According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 1.7 million home health aides and personal and home care aides in the United States as of 2008. These home care aides are rapidly becoming the backbone of America’s system of long-term care, and their numbers continue to grow. Often referred to as frontline care providers or direct care workers, home care aides—disproportionately women of color—bathe, feed, and offer companionship to the elderly and disabled in the context of the home. In The Caring Self, Clare L. Stacey draws on observations of and interviews with aides working in Ohio and California to explore the physical and emotional labor associated with the care of others. Aides experience material hardships—most work for minimum wage, and the services they provide are denigrated as unskilled labor—and find themselves negotiating social norms and affective rules associated with both family and work. This has negative implications for workers who struggle to establish clear limits on their emotional labor in the intimate space of the home. Aides often find themselves giving more, staying longer, even paying out of pocket for patient medications or incidentals; in other words, they feel emotional obligations expected more often of family members than of employees. However, there are also positive outcomes: some aides form meaningful ties to elderly and disabled patients. This sense of connection allows them to establish a sense of dignity and social worth in a socially devalued job. The case of home care allows us to see the ways in which emotional labor can simultaneously have deleterious and empowering consequences for workers.

Portrays the experiences and development of students as they commit themselves to community service during their college years.

This beloved bestseller—over 180,000 copies sold—has helped caregivers worldwide keep themselves emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and physically healthy in the face of the sometimes overwhelming traumas they confront every day. A longtime trauma worker, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky offers a deep and empathetic survey of the often-unrecognized toll taken on those working to make the world a better place. We may feel tired, cynical, or numb or like we can never do enough. These, and other symptoms, affect us individually and collectively, sapping the energy and effectiveness we so desperately need if we are to benefit humankind, other living things, and the planet itself. In Trauma Stewardship, we are called to meet these challenges in an intentional way. Lipsky offers a variety of simple and profound practices, drawn from modern psychology and a range of spiritual traditions, that enable us to look carefully at our reactions and motivations and discover new sources of energy and renewal. She includes interviews with successful trauma stewards from different walks of life and even uses New Yorker cartoons to illustrate her points. “We can do meaningful work in a way that works for us and for those we serve,” Lipsky writes. “Taking care of ourselves while taking care of others allows us to contribute to our societies with such impact that we will leave a legacy informed by our deepest wisdom and greatest gifts instead of burdened by our struggles and despair.”

Stacey draws on observations of and interviews with aides working in Ohio and California to explore the physical and emotional labor associated with the care of others.

Many of us are running on empty and on autopilot, neglecting our health. We are challenged by severe time constraints and great expectations to do more with less, resulting in strained tolerances, shortened and divided attention spans, and sudden injury, illness, or crisis that halt us in our tracks. THERE IS A BETTER WAY. Effective self-care is about recognizing our values, beliefs, influences, perspectives, and motivations that drive our behaviors and shape our outcomes. This book highlights the challenges faced in our healthcare system and offers insights and resources to support living a healthier and happier life. It is a guide for healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, and organizations. It proposes that we explore how we define, manage, deliver, experience, and MODEL care. It calls for a paradigm shift to a more engaged, transparent, and collaborative model that has an emphasis on self-care.

"I yelled at the kids again--and feel so ashamed." "I barely have time to shower, let alone exercise; no wonder I’m so out of shape." "I'm just not the dad I hoped I would be." Parenting is hard. That's why self-compassion is so important. In this empathic resource, mindfulness expert and psychologist Susan M. Pollak helps you let go of constant self-judgment and treat yourself with the same kindness and caring you strive to offer your kids. Simple yet powerful guided meditation techniques (most under three minutes long) are easy to practice while doing the dishes, driving to work, or soothing a fussy baby. Learn to respond to your own imperfections like a supportive friend, not a harsh critic. You will find yourself happier and more energized--and will discover new reserves of patience and appreciation for your kids.

