Recommended Reading: When the Time Comes

“Something was changing, Joel thought as winter came. Maybe it was because his mother was adjusting, or maybe it was because of continued cognitive decline.” It sounds like the beginning of a novel, but When the Time Comes: Families with Aging Parents Share Their Struggles and Solutions is a book of no-nonsense nonfiction with expert advice, beautiful storytelling and personal insights. Through real stories interspersed along five chapters that are set around each major caregiving decision, author Paula Span spins an indispensable patchwork of experiences and advice from real caregivers and loved ones.

The strength of When the Time Comes lies in the deeply personal (and yet universal) stories. Each family shares their wild ride of emotions and the ups and downs of caregiving with incredible detail. You go with them, back in time to the moment everything changes: a bathroom fall, a forgotten pot on the stove, a diagnosis. As the issues progress, you tour nursing homes, talk home care and stare right into the face of hospice. As these encounters build on one another, you gather a greater sense of what caregiving really is—you see the whole picture.

When the Time Comes flows like a series of short stories connected in theme but still functions as a practical book. It is bound to be both an educational and inspiring read for any caregiver.

When the Time Comes: Families with Aging Parents Share Their Struggles and Solutions
By Paula Span
288 pp, Grand Central Life & Style