Death Care Books

This book is excellent for all persons dealing with long term care giving issues. As a provider of long term mental health services in nursing homes, the issues described in this book are on target. Care givers are often overlooked in the process of caring for others, including well intentioned family members and friends who are experiencing their own issues, but not recognizing them. It is well written, and not lengthy. It describes the process of grief, emotional ups and downs, and physical demands of care giving.

As a hospice social worker, I am always looking for books that will teach me more about my career. This book is an excellent choice, and I would recommend it highly.

Being a Hospice RN, this book first appealled to me just for the general subject... after reading this book, I recommend it to anyone that has contact with hospice in their daily work or volunteering. This might not be the ideal book for someone with a loved one that is dying, but for the caregivers it touches on familiar themes we see in our daily work... trouble amoung familiy members, children, everyday life, and monumantal moments such as weddings when a loved one is terminal. Reading how these people deal with it and the thoughts a patient may have about themselves and the things they do.. it brings things into focus a bit. It makes you remember more than the clinical aspect of your patient and family. Although working in hospice we like to try and pride ourselves in our "hospice hearts" sometimes with all the medice juggling and equipment explaining we don't see the whole picture.. especially when the family isn't as open as we'd like. Excellent book.. it make me cry and laugh.. in fact I donated mine to my job's library and recommended it to all my fellow co-workers.. nurses, social workers, and office staff all have heard me raving about it!

No matter who you are, what faith you adhere to, what your income level, or how pious you believe you are, sometimes bad things happen. The nature of living as a human being is that our lives are filled with experiences, change, and growth. Sometimes we perceive these new situations as positive or as just requiring a little time or effort to adjust to the newness. However, the majority of us have experienced something more dramatic, a death of a loved one, a terrible mistake, illness, loss of a job, victimization, divorce, or something else that shook our world to the core and made us question who we were and what we believed. We were in crisis.

Often, I think that when we experience a trauma, we assume that we should just deal with the situation and move on. We belittle ourselves by saying that so and so got through a similar situation without any trouble. The truth is that we all experience things differently and more often than not that other person is just hiding his or her issues. Pushing through trauma, trying to pretend that everything is fine, or beating yourself up isn't going to help the problem. The only real way to get through a crisis is to understand and work through the real problem at hand, the fact that this new situation requires new adaptations that may even require a completely different way of thinking or different foundational beliefs.

Spiritual Crisis educates both the counselor and the average person going through crisis. Both will find this book extremely useful. I personally wish that all hospitals, schools, police stations, and places of worship would hand a copy of Spiritual Crisis to everyone that walks through their doors.

Staying in Charge is an invaluable asset to anyone's library, whether beginning to contemplate their own eventual care or having to consider another's care. The topic of advanced and end-of-life care is not one we naturally gravitate toward for pleasure reading, but this is a positive, easily read book that can be accessed as needed. There are ample resources for help and information. Better to be aware, than rudely surprised.

E.A. Davis, author, Waiting for Wings: Accompanying a Parent to the Edge of Life

This is an excellent book that describes the investigation into one of the most famous sites in English archaeology. The Sutton Hoo ship burial is Englands' King Tut. The book goes into great detail about the original and subsequent investigations of the burial area in eastern England.

If you are a casual reader interested in a quick read about archaeological investigations, this book may not be for you. The book goes into great detail about the construction of the site, the artifacts and how they were put back together in the laboratory. If you are interested in such things, you will be richly rewarded by this book.

I would especially recommend reading this book before you visit the British Museum in London, where the rich artifacts from this site are housed. That way you will have an even greater appreciation for this site and the artifacts on display.

I really needed this book, and I'm glad that I read it. My 91-year-old mother lives with my wife and daughter and me, and taking care of ma often leaves me confused, guilty, and irritable. This book works like a support group; the book describes everyday problems like mine, and how Ms. Schloss dealt with these problems. Also, I found her a good role model. Her stories show her patience and her constructive, positive view of herself as a caretaker.

I liked her use of Jewish tradition as a guide to providing care for her family. This tradition shows caretaking as a worthwhile and noble job- it made me feel good about what I'm doing.

If you're taking care of an old or sick relative, I think this book will help you. It's an easy read, and will give you the encouragement that you probably need.

Your book has inspired me to stop feeling so overwelmed and helpless. I am getting busy and starting a support group, based on your book ,in our community. I hope to share your knowledge and compasion to the many isolated caregivers in our area of Utah. I already have the support of much of my community. Thank you for your precious gift.

Willow Bay's years of experience as a TV journalist have paid off spectacularly in this timely and insightful book. In confronting the question of how to talk to our children about difficult, confusing and painful topics, Bay gracefully combines an impressive array of research with amusing anecdotes about her own young son. The book is full of practical advice and theoretical backup, all delivered in a style that's both intelligent and engagingly casual. This book is a must-buy for anyone concerned about bettering their communication with children of any age.

I have used this little booklet for several years in my position as Bereavement Coordinator with our local hospice. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has or knows of a child or a teenager who is/will experience the death of a loved one.

Shirley Pauole