Caregiver's Encyclopedia

Muriel R. Gillick, MD, a physician specializing in geriatrics and palliative care, is a professor in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is the author of The Denial of Aging: Perpetual Youth, Eternal Life, and Other Dangerous Fantasies and Old and Sick in America: The Journey through the Health Care System.

• Introduction. What This Book Is (and What It Is Not) Part I. Underlying Health StateChapter 1. Why Health State Matters Chapter 2. Ingredients of the Underlying Health State Chapter 3. Thinking like a Geriatrician: Geriatric Syndromes Chapter 4. Determining Your Family Member's Health State Part II. Going to the Doctor Chapter 5. The Role of the Primary Care Physician Chapter 6. What to Expect from Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants Chapter 7. What to Expect from Nurses, Social Workers, and Therapists Chapter 8. What to Expect from Medical Specialists Chapter 9. What a Geriatric Assessment Is and When to Ask for One Part III. Going to the Hospital Chapter 10. The Perils of Hospitalization Chapter 11. Choosing a Hospital Chapter 12. Working with a Hospitalist Chapter 13. The Technological Imperative Chapter 14. Acute Care for the Elderly Units Chapter 15. Hospital-Based Palliative Care Part IV. Going to the Rehabilitation Facility Chapter 16. Choosing a Rehab Facility Chapter 17. How Rehab Runs Chapter 18. Your Role in the Rehab Chapter 19. Hospital-Lite—Another Role for Rehab Chapter 20. Discharge Home Part V. Chronic Care at Home Chapter 21. Your Medical Bag Chapter 22. High Blood Pressure Chapter 23. High Cholesterol Chapter 24. Arthritis Chapter 25. Coronary Heart Disease Chapter 26. Diabetes Chapter 27. Chronic Kidney Disease Chapter 28. Heart Failure Chapter 29. Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias Chapter 30. Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Chapter 31. Depression Chapter 32. Prevention Part VI. Acute Care at Home Chapter 33. Chest Pain Chapter 34. Shortness of Breath Chapter 35. Cough Chapter 36. Nausea and Vomiting Chapter 37. Constipation Chapter 38. Confusion Chapter 39. Dizziness Chapter 40. Bleeding Chapter 41. Abdominal Pain Chapter 42. FeverPart VII. Care in the Nursing Home Chapter 43. Choosing a Nursing Home Chapter 44. Why You Will Still Be a Caregiver Chapter 45. Medical Care in the Nursing Home Chapter 46. Team Meetings in the Nursing Home Part VIII. Getting Additional Help Chapter 47. Choosing a Health Plan Chapter 48. Paying for Health Care Chapter 49. Planning for Future Medical Care Chapter 50. Community Resources Chapter 51. Home Hospice Chapter 52. Involving the Rest of the Family Chapter 53. Caregiver Support Epilogue. Rest in Peace Acknowledgments Index

An invaluable resource . . . Gillick knows the system inside and out and is brilliant at making complex systems easy to understand. If you've read her other books (which I recommend you do) you'll recognize her narrative style, which reads like advice from a caring and well-informed friend.—The Caregiver Space