365 Caregiving Tips Series Offers Helpful Information for Carers Everywhere

By Gincy Heins

I am one of the five co-authors of the 365 Caregiving Tips series of books. My husband has mild cognitive impairment, which was diagnosed in December 2009 when he was just 55-years-old.

As most people do these days, I went online for information and support after his diagnosis. Over time, I met and developed a relationship with Pegi Foulkrod, Trish Hughes Kreis, Richard Kreis and Kathy Lowrey Smith. Although our caregiving experiences are different, and we were spread across the country, we discovered a common bond in caregiving and we all knew that while caregiving is tough emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually, it can also be rewarding and full of love, surprises and adventure. We were frequently sharing tips, ideas, suggestions and a lot of laughs with each other the way friends do. We soon realized if we had all of these questions, other caregivers probably had them as well.

Between the five of us, we have a variety of experience with caregiving. Kathy cared for her husband who had Lewy Body dementia, Pegi’s husband was on dialysis and eventually hospice, my husband has mild cognitive impairment, Richard lives with severe chronic pain from an accident over 25 years ago and cared for his mother who had heart issues, and with his wife, Trish, cares for her brother who has intractable epilepsy.

We tossed around the idea of writing a book, jokingly at first, and decided to write the book that we wanted, but couldn’t find. When we needed information, we wanted it to be easily available and very clear. We didn’t want to have to read an essay to find one nugget of helpful information. We decided to write a book of tips, laid out by topic, making the information easy to find. We wanted the information to be practical to make the most of the limited time, resources, and energy that define a caregiver’s life.

Through lots of emails, we wrote 365 Caregiving Tips: Practical Tips from Everyday Caregivers. Some of the information covered in this book includes chapters on medications, meal time, holidays, hospital stays and emergencies, incontinence, Alzheimer’s disease, and Lewy Body dementia. Since that first book, three more books have been written: Travel and Respite; Hospitals, Care Facilities and Hospice; and Caring for Yourself. Both Practical Tips from Everyday Caregivers and Travel and Respite books have been translated into Spanish.

While the books do not deal exclusively with caregiving for someone with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia, many caregiving issues are universal no matter the person’s diagnosis, so these books are appropriate for every caregiver. Each book in the series includes tips to help the caregiver care for themselves, something that is so important to help a caregiver as they continue to care for someone else.

We hope that being five caregivers who chose to collaborate and write a book that has become a series inspires other caregivers to share their knowledge and experiences with others. While caregiving can be an isolating experience, we hope our books also show caregivers they are not alone. As we say in Tip 365 in our first book, remember that miracles happen every day.

About the Authors

(Clockwise, starting upper left: Pegi Foulkrod, Gincy Heins,  Richard Kreis, Kathy Lowrey Smith and Trish Hughes Kreis)

The 365 Caregiving Tips series was written by Pegi Foulkrod, Gincy Heins, Trish Hughes Kreis, Richard Kreis and Kathy Lowrey Smith. Pegi is also the artist of the beautiful artwork on the book covers. All of the authors can be reached on their website 365CaregivingTips.com and through social media.

Social Media:

Website: http://www.365caregivingtips.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/365CaregivingTips
Twitter: @365CareTips
Instagram: @365caregivingtips
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ5xvYBRe5QwioO1m4V0NFw