1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910823318003321

Autore

Burack-Weiss Ann

Titolo

The caregiver's tale : loss and renewal in memoirs of family life / / Ann Burack-Weiss

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, : Columbia University Press, c2006

ISBN

0-231-51077-2

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (209 p.)

Disciplina

362/.0425

Soggetti

Caregivers

Chronically ill - Family relationships

Chronically ill - Home care

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [175]-177) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Crystallized Love -- Part 1. Care Situations -- 1. Introduction: "The Flavor of the Name" -- 2. Cancer: "Cancer's Gift" -- 3. Dementia: "Everything Crumbles" -- 4. HIV/AIDS: "Burden of a Secret" -- 5. Mental Illness/Chemical Dependence: "Companion Demons" -- Part 2. Care Relationships -- 6. Introduction: "Spun in Love's Loom" -- 7. Child Care: "An Unimagined Life" -- 8. Sibling Care: "She Was My Parents' Child, and So Was I" -- 9. Couple Care: "This Terrible Traffic Regulation" -- 10. Parent Care: "The Consummate Act" -- Part 3. The Memoirs -- 11. Introduction: "Jointly Human" -- 12. Memoirs in Brief: "Our Inward Journey" -- 13. Epilogue 139 -- Appendix 1: The Memoirs, by Care Relationship and Care Situation -- Notes -- Sources Cited -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Ann Burack-Weiss explores a rich variety of published memoirs by authors who cared for ill or disabled family members. Contrary to the common belief that caregiving is nothing more than a stressful situation to be endured, memoirs describe a life transforming experience-self-discovery, a reordering of one's priorities, and a changed view of the world. The Caregiver's Tale offers insight and comfort to individuals caring for a loved one and is a valuable resource for all health care professionals. Identifying common themes, Burack-Weiss describes how the illness career and social meaning of cancer, dementia, HIV/AIDS, mental illness, and chemical dependence affect



the caregiving experience. She applies the same method to an examination of family roles: parents caring for ailing children, couples and siblings caring for one another, and adult children caring for aging parents. Jamaica Kincaid, Sue Miller, Paul Monette, Kenzaburo Oë, and Philip Roth are among the many authors who share their caregiving stories. Burack-Weiss provides an annotated bibliography of the more than one hundred memoirs and an accompanying chart to help readers locate those of greatest interest to them.