Such a raw, emotional, complex, and one of a kind story. Thank you for letting us take a peak into your life, Nancie, and for helping us along the way.

At A Glance
nonfiction
self-help
emotional
Informative
reflective

Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About
Combining research with the everyday tasks of caregiving, A Caregiver’s Love Story and Reference Guide is a valuable tool for anyone charged with the task of caring for a loved one. It’s the story of one woman’s love for her husband and the everyday lessons learned while caring for him as he battles a terminal illness. Taking care of Bill would become Nancie’s purpose in life – helping him age with grace, but more importantly helping him die with dignity. Celebrating each day as a gift of one more day of life, instead of one more day closer to death.

A Caregiver’s Love Story and Reference Guide is a book of stories about several medical diagnoses, hospitalizations and coping with a loved one’s terminal illness, not only for the patient but the caregiver. You’ll find chapters on having oxygen in the home, obtaining Power of Attorney, anticipatory grief, hiring and firing help, when to call an ambulance and avoiding caregiver burnout, along with stories of life as a caregiver.

Each chapter has a lesson – a reward, or something to think about as you read through the stories. Handled with humour and sensitivity, caring for a loved one can become less of a burden. Not only will it be the hardest job you have ever had, it will also be the most fulfilling.

Review
Thank you to @netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to receive this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Caregiver’s Love Story and Reference Guide is an extremely moving book that perfectly combines the touching and heartfelt story of a husband and wife with a wealth of information about how to navigate the "in sickness and in health" portion of marriage vows.

Nancie Wiseman Attwater is a wife to Bill Attwater for many years, they have no children together, save for their variety of precious pooches over the years. Bill has three children from a previous marriage and some complicated family dynamics arise from that.

Nancie vividly describes her and Bill's unique and precious love story in the first few chapters and then we start to learn about Bill's change from complete independence and virility to becoming completely dependent on care and assistance for almost all day-to-day tasks. Weaved in this portrait of a marriage, Nancie shares with us what she has learned as she navigates the world of becoming solely wife to wife and caretaker. Nancie does not gloss over the hard facts of life alongside a husband with deteriorating health. We learn equally about the good days and the not-so-good days.

I highly recommend this book even for those who aren't looking for a caregiver's reference guide. The love story on its own is very moving.

A Caregiver's Love Story and Reference Guide was published on May 22, 2022, by Atmosphere Press, so there's no need to wait to get your hands on a copy!