Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

An excellent addition to the literature on intergenerational care-giving patterns, this book examines various medical, social, and governmental practices that affect family care givers. The authors, both experienced social workers, combine factual and anecdotal information to create a guide for families providing in-home care to the frail elderly. Although some attention is paid to the older person and the physical and mental changes associated with aging (memory, vision, hearing, emotional strains), most of the text is aimed at helping family care givers. The authors describe common problems, such as stress, finances, driving, and living in the same house, and then offer strategies for the prevention or resolution of these problems. The book includes charts and information sheets, such as a medical bill accounting system, a task delegation sheet for family meetings, a phone guide for locating community services, and a variety of checklists, particularly in the section on alternative living situations. The text is more specific and less policy oriented than Dwight Frankfather's Family Care of the Elderly: Public Initiatives and Private Obligations (CH, Jan '82) and more comprehensive than Arthur Schwartz's Survival Handbook for Children of Aging Parents (CH, Apr '78). Includes references and suggested resources for each chapter, and an index. A practical and sensitive treatment of an emotionally laden and complex issue. Highly recommended for undergraduates, graduate students and professionals, and families.-L.A. Baumhover, University of Alabama