Courtesy of Joyce O. Beckett

Edited by Joyce O. Beckett

Lifting Our Voices is the only book to explore the dual roles of professional social workers who are also family caregivers and the only collection on caregiving in which the majority of contributors are African American.

After discussing the relevant literature, Lifting Our Voices vividly and sensitively presents the caregiving experiences of 10 professional social workers. Using professional and theoretical knowledge and skills, each contributor draws implications for various levels of social work and human service interventions.
These poignant descriptions and analyses recount both the frustrations and barriers of negotiating social service agencies and other institutions and the joys and triumphs of family caregiving.

Lifting Our Voices frankly discusses how a professional education either prepares or fails to equip an individual with the skills for successful intervention on behalf of a loved one. Contributors hail from rich and varied backgrounds, revealing the importance of age, ethnicity, gender, marital status, and gerontological expertise in the practice of family caregiving.

These essays explore situations rarely reported on in the literature, such as caregivers and care recipients who represent the lifespan from preschool to retirement. Lifting Our Voices graphically describes types of caregiving that are seldom discussed, including simultaneous caregiving to multiple family members and reciprocal and sequential caregiving, thus broadening and refining the very concepts of "caregiving" and "family."

Reviews

"Social workers who have themselves cared for ill or disabled family members have something unique to say about caregiving. Lifting Our Voices
is an original approach to a very important topic, offering insights
that would not be found in a large-scale statistical study. The
narratives are powerful and compelling. They deserve to be read and
learned from." 

          —Ann Burack-Weiss, author of The Caregiver's Tale: Loss and Renewal in Memoirs of Family Life

"Lifting Our Voices
is a unique and essential addition to the literature on caregiving. The
book highlights differing racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds,
genders, ages, financial resources, informal and formal support systems
and long-distance and in-home caregiving arrangements. Furthermore, it
directly addresses the significance of race and ethnicity in the
experiences of caregivers and care recipients. Lifting Our Voices
will be a source of pride and validation to many students, will provide
valuable knowledge to all, and will constitute an important resource
for additional content across undergraduate and graduate social work
curriculum areas." 

          —Patricia Kolb, author of Social Work Practice with Ethnically and Racially Diverse Nursing Home Residents and Their Families