Take care of yourself as you care for others with this accessible, easy-to-follow self-care guide to relax and rejuvenate. It’s been said that there are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will become caregivers, and those who will need caregivers. Chances are you or someone you know is taking care of a loved one at home. If you do, you also know that caregiving—however fulfilling—is also hard on the caregiver’s mental and physical health. Self-care is vital to caregivers maintaining stamina and a positive outlook for both themselves and the people they care for. But being so busy caring for others can make it hard to find time for yourself. In Self-Care for Caregivers, you’ll find short, easy-to-read—and often easy-to-do—ways to replenish your mind, body, and spirit, including: -Practicing mindfulness by focusing in on your five senses -Remembering to HALT to check if you’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired -Making a gratitude list of at least three things you're grateful for -And much more! Full of practical advice and reminders to have a quick snack, call a friend, create a sanctuary, write in a journal, and more ways to take care yourself—plus resources for caregiving—this book will go a long way towards making your caregiving experience a happier and more healthful one for you and the people you care for.

This comprehensive guide prepares parents, educators, and other caring adults to protect children and teens from bullying, violence, and abuse through awareness, action, and skills. Kidpower's positive hands-on method reduces anxiety, develops competence, and increases confidence for adults and children alike. Topics include: building a foundation of emotional safety; self-protection to stop most trouble before it starts; and healthy boundaries to prevent problems and develop positive relationships. "The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults" is the most comprehensive guide available for adults who want to learn how to protect and promote the emotional and physical safety of the young people in their lives. Through inspiring stories, clear explanations, and step-by-step practices, readers gain extensive knowledge from Kidpower's 25+ years of experience of teaching "People Safety" skills to over 2.5 million children, teens, and adults worldwide. These social-emotional skills help prepare adults to protect and empower the young people in their lives. Instead of using fear to teach about violence prevention, Kidpower makes it fun to learn to be safe! Kidpower is highly recommended by experts worldwide for teaching violence prevention and personal safety skills in ways that are positive, practical, effective, safe, and relevant across a wide range of cultures, life situations, ages, and abilities. Gavin de Becker, best-selling author of "The Gift of Fear" and "Protecting the Gift" and leading expert worldwide on the prediction and management of violence, wrote the foreword. According to Mr. de Becker, "Kidpower has an exceptional track record in the field of violence prevention and personal safety. Kidpower helps to reduce worry by promoting confidence and personal power." According to Ellen Bass, co-author of "The Courage to Heal" and "Free Your Mind," and Kidpower's founding board president, "Kidpower's upbeat approach empower's kids and adults alike with the social-emotional skills they need, not just to be safe, but to thrive. Kidpower's commitment to integrity, respect, and excellence is reflected throughout this book." To learn more about Kidpower's workshops, consultation, and other educational resources, visit www.kidpower.org. All income from books sales helps our nonprofit organization create and provide extensive free and affordable educational resources.

Take care of yourself. How many times a week do we hear or say these words' If we all took the time to care for ourselves, how much stronger will we be' More importantly how much stronger will our communities be' In Take Care of Your Self, Iraqi artist and curator Sundus Abdul Hadi turns a critical and inventive eye on the notion of self-care, rejecting the idea that self-care means buying stuff and recasting it as a collective practice rooted in the liberation struggles of the oppressed. Throughout, Abdul Hadi explores the role of art in fostering healing for those affected by racism, war, and displacement, weaving in the artwork of twenty-seven artists of color from diverse backgrounds to identify the points where these struggles intersect. In centering the voices of those often relegated to the margins of the art world and emphasizing the imperative to create safe spaces for artists of color to explore their complicated reactions to oppression, Abdul Hadi casts self-care as a political act rooted in the impulse toward self-determination, empowerment, and healing that animates the work of artists of color across the world.

Illustrated recounts of washing hands, getting hair cut, taking a bath, going to the doctor and brushing teeth. Also contains a run-down of things to consider in each activity and a factual description as to why each activity in necessary.