Coaching for Caregivers: How to Reach Out Before You Burn Out (Quick Coaching Tips Series: Help When You Need It)

This lively and easy to use how-to manual coaches caregivers - family and friends who are providing care to a loved one - to reach out for help before they, themselves, get so depleted that they burn out (and, in turn, need caregivers for themselves!). It does it in a way that their reaching out does not become just another item on their to-do list. It addresses the paradox of how difficult it is to help people who are stressed out and overwhelmed without, inadvertently, adding to their stress. This is especially so with caregivers who are at risk of burning out. In his introduction, Yosaif August, the author, invites caregivers to use the book as a just-in-time resource - to leaf through it, find topics that speak to them and then use it in a series of ten minute reads. Part One of the book coaches them to take stock of what they need, what their strengths and resources are, and any beliefs they have that may be holding them back from reaching out for love and support. Part Two coaches them in finding the best ways for them to do it, including using the new caresites i.e. free websites for them to use in communicating with people who care about them. Part Three provides resources for them to use to help sustain themselves as they provide care for their loved one. Mr. August is an award-winning healthcare innovator (inventor of Bedscapes®), life coach and keynote presenter. He was a family caregiver for his own parents and mother-in-law. In this book he draws on what he learned from those experiences, from his life coaching clients and research interviews he conducted with family caregivers who have been especially effective in reaching out for what they and their loved ones needed. Besides the caregivers themselves, it is also a valuable resource for friends, neighbors, professional colleagues, fellow congregants and others who are concerned that these caregivers are at risk of burning out but haven't yet found a way to help them. As the author says, "friends don't let friends burn out any more than friends let friends drive drunk." With this book in hand, they can reach out to the caregiver and offer to help them use it. This book is endorsed by a wide range of respected experts in the world of caregiving, spirituality and medicine - and by the leaders of the three major caresites (CarePages, Caring Bridge and Lotsa Helping Hands) - who also recommend its use by professionals: social workers, therapists, nurses, healthcare chaplains, physicians and others. "Yosaif August is the Vince Lombardi of coaching for caregivers." -Andrew Schorr, two-time cancer patient; Author of The Web-Savvy Patient, Founder, PatientPower.info "... Written as if the author is speaking directly to you." -Louise Knight, M.S.W., LCSW-C, OSW-C, Director, Family Patient and Family Services Program, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. “Yosaif August is quite the caregiving coach. His book provides a thorough compilation of resources for our nation's caregivers. But what makes his book truly tremendous is his focus, not just on how to reach out for help, but on putting caregiver needs first to avoid burnout.” -Hal Chapel, CEO and Co-Founder, Lotsa Helping Hands. “It's vital to take care of the caregiver! Yosaif does a terrific job of breaking down ways to do just that in a very consumable way.” -Sona Mehring, CaringBridge Founder and CEO. Yosaif sure knows both coaching and caregiving, and his straight-forward and inviting style comes through loud and clear in his new book. The book should also be required reading for professional caregivers like doctors, nurses and hospice personnel.” -Ed Modell, the most recent President of the International Coaching Federation
"If you're ready to show up for practice, Yosaif 's coaching can help you and your loved one get the love and support you need." -Bernie Siegel, MD, Author of Love, Medicine and Miracles; co-author with Yosaif August, of Help Me to Heal (Hay House, 2003).