Overview

PRACTICAL ADVICE, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, AND A PATH TO SPIRITUAL SOLACE One in five American adults is now a caregiver. And many have found themselves unprepared for this difficult and emotionally taxing task. As a caregiver himself, and executive director of Zen Caregiving Project, Roy Remer was inspired to write Zen Caregiving to help support the emotional burden many caregivers experience and to augment this essential component of our healthcare system. This motivational, therapeutic, and practical book covers: - the four components of the Zen Caregiving approach -- mindfulness, compassion, loss literacy, and self-care - tools for expanding compassion, avoiding burnout, and finding comfort - the value of grieving and processing loss - advice for preparing medical directives and end-of-life arrangements - how to create intimacy with oneself to prioritize self-care, one breath at a time

Full Product Details

9781608689538

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Caregivers like Roy Remer are the unsung heroes and heroines of our world. Roy's many years volunteering in a hospice setting translate to pages suffused with wisdom, love, and immensely practical advice for the caregiver. A gem of a book!"" -- Abraham Verghese, MD, author of Cutting for Stone and The Covenant of Water and director of the PRESENCE Center, Stanford School of Medicine ""I often teach that Zen is really a code word for 'human.' Zen caregiving, or human caregiving, is a simple and profound shift of awareness, from turning away to turning toward impermanence and the fact that we are all caregivers and will all be care receivers. This is a beautiful and practical guide for being transformed as we open our hearts to what matters most."" -- Marc Lesser, author of Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen ""Zen Caregiving isn't another manual -- it's a friend sitting beside you, acknowledging that caregiving cracks you open. Each chapter offers concrete meditation exercises and Gathas -- portable verses for difficult moments -- designed to fit caregivers' limited time. The book beautifully prompts self-reflection, inviting readers to examine their experiences with compassion while normalizing struggles. From reading it, you understand that self-care isn't indulgent but essential to sustainable caregiving. Whether you're beginning your journey or feeling burned-out, Zen Caregiving offers a transformative path forward for one of life's most meaningful experiences."" -- BJ Miller, MD, coauthor of A Beginner's Guide to the End ""I've known and worked beside Roy Remer for decades. He has written a very practical book integrating the inspiration of Zen with the challenges and joys of providing mindful and compassionate care. He draws on his direct personal experience, the groundbreaking work of Zen Hospice Project, and shares tools gathered from other trainings and teachers. Zen Caregiving distills the essential perspectives and practices from the Mindful Caregiving Education program Roy developed for caregivers and healthcare professionals -- teachings that we may all benefit from when it comes time for us to care for others or be cared for by others. Don't wait. Now is the time to read this book."" -- Frank Ostaseski, founding director of Zen Hospice Project and author of The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully ""Zen Caregiving is a book that understands something modern medicine often forgets: Caring is not only about doing, but about being. Roy Remer writes about the quality of presence that sustains every technical act. And that changes everything. There is a rare honesty in this work. It does not promise constant lightness, nor does it romanticize caregiving. It names fatigue, silent resentment, and moral exhaustion without apology. Precisely because of that, it presents self-compassion not as a luxury, but as a prerequisite for genuine compassion."" -- Dr. Ana Claudia Quintana Arantes, author of Death Is a Day Worth Living ""In this beautiful, moving, and life-changing book, Roy Remer's writing embodies the beautiful qualities that he states are essential in mindful caregiving: kindness, empathy, and wisdom. Drawing on his vast experience of bearing witness bedside to the dying, Remer's book is a lucid, nuanced, yet practical companion for all caregivers, showing them how to walk that path with self-care, mindfulness, and compassion. I highly recommend that every caregiver read this book. It will be a great support for you and for those you care for."" -- Mark Coleman, author of Awake in the Wild and Make Peace with Your Mind ""As a pastoral counselor, chaplain, and spiritual care scholar, I can attest to the fact that the ability to graciously face our shared existential situation is aided by what is in this book."" -- Pamela Ayo Yetunde, MA, ThD, author of Casting Indra's Net: Fostering Spiritual Kinship and Community

Author Information

An educator and end-of-life caregiver since 1997, Roy Remer is executive director of Zen Caregiving Project in San Francisco and lead creator of the Mindful Caregiving Education curriculum. He is also a dedicated practitioner in the Soto Zen tradition and a student at San Francisco Zen Center. ZenCaregiving.org

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