Family Caregivers:
An Emotional Survival Guide

The perfect companion for family caregivers—frank talk, wise words, real-life tools

“We’re family caregivers, you and I” is how this remarkable book begins. Told through the voices of family caregivers and counselors, this emotional survival guide gives you straight talk and wise words that will help you make your way through the toughest—and possibly most rewarding—job you’ll ever have. 
 
If you’re caring for a parent, spouse, or friend over the long haul, this book is your essential companion, from beginnings, through the ups and downs, to farewells. 
 
You’ll have the support of caregivers who are walking your walk, and the inspiring wisdom of counselors—hospice chaplains, social workers, and others—who are walking beside you.  

Chapters on Guilt, Anger and Old Wounds, Running on Empty, Siblings (“Doing It on Your Own”) speak to what it’s really like to be a caregiver. “Minute Mood Hacks” shows you over 25 different ways to take a break when you don’t have time to take a break. “Tell it to a support group” points you to hundreds of online support groups and local resources throughout the country. 
 
You’ll find ways to ground yourself before walking into their room, how to sustain yourself day after day, how to deal with slow grief. You’ll see what caregivers say when they look back at this transformative experience.

Finally, here's a book that knows what caregivers do. You aren’t alone. Family Caregivers: An Emotional Survival Guide is a deep dive into the heart of caregiving, and the hearts of caregivers. Keep it by your side.

Order now on Amazon.

 
Connie Baher writes, lectures, and coaches on caregiving, life transitions, and reimagining retirement.

Published in USA Today, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, Dow Jones’ MarketWatch, the Boston Globe, and other print and online media, she is also the author The Case of the Kickass Retirement: How to Make the Most of the Rest of Your Life.

She is a Harvard MBA, an entrepreneur, and former tech executive. An award-winning lecturer, she has served on the faculty of The Honor Foundation, a career transition program for Navy Seals and Special Operations personnel. She has worked extensively with nonprofit organizations and received a Royal medal honoring her work with cultural organizations in Cambodia.

She and her husband live in southern California, where she was the caregiver for her mother for 13 years.

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Recent Publications and Activities

"For Family Caregivers: How to Take a Break When You Don't Have Time to Take a Break," webinar,  Senior Concerns, Thousand Oaks, CA

"Caregiving: Tools for Caregivers," Interview with clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Midyet

Caregiver support group facilitator, GlenBrook Health Center, Carlsbad, CA

“Care Provider and Author Connie Baher on Embracing Uncertainty & Joy,” podcast: Destination Unknown, hosted by life transition expert Linda Rossetti

"Emotional Respite" (Virtual presentation, Caregiver Recognition Day, Senior Concerns, Thousand Oaks, CA)

"From One Caregiver to Another: No One Knows What We Do" (article, Next Avenue online magazine)

"New Year's Resolutions for Family Caregivers" (article, Next Avenue)

Interview on Caregiving, national webinar with Belmont Villages Senior Living CEO Patricia Will, Belmont Village La Jolla, CA

“Care Provider and Author Connie Baher on the Power of Naming,” podcast: Destination Unknown, hosted by life transition expert Linda Rossetti

“Care Giving Expert Connie Baher on The Secret Sauce to Life’s Crossroads,” podcast: Destination Unknown, hosted by Linda Rossetti

"For Family Caregivers—The Visit: What's It Going To Be Today?" (Presentation, CMK Homecare, Arlington, MA)

"Respite—You've Got to be Kidding! How to Take a Break When You Don't Have Time to Take a Break" (Presentation, CMK Homecare, Arlington, MA)

"Surviving as a Family Caregiver: How to make it through the toughest job you'll ever have," (Webinar, Life Planning Network)

“Resources for Your Caregiving Journey,” University of California (Davis)

“When the Caregiving Ends: Recovering from Loss, Rebuilding Your Life” (article, Next Avenue)

“Go ahead, Hug a Family Caregiver” (The Longevity Project newsletter, Sept 28, 2022, in collaboration with Stanford Center on Longevity)

“How to survive coronavirus lockdowns: What I learned from John McCain,” a caregiver’s perspective, USA Today