NEA Big Read (Garner 2023) - SER

These books have been selected to accompany Roz Chast's graphic memoir "Cant's We Talk About Something More Pleasant?" They support topics related to the emotions, memories, and practical challenges of planning and preparing for aging parents’ final years.

Showing 1 - 20 of 53  There are a total of 53 valid entries on the list.
Book cover for "The 36-hour day"
Star rating for The 36-hour day
Description:
"For four decades, this guide has been the leading reference for those who take care of people with dementia. The new seventh edition reflects updates in the field, including discussion of working with home care aides, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Huntington disease, and promising potential therapies such as electrical signaling and nerve growth factors"--
Book cover for "Age in place"
Star rating for Age in place
Book cover for "The art of dying well"
Star rating for The art of dying well
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"A layperson's guide for positive end of life self care"--
Book cover for "The beauty of what remains"
Star rating for The beauty of what remains
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"As the Senior Rabbi of one of the largest synagogues in the world, Steve Leder has learned over and over again the many ways death teaches us how to live and love more deeply by showing us not only what is gone, but also the beauty of what remains"--
Book cover for "A beginner's guide to the end"
Star rating for A beginner's guide to the end
Average Rating:
4.8 stars
Description:
"The first-ever soup-to-nuts practical guide to preparing for death, from how to talk to your children about your will, to how to hack the hospice system, to how your survivors can pull off a great eulogy. Think of this as What to Expect When You're Expecting to Die"--
Book cover for "Bettyville"
Star rating for Bettyville
Average Rating:
3.5 stars
Description:
"When George Hodgman leaves Manhattan for his hometown of Paris, Missouri, he finds himself--an unlikely caretaker and near-lethal cook--in a head-on collision with his aging mother Betty, a woman of wit and will. Will George lure her into assisted living? When hell freezes over. He can't bring himself to force her from the home both treasure--the place where his father's voice lingers, the scene of shared jokes, skirmishes, and, behind the dusty...
Book cover for "The caregiver's companion"
Star rating for The caregiver's companion
Description:
"Everything you need to know to ensure that your elderly loved one is being properly cared for. People today are not only living longer, they are also living sicker-making aging and caring for elderly loved ones more complicated than ever before. In this extensive guide, caregiver advocate Carolyn Brent outlines a step-by-step process so caregivers know what to do and what to ask in every situation that may arise, including: [bullet] Signs that your...
Book cover for "The caregiver's guide to memory care and dementia care communities"
Star rating for The caregiver's guide to memory care and dementia care communities
Description:
"When is it time to move a person living with dementia into a senior living community? How do you avoid an argument with someone who no longer knows what year it is? What do you do if the person you're caring for has trouble recognizing you? How can you lessen the guilt and anxiety that come with dementia caregiving? All of these questions-and more-are answered in this helpful guide through the difficulties of dementia care. Care partners to those...
Book cover for "Caregiving with love and joy"
Star rating for Caregiving with love and joy
Description:
"When it comes to caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, the right caregiving can make all the difference. Here, Patricia Boswell shares structured routines, life hacks, and best practices that are evidence-based and focused on maintaining the highest possible quality of life for the entire family. As a nurse and dementia expert, Boswell knows that the best caregivers think like a problem-solver, addressing physical and emotional...
Book cover for "Caring for a loved one with dementia"
Star rating for Caring for a loved one with dementia
Description:
Caring for a loved one with dementia can be extremely stressful. This essential guide provides skills for dealing with the accompanying emotional and physical stress, and offers tools to help you manage your own needs, in addition to the needs of your loved one.
Book cover for "Chicken soup for the soul"
Star rating for Chicken soup for the soul
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
Navigating eldercare can be overwhelming, especially when dealing with dementia. You'll find what you need in these pages, with great advice from families who have been there, done that!
Book cover for "Connecting in the land of dementia"
Star rating for Connecting in the land of dementia
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"Finding the connection with a loved one afflicted with dementia is a challenge millions of people face: One in ten Americans has a family member with Alzheimer's, and one in three knows someone with the disease. This book offers care partners practical, hands-on ideas for meaningful, creative activities they can do with their patients, family members, or friends who have dementia. It also includes creative tips for busy care partners, offering quick...
Book cover for "Creating moments of joy along the Alzheimer's journey"
Star rating for Creating moments of joy along the Alzheimer's journey
Book cover for "Creative care"
Star rating for Creative care
Description:
"Basting lays out her ... discoveries in applying creativity to treating and interacting with those suffering from dementia, bringing to this otherwise dark world both light and joy"--
Book cover for "Dancing with elephants"
Star rating for Dancing with elephants
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
Based on the popular blog of the same name, Dancing With Elephants includes insightful interviews with chronic disease experts Toni Bernhard, Lucy Kalanithi, and Patch Adams. Sawatsky's landmark book provides support that only a fellow traveler down this road can offer. If you like touching stories, mindful wisdom, and a touch of irreverent humor, then you'll love Sawatsky's life-changing book.
Book cover for "The day my heart turned blue"
Star rating for The day my heart turned blue
Description:
After witnessing her mother's death, Karla J. Noland struggled with the uncertainty of what life would be like without her. Then, while packing up her mother's belongings, Karla uncovered a collection of journal writings and prayers that changed her life forever.The Day My Heart Turned Blue was written for people reeling from the death of a parent and needing encouragement and direction to help them move forward. There are three parts to the book....
Book cover for "Day to day living with dementia"
Star rating for Day to day living with dementia
Description:
"Caring for someone with dementia can be a challenging, heartbreaking experience ... but it can also be rewarding, fulfilling and meaningful. Most dementia caregivers find that the first, and sometimes most difficult step, is accepting the diagnosis and adjusting to a new normal. In Day-to-Day Living With Dementia, Angela Lunde, M.A., an expert in dementia care at Mayo Clinic, helps you take that first step and chart your path toward living well,...
Book cover for "Dementia reimagined"
Star rating for Dementia reimagined
Description:
"The cultural and medical history of dementia and Alzheimer's disease by a leading psychiatrist and bioethicist who urges us to turn our focus from cure to care. Despite being a physician and a bioethicist, Tia Powell wasn't prepared to address the challenges she faced when her grandmother, and then her mother, were diagnosed with dementia--not to mention confronting the hard truth that her own odds aren't great. In the U.S., 10,000 baby boomers turn...
Book cover for "Dessert first"
Star rating for Dessert first
Description:
"In the year she served as a chaplain in a hospital "death ward," Dana Trent accompanied more than 200 people -- and their families -- on their passage from life to death. Dessert First gathers those stories and lessons, as well as others from her journey with her dying mom, to illuminate the complexity of death and grief, and how we all might better prepare for a "good death." Dessert First is a deeply personal, touching, and sometimes humorous look...
Book cover for "Downsizing the family home"
Star rating for Downsizing the family home
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"It's a rite of passage almost no one will escape: the difficult, emotional journey of downsizing your or your aging parents' home. Here, nationally syndicated home columnist Marni Jameson sensitively guides readers through the process, from opening that first closet, to sorting through a lifetime's worth of possessions, to selling the homestead itself. Using her own personal journey as a basis, she helps you figure out a strategy and create a mindset...