Living Is for Living

Living Is for Living: A Caregiver's Story presents a real-time look at the multi-layered experience of caring for an elder with Alzheimer's disease, while also being there for a spouse, children, and house full of pets. Addressing challenging topics like caregiver burden, end-of-life decision-making, and letting go, Terry Perkins Mitman offers humor and hope as she weaves together research and reflection gathered over two decades. She describes, too, the guidance received from those around her, and the inspiration found in a Higher Power-to her, the power of Love. In addition to speaking to the saving grace of spiritual awakening discovered thanks to Al-Anon and the Twelve Steps, Mitman describes what it is like to return to a geographical home, after years away. Raised in Maine, she had raised her own kids elsewhere, mostly in Wisconsin, when her mom moved in, from Maine, which led to unexpected time and precious opportunities that Mitman blogged about at www.thejoyofcaring.com. Determined to get her mom back to Maine when family life allowed, Mitman eventually came to understand that this home-coming was healing to her, as well, as she continued to show up for her mom, with the help of family and caregivers, a smile on her face, finding space to adapt to the daily losses, and then later, after her mom died, to process the grief that landed front and center. While Mitman wrote in real time as a way to relieve stress, be creative, and share what she was learning about parenting, marriage, Alzheimer's disease and more, she never anticipated how her community of readers would fuel her in staying the course of her mom's care and the grief that followed. Living Is for Living is Mitman's way of remembering her caregiving journey and passing along the many lessons and in-depth research she gathered, in gratitude to all who supported them along the way and in hope of helping others on their own caregiving paths to feel supported too.