizes her information with a series of questions:"Will I be able to provide all the care my ill family member needs?...Have I left contingency instructions?...Do I have all the information I need?..." (Carter 6 -1).By posing the questions and then answering them, Carter enables the readersto think in a clear fashion about urgent issues. who have to deal with a variety of issues andillnesses. These fearsoften create barriers between the patients and the caregivers. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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