Title: Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver
Author: Bobbi Carducci
Published: July 26th, 2014
Publisher: Open Books Press
Genre: Creative Non-fiction, Memoir
Recommended Age: 13+
Synopsis:
Bobbi Carducci’s life was about to change. Her ill father-in-law’s odd behavior was a mystery when he came to live with her and Mike. For the next seven years Bobbi did everything she could to save him from himself – while he tried to convince everyone that he didn’t need her and that she was crazy.
A nonfiction that reads like a novel, Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver, is the story of a real family dealing with one of the fastest growing issues of our day. Caring for seriously ill family members at home. Meet Bobbi Carducci. Laugh, cry and pray with her as she does the hardest job she ever loved.
Every 26 seconds another person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia in the U.S.
Excerpt from Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver:
For fifteen years I’d known him as my gentle, henpecked father-in-law. A man who longed for a little peace and quiet and always seemed eager to please. As saddened as I was by my mother-in-law’s passing, I had believed that living in my home, free from the constant yelling and criticism, he’d come out of his shell and begin to enjoy life.
Sitting in a hospital parking lot so many years later, I was just beginning to discover how very wrong I’d been.
Had he been pretending all these years? Is the real Rodger the one who announced to the nursing staff that I’m useless and no damned good? Does the medicine he takes every day allow him to be himself, or does it mask his true nature? Who is this man who lives in my house and paces the halls late at night? ..
.
Where did I go wrong? What did I miss and how can I make sure this doesn't happen again? Those questions and more went unanswered as I covered the miles between the hospital and home, my mind and body too tired to cope with the guilt I felt at that moment. Despite all my good intentions, I’d let him down.
About the Author:
Intrigued by TV doctors, Bobbi Carducci told everyone she was going to be a brain surgeon when she grew up. When she couldn't bring herself to cut up a frog in biology class she realized she had to find another way to get inside people’s heads and became a writer instead.
Bobbi was an in home caregiver for her serious ill father-in-law, Rodger, for seven years. Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver is the first book in a planned Caregiver series depicting the true stories of people caring for loved ones at home.
Bobbi Carducci is a former senior staff writer for the Purcellville Gazette, a small Washington, D.C. area newspaper. Her short stories appear in the Chicken Soup for the Soul and Cup of Comfort Anthologies as well is in print and online magazines.
Bobbi’s book for young readers, Storee Wryter Gets a Dog, received both a Mom’s Choice Award and a Living Now Award for Excellence. It was also named A Best Dog Book for Young Readers by Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer.
For three years she wrote a monthly book review column for About Families Publications before resigning to concentrate on writing Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver and her blog, The Imperfect Caregiver. Bobbi also writes regularly on care giving for AgingCare.com and The Caregiver Space.
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
- A print copy of Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver (US only)
- An ecopy of Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver (Int)
Thank you for including Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver on your blog tour. Every 26 minutes someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's or some other from of dementia in the U.S. alone. Every 26 minutes another family member may become a caregiver. If you want to know what it's really like, this book is for you.
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