This is the second book of Burke’s Caregiver’s Journey series. Building Your Care Team is not a scholarly work. It is not a treatise or ‘white paper’ on diseases and symptoms and how to treat them or how to man- age illness or injury resulting in long-term care. It’s about real caregiving experiences and how to cope.

“This book is about life,” Burke says, “what happens as you live it and how to help someone (including yourself) live it in the best possible way  when you are a Caregiver—and even more so, once you can see the end of the road. It’s about healing and people helping people who need help, and it’s based on 20+ years of Caregiving experience, augmented with the stories of so many other Caregivers I’ve met going down the road. Building Your Care Team shows you how to find and work with people who can help.

You’ve been doing it since birth; you probably just never recognized it or called it by name. Your parents who raised you, friends, family, teachers and schoolmates, neighbors, family doctor, co-workers and people who help you make a selection for pet food at the pet store, work-out at the gym with you, call you for a ‘girlfriend lunch,’ or invite you to a ‘men’s night out’ poker game—these are all part of your Care Team, the people who help you get along with living.

So, you do know how to build a Care Team, even though you didn’t realize it when you were doing it. But now, faced with the complexities and complications of Caregiving, you sometimes forget that you already know how, and that support is already there.

You just have to expand it a little.

Building a Caregiver’s Care Team is just a little more intense than some of those earlier life experiences. It comes with its own set of unique challenges . . . and rewards. By the time you finish this book, you should be able to handle the challenges and appreciate the rewards. It’s really not rocket science. Building a Care Team is just a matter of knowing what you need and where to find it.

It’s a given that most all of us will give care or need care at some point in our lives. How you address that, from both sides of the fence—Caregiver or Careé (the person you are caring for)—is what determines the quality of life for you both, now and in the future.

What you are about to read here, and see in Bryce’s clever illustrations that accompany my text, presents all-too-familiar situations and relates stories that will be an “Oh Yeah!” Eureka moment for many of you.

So, as we go down this road together, let’s address some problems and obstacles you are facing now or may face further down the road. We’ll look at some real-life examples you can probably relate to and see how somebody managed them. I can’t give you all the answers, but I can make suggestions based on experience, that will point you in the right direction to find those people who can help you take care of yourself while you take care of someone else—Caregiving is a partnership; we must always keep that in mind.

You probably have heard someone say, “Life’s a bitch!” Well, it can be, but it can also be a blessing. I’m a blessing believer. I’ve learned that only you can determine how to live your life. Nobody can do it for you. One thing I do know for sure—when you’ve got a rough road ahead, a positive attitude makes all the difference! Read along with me here, and discover how to stay positive and turn that ‘bitch’ into a blessing.

Your Care Team is out there . . .waiting to help. Let’s go find it together.