Elder Rage, or Take My Father... Please!

By: Jacqueline Marcell

Narrated by: Jacqueline Marcell

Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

Elder Rage is a Book-on-the-Month Club selection (a caregiving book first), receiving 500+ 5-Star Amazon Reviews, is required reading at numerous universities for courses in geriatric assessment and management, and considered for a film. It is a riveting, often LOL true story about Jacqueline Marcell's trials and tribulations managing the care of her challenging elderly father and sweet ailing mother. After fighting through the medical system and depleting her parents' life savings and much of her own, Marcell solved her eldercare nightmare medically, behaviorally, legally, financially, and emotionally-and shows you how you can too.

Elder Rage answers difficult questions such as how to get obstinate elders to: discuss long-term care options, accept cleaning and caregiving help, see different doctors, have medical tests, give up driving, attend adult day care, take medication, sleep, bathe and eat properly, move to a new residence, etc. - and teaches you how to manage stress, siblings, healthcare professionals, guilt, and grief.

Elder Rage has received 50+ prestigious endorsements including: Hugh Downs, Regis Philbin, Ed Asner, Jacqueline Bisset, John Bradshaw, Phyllis Diller, Duke University Center for Aging, Ken Dychtwald, Leeza Gibbons, Dr. John Gray, Mark Victor Hansen, Julie Harris, Institute for Successful Aging, Johns Hopkins Memory Clinic, Dr. Bernie Siegel, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Dr. Rudy Tanzi/Harvard Medical School, and the National Adult Day Services Association who bestowed their Media Award on Jacqueline for bringing attention to the value of adult day care. Read Endorsements and Reviews here: www.ElderRage.com/Review.asp

©2001 Impressive Press (P)2012 Jacqueline Marcell

Worthwhile to listen to.

The first part was quite depressing as it was so similar to what I've been through. The second part summarized how to manage what was encountered in the first part. The narrator presented the book very vividly There were some 'foul language', but it makes the book more realistic.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

thank goodness I (we're) not alone...

I found this book extremely useful because it helps me understand what we're going through with my parents... it's frustrating though because she has a lot more money than i do and we don't have long-term care insurance..we simply can't afford it.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I wanted to like this...

Since I'm facing some tough elder care decisions in my own life right now, I was really excited to listen to this book and gain some helpful insights. Instead what I got was hours of self-indulgent crap... constant infantile jokes, stupid movie references, bad singing, and a clearly-embellished story that could have been told in a couple of hours instead of a dozen.

If you're bored and you happen to find amateur hour at the local comedy club amusing, you might like this. If you're looking to actually understand issues related to elder care, I'd skip it.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Wonderful if you have a raging elderly parent w/de

I only rated overall 4 stars instead of 5 due to the incredible amount of cussing (the "F" word, etc.). If you're a Christian, this is not for you due to using the "G&D#@mnit" word often. Worth buying the book tho' just for the last chapter alone w/all her helpful hints. Great reading of book by the author! I wish all audible books were read so well! She ought to do it for a living! The author went thru horrific thing & kept going until answers were found. God bless her.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Must Read For Anyone Caring For An Aging Loved One

Aging is not a prospect many of us look forward to. When our beloved parents begin to decline in either their physical or mental health it reminds us of our own inevitable future. Unless a person is estranged from their family, chances are, they will play some role in the caring of one or both parents as their health becomes increasingly fragile. Personally my goal has always been to help my parents and in laws sail through their golden years with as much dignity and grace as possible. Unfortunately I never imagined how difficult that goal would be. I felt alone and isolated as I tried desperately to navigate the chaos that caring for my parents threw at me. Late one evening I stumbled across a review for Elder Rage. I almost passed on the book because rage had not been a concern. What a mistake that would have been! I nabbed the audio version and was surprised to discover the narrator was the author. Jacqueline's passion and humor shone through each spoken word. Her experience helped me gain insight on how to manage the care of my mother especially when medical personnel refused to acknowledge input from family members. It was comforting to know that I was not insane and other people had walked in my shoes. Jacqueline's experience as both someone who did hands on care-giving as well as long distance was very insightful. This book is a MUST READ for anyone whose parent's are entering the twilight of their lives.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Timely compelling story, be ready for theatrics

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Jacqueline Marcell has something for all of us who have elder caregiving roles. Her father's emotionally abusive behavior, which sounds incredibly bi-polar, really draws you in. She recounts the terrible time she had getting anyone to believe he could be so abusive and then extraordinary normal and charming (I think I yelled "flipcam! flipcam him!" at least a couple of times).
I know I would've enjoyed it more if Jacqueline had revealed her own self-discovery about a lifetime of enabling behavior, but it's hardly touched on. She gives a very theatrical read so take a listen to the sample first and see if you like it. The boomer pop culture references cascade non-stop and, as she says in the beginning, every incident gets it's own classic rock theme or motown theme song.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

IMMEDIATELY REVIVED MY SANITY

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

MANDATORY if I could. I have barely survived this care-giving, am only in the first week of my own arduous recovery as a result of these circumstances causing me a breakdown; which I thought my entire life was completely impossible. I was on top of the world before "care-giving" to the elderly parent began.

What did you like best about this story?

If your life is currently consumed by these circumstances this book is a luxury liner safety/life/rescue boat because it proves "all things are closer than they appear in the mirror; they are real, experienced by others like yourself; and YES the institutions are completely FAILING all the parties involved!!!. If you have dodged this bullet so far, you need to read this to understand the unimaginable turmoil and destruction these circumstances tally on the lives of many friends, family members, and co-workers. If THEY told you, you would think they were looney tunes.

Which character – as performed by Jacqueline Marcell – was your favorite?

There was NOTHING ABOUT CHARACTER role play here. This is about the cold, harsh, relentless, unforgiving, tragic reality of life.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Hell Bound - One System Failure at a Time!

Any additional comments?

I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHY ANYONE WOULD RATE THIS LESS THAN A 10, let alone less than a 5 **********

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Alzheimer's help...Here it is. Fun funny and true.

If you could sum up Elder Rage, or Take My Father... Please! in three words, what would they be?

Fun Helpful Real

What other book might you compare Elder Rage, or Take My Father... Please! to and why?

The Glass Castle, similar humor in the midst of a serious life challenge.

What does Jacqueline Marcell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I am thrilled that I got to hear it in her own voice. I'm sure that it added to her story because you can hear her re-living the events of her life with vivid emotion.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed aloud many times, cried a few times, and have already told 7 people to get it. I've also already written to, and heard back from J. Marcell

Any additional comments?

This was a can't put it down. I finished in 2 days and on day 3, restarted with my husband. I think everyone should hear this story because Alzheimer's is growing at an alarming rate, meaning we will deal with it or know someone else who is.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Many belly laughs

What made the experience of listening to Elder Rage, or Take My Father... Please! the most enjoyable?

I listened to this book on my commute to work. It was really funny - many times I laughed out loud and had to restrain myself.

Even though I don't have parents with demenia, and in fact they are still quite healthy, I am interested in how we manage our growing "ageing population".

87% of older people say they want to die in their homes. only 16% ever achieve that. How can we as a society support people stay in their homes longer?

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jackie has all the answers - and she has gone through a lot to get them. I hope her wisdom spreads wide and far.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Not Impressed

This book was not at all what I was looking for. The reader's constant references to pop culture got old after the first 10 minutes, and I didn't find them funny at all. In fact, I stopped listening half way through because I didn't enjoy hearing the constant nasty behavior and fighting between father and daughter. While I empathize with the pain that the author must have experienced, I found the book self-indulgent and not helpful at all re: caring for aging parents.