Introduction

This small book gives an account of a unique experience my daughter Beatriz (Bia) and I went through in Little Rock, Arkansas (USA), in 2007. Bia needed corrective surgery for a congenital venous malformation, a medical procedure that could not be performed in Brazil. So, there we were, in Arkansas Children’s Hospital, where we had the chance to observe how the Caregivers’ network operates, and to live through experiences that helped us strengthen ourselves and dodge loneliness, sadness, fear, and uncertainty.

Together, we decided to put our experience on paper and, much to our surprise, we realized that everything ultimately boiled down to putting together the best in terms of energy and feelings from all parties involved: family and friends; physicians and nurses; work colleagues; prayer groups; party groups; Brazilians living in Little Rock and their American friends.

As for me, I felt that my training and certification from Case Western Reserve University on the Appreciative Inquiry methodology, developed by David Cooperrider with the purpose of bringing out excellence in people, in several life situations, had a prodigious impact on Bia’s recovery and on my strength as a Caregiver.

I must explain that my awareness of this fact was not perceived until we returned to Brazil, almost five months later, when all the suggestions about cure and healing had already been written down. I believe that, somehow, I assimilated the methodology and applied it unconsciously, adapting it to the situation in which we found ourselves.

This made it very clear to us that positive thinking, of any kind, brought about by the application of the Appreciative Inquiry methodology re-activates nervous cell patterns in our brain, which are associated with physical and mental well-being.

Thinking back, I also see that God gave us this opportunity so that we would be able to tell, in simple and direct language, and to many people that are also being tried as Caregivers, that it is possible to help cure those under our care, while at the same time preserving our physical, mental, and spiritual health as Caregivers.

So, when you decide to put our suggestions into practice, we would like you to feel you are keeping company with us: Yes! You, who are sitting with our book in your hands, ready to act. We are on your side, supporting you. We are opening up our souls and minds to learn about other people’s knowledge, sharing this wonderful experience that exchanging emotions is. Emotions are powerful, because they are personal and unique to each one of us. Knowing about them is worthwhile.


THIS BOOK IS INTENDED TO…

Become a most desired source of inspiration to:

Health Professionals
Caregivers, be them relatives, friends, or voluntaries
Spiritual Counselors
Parents
Teachers
All of those who are called upon to nourish,
With the best of their Love,
Their neighbors,
Who are
Sick in body
Sick in spirit
Or sick in their soul.

And most specially, to a good part of the Brazilian population, who should be getting ready to care for, by 2025, the world’s 6th larger aging population, that is, 23 million people aged 75 and older. According to IBGE, the elderly population grows by 650 thousand yearly, a figure that will have a strong impact particularly on the health sector. Chronic-degenerative pathologies like stroke, heart ischemia, neoplasia, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, senility, and partial or total immobility are going to demand an increasingly larger and more complex apparatus, and better well-equipped hospitals, with better equipment and well-prepared physicians. These factors – aggravated by loneliness (caused by smaller family units, where both husband and wife are out to work and therefore unable to provide care) and the low socio-economic level of most part of the elderly population – will demand cooperation and much compassion from the general society for their ailing fellow citizens.
Even though this is a disturbing scenario, the nation has to get ready to face this challenge. This manual aims at providing support and motivation for Caregivers in charge of this huge population of aging people.

THIS BOOK INTENDS TO…

Humbly inform
Respectfully suggest
Wholeheartedly share