How to Become the Best Caregiver: Take Care of Yourself During This Process Read My Book and I Will Show You How!

By Earlene McCutchen-Atiba

Care Giving is very difficult. The reason for writing this book is help others that are caregivers / or will be caregivers. My book step by step and page by page will show you how to become the best care giver ever. You will obtain valuable information within my book that you will not find anywhere. This information is mind blowing. I have experienced everything in my book over a period of many years. My book will show in great detail on how to become, organized, efficient, dietary help, cooking tips, multiple meal preparation an much more and how to take care of yourself during this process. Once you read my book it will become a book of reference that you will never forget.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Apr 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781480886353

Earlene McCutchen-Atiba

Earlene McCutchen-Atiba studied dressmaking and women’s tailoring, graduating at age seventeen. She became an apprentice at a small dry cleaner and was taught how to do men’s alterations. She later went on to modeling school and embarked on key punching (the beginning of the computer age) before starting to sew at home. She operated a dressmaking/women's tailoring business before moving from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Savannah, Georgia, where she works at David’s Bridal. She has been a caregiver for family members throughout her life.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 Earlene McCutchen-Atiba.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8634-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8635-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019920761

Archway Publishing rev. date: 08/28/2021

CONTENTS

My Mission, My Vision, and My Core Values

Preface

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Part 1: Caregiver

Chapter 1: Before Becoming a Caregiver

Chapter 2: After Becoming a Caregiver

Chapter 3: Organization

Chapter 4: Documentation

Chapter 5: Time Management

Chapter 6: Live-In Caregiver

Chapter 7: Nursing Home Caregiver

Chapter 8: Caregiver for the Mentally Challenged

Chapter 9: Non-Live-In Caregiver

Part 2: Taking Care of Yourself

Chapter 10: Making Sure You Are in Good Health

Chapter 11: Getting Proper Nutrition

Chapter 12: Getting Enough Rest

Chapter 13: Getting Enough Sleep

Chapter 14: Getting Enough Exercise

Chapter 15: Getting Enough Me Time

Chapter 16: Tips

About My Wonderful Husband and Our Love Story

About the Author

The faith and confidence of others in me have been like shining, guiding stars.

—Marian Anderson

The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.

—Mark Twain

On Taking Time for Ourselves:

Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us. A day away acts as a spring tonic. It can dispel rancor, transform indecision, and renew the spirit.

—Maya Angelou

This book is dedicated to my wonderful late parents, Leroy and Daisy

McCutchen, who taught me about caring, sharing, and having compassion.

To all my wonderful relatives and friends who have supported my

efforts during this process, I appreciate the lessons I’ve learned from

you. Thank you for your unconditional support and everlasting love.

My Mission

To provide valuable information on how to become the best caregiver. To show you how to take care of yourself during the time you are a caregiver.

My Vision

To produce a book that will help all who are caregivers or future caregivers.

My Core Values

To learn something new every day and to share that information with others.

PREFACE

I began my journey as a caregiver at the age of nineteen. This was during the 1970s, when the term caregiver was not utilized. The method of caregiving before the 1970s was termed as caring for a loved one. This process involved taking a person into your home to care for him or her. It was considered a family’s responsibility to care for a person who could no longer care for himself or herself. Now we have nursing homes and assisted living facilities to care for those who are seniors or are disabled and no longer have the ability to care for themselves. We now live in a society where we leave the responsibility of caring for our loved ones to institutions.

My father was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1969, when he was in the final stages. My father’s doctor decided the best course of action would be to resection my father’s colon and provide him with a colostomy bag. The process of caring for my father was a family effort. The entire family had to become educated about his type of cancer. The training that the hospital provided encompassed everything from diet, to dispensing medication, to changing his colostomy bag.

I worked for a small insurance company located within walking distance of our home. Working so close to home allowed me to come home during my lunch break. I would change my father’s colostomy bag, administer his medication, and prepare his lunch. My mother would sometimes administer his medication, and she’d help bathe him in the mornings and evenings. My sister would help with his evening meals. This routine was carried out until his passing in 1970.

I became my mother’s caregiver in 2001. I relocated to Savannah, Georgia, in 1998, coming from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My mother continued to live in Philadelphia. In 1999, she developed a very bad bedsore. The cavity was four inches deep and six inches wide. This required her to have a feeding tube placed in her stomach. This was the only way for the bedsore to heal, from the inside out.

After a short stay in the hospital, it came time for my mother to be discharged. I was informed by the hospital that my mother had to be placed in a nursing home. After receiving this information, I needed to locate a nursing home in Savannah that would provide twenty-four-hour care. I could not monitor my mother’s care in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while I resided in Savannah. I found a nursing home in Savannah that provided the services I needed.

My mother was transported to Savannah on September 1999 aboard a medevac. A registered nurse and a doctor were also