Book Review: A Caregiver’s Love Story and Reference Guide

Reviewed by Manik Chaturmutha

A poignant love story and valuable reference guide

Filled with valuable lessons and information, this book displays just how tough and fulfilling it can be to become a caregiver. For Nancie Wiseman Attwater, it’s about becoming a caregiver for her lifelong love.

Nancie threads advice and lessons into her personal story with care. It begins with Nancie sharing the stories of Bill’s childhood and life before meeting her. She tells his story for all of us to get to really know him like Nancie.  

Then, of course, she tells about her own childhood, her own life before meeting him. We get to see them falling in love and getting married. We get acquainted with these two, share their blissful life as it transitions toward what would become some of the roughest stages in their lives. 

But  Bill’s health declines, and his old injuries emerge. He needs care, and Nancie is the one to give it to him. With love, she does her best to care for the one she loves in the face of adversity. 

Weaved into the storytelling are details about a new caregiving lifestyle, which includes medical emergencies, diets, surgical procedures, legal paperwork, and more. And meanwhile, she’s coping with her own cognitive decline, grief, and the loneliness that comes along with caring for your husband. Besides this, she talks about the importance of getting help and the importance of crying.

I have learned so much from this book. For example, do you know about Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to help with anxiety? Which diet can help prevent kidney stones? Do you know about helping agencies? I know I didn’t. There’s a flurry of helpful medical terms for the just-beginning caregiver, and it discusses it all clearly with a conversational  (and personal) tone.

The conversational tone can become a little detached and clinical at times though. With medical nonfiction like this, it is of course more than understandable if not a little jarring. The author does include her own mental state in dealing with it all, but it plays a lesser role to her husband’s ailments and medical procedures. I can admit that I wanted more of her.

Valuable information with a touch of love and storytelling, A Caregiver’s Love Story and Reference Guide turns out to be quite beautiful. And on top of that, the author’s love for her husband shines.

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Genre: Nonfiction / Caregiving

Print Length: 254 pages

ISBN: 978-1639883288

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