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The Conscious Caregiver: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself
Submitted by Linda Abbit
“Linda, the doctor says Mom has Alzheimer’s disease but Shhhhh! don’t tell anybody.” That was the phone call from my Dad that changed my life.
As an only child, I was thrust into the role of caregiver overnight. First, as backup support for my Dad and as time went on and he wore out, as primary caregiver for both.
Later I was one of six cousins who cared for our aunt long-distance because she had no children and lived alone. And I also helped my husband care for my mother-in-law in her later years.
If you’re lucky, you’ll have the honor of caring for your loved ones. While caregiving is one of the most challenging experiences you’ll ever have, it’s also a deeply rewarding one with many special moments of love, tenderness and intimacy.
It Started with a Blog
While caring for my parents, I started a blog to record and share the important lessons I was learning. Family caregivers have so much on their plates, and I knew any way to save time and effort mattered. Why should they have to “reinvent the wheel?” My blog was the seed for this book and how the publisher found me.
Another need family caregivers have is for self-care. We always tend to put ourselves last and, as a result, run the risk of burnout. If a caregiver burns out, who will help their loved one then?
Mindfulness Matters
My book teaches current and soon-to-be family caregivers about mindfulness as a means of self-care.
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Mindfulness can even be applied to how you think about the challenges that arise which will lead to easier decision making.
The Conscious Caregiver helps make your caregiving journey become one you can navigate confidently. You will learn mindfulness techniques that will help you respond to situations in a calm and clear way that proves beneficial to both you and your loved ones.
Linda Abbit
Linda Abbit
Linda Abbit is an eldercare professional and caregiver with more than 25 years of experience caring for her parents and other family members.
She is the author of The Conscious Caregiver: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself, (Simon & Schuster, 2017).
Linda worked for over 10 years in the eldercare and health care professions. In 2021, she retired from her position as Community Outreach Manager for Alzheimer’s Family Center. That’s an adult day health care agency designed solely for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and their families.
She currently speaks, leads workshops and assists family caregivers through her book and the Tender Loving Eldercare Facebook page. Her talks are engaging, inspiring and, most importantly, full of real-world practices for new and veteran caregivers to implement in their daily caregiving.
She holds a Master’s degree in Education and was a support group facilitator for the Alzheimer’s Association in Orange County for many years.
Linda received the Caregiver of the Year Award by Caregiving.com in 2009.
Visit her website to learn more.
