My Silver-Haired Child...

I have studied the challenges caregivers face balancing work and caregiving for the past decade. The one thing I have learnt from all my research is that caregiving is a truly personal experience – one that cannot be captured by statistics or bar charts but instead can only truly be described by one who has been there and survived.?As such I recommend that anyone who is struggling with the emotional turmoil associated with caring for a loved one read "My Silver-Haired Child" by Joel A. Thomas.?This book describes Joel’s journey as he accompanies his mother along the one-way path that is dementia.?

Many articles on the challenges have been written by female caregivers but this book offers a different perspective as the caregiver is a male.?As such this book has real relevance for men who find themselves (by choice or by circumstances) in the caregiver role.?Joel is a great story teller – and his descriptions of his experiences as a caregiver are often quite poignant.?That being said, he also provides oft needed reality checks and concrete advice by offering statistics, references and practical instructors that caregivers can use to ease the struggles inherent in the caregiver role.?His information on dementia is particularly relevant given its prevalence now and in the future as our population ages.?This book is a must read for all caregivers as it gives them the opportunity to learn from someone who has been there, done that!?

Linda Duxbury, PhD. Professor Sprott School of Business, Carleton University Author of Somethings Gotta Give: Balancing Work, Childcare and Eldercare