This book is written for caregivers of all kinds, whether they are preparing to care, are caring now, or are seeking to understand the meaning of a care experience after the death of a loved one. Within the last year, 28 percent of Canadians provided informal, unpaid care to a chronically ill or disabled loved one. Approximately 43 million caregivers in America have provided informal care to an adult or child. 34 million Americans have provided informal care to an adult over the age of 50. Nearly 40 million caregivers provide care to adults with an illness or disability. And 16 million people care for someone with dementia or Alzheimer''s disease. Simply put, by 2020, 117 million Americans are expected to need informal care (Portrait of Caregivers, 2012; Family Caregiver Alliance, 2015). Friends and family who want to offer assistance to a caregiver will also learn how to offer help that is meaningful and impactful to another''s experiences.

Personal transformation is usually an experience we actively seek out--not one that hunts us down. In the 21st century, becoming a caregiver is one transformation that comes at us, requiring us to rethink everything we once knew. When a loved one becomes a caregiver, everything changes--responsibilities, beliefs, hopes, expectations, and relationships. ''Being'' a caregiver is not something most people think about, dream about, let alone prepare for because this role and relationship seemingly defies understanding. Caregiving is not just a role reserved for ''saints''. Eventually, everyone is drafted into the caregiver role. It''s not a role people medically train for--it''s a new type of relationship initiated by a loved one''s need for care. And it''s a role that cannot be quarantined to home because it infuses all aspects of our lives.

The moments that mark us in the transition from loved one to caregiver matter because if we don''t make sense of how we are being transformed, we risk undervaluing our care experiences, denying our evolving beliefs, becoming trapped by other''s misunderstandings, and burned out by constantly feeling underappreciated and overwhelmed. Unwittingly, we become ineffective advocates for our loved ones and ourselves. Caregivers today find themselves in need of a crash course replete with new and unfamiliar skills. They must not only care for a loved one, but also access hidden community resources, collaborate with medical professionals, craft new narratives consistent with the changing nature of their care role, coordinate care with family, seek information and peer support using a variety of digital platforms, and negotiate social support--all while attempting to manage conflicts between work, life, and care roles. This learning curve pushes steeply upward just as caregivers must orient to a new role requiring an ongoing re-evaluation of everything once believed to be known and secure. Our book, From Loved One to Caregiver: Transformational Moments and Skills Every Caregiver Needs draws upon lived care experiences and research drawn from hundreds of interviews with caregivers and practitioners. Informed by original academic caregiver research and proven advocacy strategies addressing the full range of care experiences and contexts, this book speaks to caregiving as it unfolds, in all of its confusion, chaos and messiness. Readers won''t find well-intentioned clichés or care stereotypes in this book.

There are no promises to help caregivers return to a life they knew before caregiving. No, this book greets caregivers where they are in their journey--new or chronic--not where others expect (or want) them to be.This book is designed to help readers diagnose the complicated and changing care realities that are transforming them while also highlighting how their care role and relationships makes possible new ways of seeing and being. In the process, readers are invited to begin actively reclaiming and remaking how they think of themselves, their care situation, and their capacities so caregiving isn''t just something that happens to them, but a life-altering role and relationship that calls them to actively leverage their experiences to more fully enhance individual and familial wellbeing.