There are hundreds of good books available now on every disease, condition, and caregiving issue. Spend some time browsing through your local bookstore or an online bookseller.

Here are some of the books I've found particularly helpful. Please send me your suggestions in the "Contact" page, and I'll add them to the list. Please note that some titles may seem old, but they've had updated editions released since they graced my bookshelves.

Thanks!

Family Caregivers

Caregiving Issues and Perspectives: 

Sheehey, Gail. (2010). Passages in Caregiving: TUrning Chaos into Confidence. New York: HarperCollins.

Mintz, Suzanne Geffen. (2007). A Family Caregiver Speaks Up: "It Doesn't Have to Be This Hard." Herndon, VA: Capitol Books, Inc.

Strong, Maggie. (1997). Mainstay: For the Well Spouse of the Chronically Ill. Northampton MA.: Bradford Books.

McGonigle, Chris. (1999). Surviving Your Spouse's Chronic Illness. New York: Owl Books.

Colter, Marilyn. (2004). Missing Pieces: Mending the Head Injured Family. Marilyn has a great website: www.BrainInjuryFamilyResources.com

Barg, Gary. (2001).The Fearless Caregiver: How to Get the best Care for Your Loved One , and Still Have a Life of Your Own. Sterling, VA: Capitol Books, Inc.

McCue, Kathleen & Bonn, Ron. (1994). How to Help Children Through A Parent's Serious Illness. New York: St. Martin's Griffin.

Casey, Nell. (2007). An Uncertain Inheritance: Writers on Caring for Family. New York: William Morrow.

McLeod, Beth Witrogen. (1999). Caregiving: The Spiritual Journey of Love, Loss, and Renewal. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Capossela, C. and Warnock, S. (1995). Share the Care: How to Organize a Group to Care for Someone Who Is Seriously Ill. New York: Fireside.

Personal Rituals:

Imber-Black, E. and Roberts, J. Rituals for Our Times. (1992).New York: Harper Collins.

Wall, K. and Ferguson, G. (1994). Lights of Passage: Rituals and Rites of Passage for the Problems and Pleasures of Modern Life. New York: Harper Collins.

Ambiguous Loss:

Boss, P. (1999). Ambiguous Loss. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Boss, P. (2006). Loss, Trauma, and Resilience: Therapeutic Work with Ambiguous Loss. Norton.

Bruce. E.J. and Schultz, C. (2001). Nonfinite Loss and Grief: A Psychoeducational Approach. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Creative Arts:

DeSalvo, Louise. (1999). Writing as a Way of Healing. New York: Harper San Francisco.

Fox. John.(1997). Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem Making. NY: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam.

Gamins, Barbara. (1999). Art and Healing: Using Art to Heal Your Body, Mind, and Spirit. NY: Three Rivers Press.

Stress Management

Witkin, Georgia. (2002).  Stress Relief for Disasters Great and Small.  New York: Newmarket Press.

Benson, Herbert & Stuart, EIleen. (1992). The Wellness Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Maintaining Health and Treating Stress-Related Diseases. Seacaucus, NJ: Birch lane Press.

Louden, Jennifer. (1992). The Woman's Comfort Book. New York: Harper Collins. (This is a classic. She also wrote The Couple's Comfort Book. 

Chodron, Pema. (2002). Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings. Boston, MA: Shambala.

Kabat-Zinn, John. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress. Pain, and Illness. New York: Delacorte.

Brain Injury

 Informative Books:

The Brain Injury Association, www.biausa.org, has a comprehensive book store on the main website.

Cassidy, John. W. (2009). Mindstorms: The Complete Guide for Families Living with Traumatic Brain Injury. Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press.

Personal Memoirs:

Woodruff, Lee & Bob. (2007)In an Instant: A family's Journey of Love and Healing. New York: Random House.

Meili, Trisha. (2003). I Am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility. New York: Scribner.

Osborn, Claudia. (1998). Over My Head: A Doctor's Own Story of Head Injury from the Inside Looking Out. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Thomas, Abigail. (2006) A Three Dog Life: A Memoir. Orlando, FL.: Harcourt Press. (A woman writes about her husband who has a severe TBI)

Bolte Taylor, Jill. (2008). My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey. New York: Viking.

Fox Garrison, Julia (2007). Don't Leave Me THis Way. NY: Harper Paperbacks.

Johansen, Ruthann Knoochel. (2002) Listening in the Silence, Seeing in the Dark: Reconstructing Life after Brain Injury. Berkley: University of California Press. (A mother writes about her son's TBI recovery.)

Crimmons, Cathy. (2000). Where Is the Mango Princess? New York: Alfred A. Knopf. (A Woman writes about her husband who had a severe TBI)

Shulman, Alix Kates. (2008) To Love What Is: A Marriage Transformed. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Mason, Michael Paul. (2008). Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Becker, Suzy. (2004). I Had Brain Surgery, What's Your Excuse?: An Illustrated Memoir. New York: Workman Publishing.

 Dementia

Genova, Lisa. (2009). Still Alice. NY:Pocket Books. (This novel about a professor with early onset dementia is as good as a memoir.)

Hoffman, S.B., and Platt, C.A. 2000). Comforting the Confused: Strategies for Managing Dementia. New York: Springer Publishing.

Strauss, C.J. (2001). Talking to Alzheimer's: Simple Ways to Connect When You Visit with a Family Member or Friend. Oakland, CA :New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Hoblitzelle, Olivia Ames. ( 2008). The Majesty of Your Loving: A Couple's Journey through Alzheimer's. Cambridge, MA: Green Mountian Books.

Parkinson's Disease

Hutton, J. THomas & Dippel, Raye Lynne. (1999). Caring for the Parkinson Patient: A Practical Guide. New York: Prometheus Books.

Graboys, Thomas & Zheutlin, Peter. (2008) Life in the Balance: A Physician's Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss with Parkinson's Disease and Dementia. New York: Union Square Press.

Calgon, take me away...

I like to have a stack of books that distract and transport me from my daily responsibilities. Books that are fun to read, lead to daydreams and ideas, or absorb my attention in interesting ways. A good novel, essay collection, or nature book does it for me. How about you?

Woodruff, Lee. (2009). Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress. New York: Random House.

Ray, Jeanne. Romeo and Julie. (2000). This is a mapcap romance between middle-aged lovers in Somerville, MA (my hometown) who have to contend with a family feud on their way to happiness.

Some of my other favorite writers are Elizabeth Berg, Alice Munroe, Diane Ackerman, Jeanne Ray.

Friends added Anne Tyler,