A valuable, sympathetic guide to the highs and lows of elder care.
A comprehensive manual focuses on providing care for an aging relative.
Perkins offers a wide-ranging and detailed guide to caring for aging loved ones, particularly as they develop dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or other cognitive limitations. Based on both her own years of being a caretaker for aging relatives and research into the topic, the author describes many aspects of elder care, from making the home a safe place for a person with diminished cognition to handling the emotional challenges of memory loss. The book also addresses the impact of caregiving on the caregiver, beginning with a reminder of the therapeutic benefits of laughter (“It will lower your tension, your blood pressure, loosen your muscles, boost your immune system, and release those wonderful endorphins which are natural pain killers and mood enhancers—for free, no prescription necessary”). With checklists and templates, the book guides readers through such practical matters as establishing medical and financial power of attorney, maintaining a medication list, preparing for emergencies and respite care, and evaluating nursing homes. Perkins encourages readers to help their loved ones maintain their dignity even when they seem unaware of their circumstances, with advice on assisting with personal care and providing ways for those with diminished speech skills to communicate their needs. Although there are frequent doses of humor, the author’s tone is never glib, and she treats the needs of both patients and caregivers with sensitivity. The manual explores difficult topics, like end-of-life planning and the high cost of residential care, in thoughtful ways while presenting all the necessary information. Other subjects, such as determining when an elder is no longer capable of driving, managing meltdowns and other behavioral issues, and feeding, are also covered in depth. The guide is of use to those who are caring for an aging relative at home as well as those who are overseeing a loved one’s treatment in a nursing home. The layout and organization of the manual make it a convenient reference book as well as a work that readers can peruse cover-to-cover. The volume is solidly written and informative, based on concrete data and real-world experiences, making it a useful resource for those dealing with the needs of aging family or friends.
A valuable, sympathetic guide to the highs and lows of elder care.Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1941887127
Page Count: 380
Publisher: Behler Publications
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.
The chef, rapper, and TV host serves up a blustery memoir with lashings of self-help.
“I’ve always had a sick confidence,” writes Bronson, ne Ariyan Arslani. The confidence, he adds, comes from numerous sources: being a New Yorker, and more specifically a New Yorker from Queens; being “short and fucking husky” and still game for a standoff on the basketball court; having strength, stamina, and seemingly no fear. All these things serve him well in the rough-and-tumble youth he describes, all stickball and steroids. Yet another confidence-builder: In the big city, you’ve got to sink or swim. “No one is just accepted—you have to fucking show that you’re able to roll,” he writes. In a narrative steeped in language that would make Lenny Bruce blush, Bronson recounts his sentimental education, schooled by immigrant Italian and Albanian family members and the mean streets, building habits good and bad. The virtue of those habits will depend on your take on modern mores. Bronson writes, for example, of “getting my dick pierced” down in the West Village, then grabbing a pizza and smoking weed. “I always smoke weed freely, always have and always will,” he writes. “I’ll just light a blunt anywhere.” Though he’s gone through the classic experiences of the latter-day stoner, flunking out and getting arrested numerous times, Bronson is a hard charger who’s not afraid to face nearly any challenge—especially, given his physique and genes, the necessity of losing weight: “If you’re husky, you’re always dieting in your mind,” he writes. Though vulgar and boastful, Bronson serves up a model that has plenty of good points, including his growing interest in nature, creativity, and the desire to “leave a legacy for everybody.”
The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.Pub Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4478-5
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
The heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace.
The former iCarly star reflects on her difficult childhood.
In her debut memoir, titled after her 2020 one-woman show, singer and actor McCurdy (b. 1992) reveals the raw details of what she describes as years of emotional abuse at the hands of her demanding, emotionally unstable stage mom, Debra. Born in Los Angeles, the author, along with three older brothers, grew up in a home controlled by her mother. When McCurdy was 3, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Though she initially survived, the disease’s recurrence would ultimately take her life when the author was 21. McCurdy candidly reconstructs those in-between years, showing how “my mom emotionally, mentally, and physically abused me in ways that will forever impact me.” Insistent on molding her only daughter into “Mommy’s little actress,” Debra shuffled her to auditions beginning at age 6. As she matured and starting booking acting gigs, McCurdy remained “desperate to impress Mom,” while Debra became increasingly obsessive about her daughter’s physical appearance. She tinted her daughter’s eyelashes, whitened her teeth, enforced a tightly monitored regimen of “calorie restriction,” and performed regular genital exams on her as a teenager. Eventually, the author grew understandably resentful and tried to distance herself from her mother. As a young celebrity, however, McCurdy became vulnerable to eating disorders, alcohol addiction, self-loathing, and unstable relationships. Throughout the book, she honestly portrays Debra’s cruel perfectionist personality and abusive behavior patterns, showing a woman who could get enraged by everything from crooked eyeliner to spilled milk. At the same time, McCurdy exhibits compassion for her deeply flawed mother. Late in the book, she shares a crushing secret her father revealed to her as an adult. While McCurdy didn’t emerge from her childhood unscathed, she’s managed to spin her harrowing experience into a sold-out stage act and achieve a form of catharsis that puts her mind, body, and acting career at peace.
The heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace.Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-982185-82-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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