The Tools of Support

Beyond being cathartic for her, the book—“a portable support group for caregivers”—spoke to others.

“What people do is they find a story they relate to, and read it over and over when they’re at wit’s end,” she said. “A lot of support groups have used the book.”
 
So are college professors. The book is used in at least two college settings. One is a gerontology class at Minnesota State University in Moorhead. “The instructor uses it every spring semester, and I go talk to the students after they read the book,” she said. “They use it to humanize the course.” The other is a nursing home administration class at Concordia College in Minnesota. “I talk with that class as well, to show administrators the human side. The teacher likes them to see what families go through, and to show that families are part of the team and how important that is.”
 
Not long before the book was published, she began writing a weekly newspaper column on caregiving, also called “Minding Our Elders.” In addition, she had set up her own Web site, MindingOurElders.com, to promote the book and give information and support to caregivers. “Blogging was brand new, so I held my breath and set up a blog,” she said. It all led to recognition, and that’s when the other Web sites came calling.

“The book is for emotional support,” she said. “The Web site, blog, and other writing is a combination of emotional and nuts-and-bolts support.”