Passages in Caregiving: Turning Chaos in Confidence

Today nearly 50 million adults serve as caregivers in almost one-third of American households.

In this excellent resource, journalist Gail Sheehy, best known for the best-seller Passages (Bantam, 1984), writes about the challenges of caring for a loved one with a chronic illness — a partner, parent, sibling or child. Sheehy knows what this entails given her 17-year stint as a caregiver for her cancer-ridden husband.

The author comes up with the labyrinth as the best descriptor of the caregiver's journey — a circular route with the ability to order chaos. Sheehy makes it clear that this is not a solo operation but a collaborative effort involving family, friends, co-workers, community resources and, perhaps, some paid aids (William Morrow).