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Caregiving: Practical Advice from the Trenches is a new book self-published by two local authors which describes the healing journey from two perspectives: Rachel Oliver is a survivor who was hit by a car near Keady resulting in years of rehabilitation; subsequent to that she has had cancer. Mary Solomon is a retired physiotherapist with a special interest in Active Living and community re-engagement for individuals with disabilities. Their book will be launched at The Ginger Press at 7:00pm on Wednesday August 17.

Rachel and Mary met while Rachel was in rehabilitation at the Owen Sound Hospital and Mary was part of the team assigned to help with her recovery. They have remained friends and talked about doing this book together for many years. Both are convinced that the journeys of the survivor and the caregiver follow a series of recovery stages with two very different realities. For example, when the survivor is experiencing initial pain, confusion and shock, the caregiver can be overwhelmed with new responsibilities. Both need to identify and deal with their feelings and this book helps them to keep going.

Caregiving: Practical Advice from the Trenches offers useful tips for maintaining a successful healing journey for both survivor and caregiver. Designed also to be entertaining, it is illustrated throughout with Rachel's cartoons and drawings. Caregiving: Practical Advice from the Trenches by Rachel Oliver and Mary Solomon is a valuable resource for everyone involved in the healing journey including survivors receiving care and those professionals, family members and friends who are part of their healing journey.

Everyone is welcome to attend the launch to hear the authors' stories; autographed copies ($20) can be reserved at 376-4233.

source: media release, The Ginger Press