ALMOND, Wis., Nov. 3, 2009 — When an aging loved one falls ill, there are family members who take up the difficult task of staying by their side and to care for them. But who takes care of the caregivers and gives them the guidance and insight they need to help their loved ones? In her new guidebook, "Your Loved One Is Coming Home: Ways to Help Prepare Yourself to Take Care of a Loved One During Their Last Days" (published by AuthorHouse), first-time author Joan Lehrke offers readers readying themselves to become caregivers a valuable reference for what to expect and how to prepare themselves and their family member for their last days.
In the introduction to "Your Loved One Is Coming Home," Lehrke immediately acquaints the reader with their own situation – a situation that most caregivers find themselves in. She writes:
Your loved one is coming home. Emotions are running high. Perhaps there is a rehabilitation period to go through before he/she is able to get back to normal activity. Possibly there has been a decline and his/her health that causes a change in how "normal" will now be. Or, maybe your loved one has come home to spend the last part of their life and you are fortunate enough to be able to have them with you until the end. Whatever your circumstances, there are going to be some things you will encounter that life may never have thrown your way before. This pamphlet is an attempt to help you through some of these changes.
Not a member of the medical community, Lehrke is able to present her incredibly personal journey, as she cared for both her ailing mother-in-law and her uncle, with honest, sensitive compassion. She chronicles each step of a caregiver's journey, from the initial knowledge of a loved one's prognosis, through the final days and to possible funeral arrangements. Along with sage advice collected to better familiarize caregivers with what care-taking involves, Lehrke includes note pages meant for the reader to log important information specific to their loved one that they will need, whether they know it now or not.
Meant to serve as an honest glimpse into the life of a caregiver, "Your Loved One Is Coming Home" offers readers respite and a necessary tool for readiness on the journey they will take in caring for their loved ones.
Joan Lehrke is a wife, mother of two, and grandmother. She has spent the majority of her career as a secretary and administrative assistant for various companies in the private, public and non-profit sectors. Lehrke currently lives on a small farm with her husband, raising goats and pursuing other ventures. She credits her husband, her mother and other family members for inspiring her to write her first book, "Your Loved One Is Coming Home."
AuthorHouse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www.authorhouse.com.
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