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Dale L. Baker (Ms. Dale) is an award-winning author and three-time caregiver. She retired in 2003 from county social services to care for her husband Richard full-time. While still grieving his death from cancer in 2008, she assumed end-of-life care for her parents who passed away in 2010 and 2011 from Alzheimer’s and heart disease. She currently facilitates a caregiver support group in her home. Her book More Than I Could Ever Know: How I Survived Caregiving won two book awards in 2014. A memoir and how-to survival manual, it is usually read in one sitting, then passed on to another caregiver, if not kept for reference. Often gift copies are bought. Ms. Baker was a published poet and short story writer before she became a caregiver. She lives in Arizona and Hawaii. Her caregiver experiences took place in Portland, Oregon.
Reviewed by Ashley Tetzlaff for Readers' Favorite
In More Than I Could Ever Know: How I Survived Caregiving, Dale L. Baker shares her journey of walking with her husband and his terminal struggle with cancer the last five years of his life. Written for caregivers in similar situations, Baker gives tips on how to care for yourself even as you pour out your life for another person. She shares stories of things she learned along the way, and good solid advice on such topics as dealing with depression and constipation, deciding whether or not to have your loved one in a nursing or adult foster home, learning to be and not just do, and more.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading More Than I Could Ever Know: How I Survived Caregiving. I have a relative who is currently caring for her ailing husband, so the title caught my eye and made me think of her. I walked away from reading this book with several things in mind: 1) how I could better take care of myself as a mother (not lose myself totally in rearing my kids, but taking some time to just be me each week); 2) a deeper appreciation for my relation and all she does; 3) a desire to be more helpful to her and others like her.
Not only are there good tips in this book for everyone, but Dale L. Baker’s style is very engaging. The book is short (could be read in one sitting if desired), but so jam packed with wisdom that you will want to read it over and over again. Highly recommended! Read it for yourself. Read it to understand those in caregiving situations. Give it to a caregiver you know who is struggling.
