Rounding the Circle
Growing Up as She Grows Old

You would like to keep your elder at home, figuring she will be more comfortable there. But you are wondering if you can handle the challenges that arrangement would entail. Well, this book will not provide any easy answers. How could it when there are none to be had. But it might give you some guidance as you struggle with that difficult decision.

And if you do decide that residential care is the best option for your family, it will help you tangle some challenges: How you can protect yourself from the physical exhaustion that often depletes caregivers? What precautions you should keep in mind when seeking medical care for your senior? How you can use creative outlets – story telling, art - to bond with your elder?

This book offers a good mix. It not only presents “guidelines” from “experts” in their fields but also practical advice from people who have served as caregivers.

Order your copy today from Lady Bug Press for just $10.00 Rounding The Circle of Love: Growing Up As She Grows Old (Sonora, CA; Ladybug Press, 2009)

About the Author: Harriet Tramer

Reviews

A review in Cleveland Women’s Journal
Daniel, Barbara, “Caring for the Caregiver"

Heights Observer “New Book Discusses Elder Care,”

A review in the Menorah Park newsletter

Barbara Mascio, founder of Senior Approved Services

"Harriet Tramer captures the family caregiver experience, highlighting both the potential pitfalls and the rewards of choosing to care for an elderly loved one at home.  This is a book that you will share with your siblings, spouses, and children as your family considers the options of elder care. Referencing her own personal experience of caring for her mother, age 95, Ms. Tramer makes the case that a decision such as this ought to be made by carefully, and honestly, examining limitations, skill set, and available supportive resources."

A review by Carolyn L. Rosenblatt, RN, BSN, Attorney AgingParents.com

"Ms. Tramer’s insightful book is written from the credible perspective of a caregiver, who took her mother, in her 90’s, home. On her journey, Ms. Tramer gained valuable information any caregiver can benefit from using. The book is practical and a hands-on guide for those who are providing care at home for aging loved ones.

Ms. Tramer brings to light the questions anyone should ask when considering bringing an elder home for care, rather than leaving the care to an institution. She has done her research, interviewed many experienced persons in the field of caregiving, and provided differing, and helpful perspectives from them. Providing information through interviewing experts is an effective technique. She reminds us all that caring for the caregiver is as important as caring for the elder.

She discusses the idea of “slow medicine”, bringing to light the fact that our society’s idea of “the best treatment” may not be what elders actually need. Respect for the aging process is paramount, rather than trying to stop the aging process, a point not found in much of the literature elsewhere. There is a good discussion on Alzheimer’s Disease, and many creative approaches to managing it are outlined well.

I liked her very pragmatic discussion on how to pay for care, as well as her enlightening chapter on equipment and adaptations, both of which would serve any caregiver well. These are simple, everyday solutions to common problems.

I would have preferred to see more of a discussion of elder mediation at the end of the book, when Ms. Tramer discussed a family’s conflict over an elder’s care. While counseling is discussed, it is quite different from mediation, and mediation can be a more palatable alternative. The point that families may seriously disagree about how to address the needs of an elder is well taken.

In all, Ms. Tramer’s brief book is filled with solid, well researched practical advice. The statistics she cites are very informative. I highly recommend it for anyone who is caring for an elder at home or who is considering this choice."

RADIO APPEARANCES

LOCATION OF WORKSHOPS AND BOOK SIGNINGS

Joseph Beth Books – Lyndhurst Ohio November 17, 2009

Bedford Library – Bedford, Ohio December 3. 2009

Senior Independence Adult Day Center – Painesville, Ohio January 27, 2010

Tri-City Consortium on Aging - South Euclid, Ohio March 10, 2010

Solon Senior Center – Solon, Ohio May 17, 2010

North-Olmsted Senior Center – North Olmsted, Ohio June 4, 2010

TELEVISION APPEARANCES

Kaileidoscope – WEWS – ABC in Cleveland, Ohio

INFORMATION ON THE WEB

Circle of Love