About Minding the Caregiver

 It is said that hindsight is 20/20. It’s difficult to see fully or clearly when we’re in the midst of a major life challenge or trauma. Caregiving was my lifelong challenge and soul mission. My apprenticeship began around age 19 and became fully evident when my first-born daughter was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in 2006. 

Coming of age while also caring for a parent enabled an entire catalog of life lessons and even deeper curiosities. Becoming a parent caregiver was a life and ass-kicker unlike any other. 

The steep lessons hidden in my own grief and sorrow were honored so that I could ensure I didn't unconsciously pass them on to my precious daughters. Dealing with my own childhood trauma and anxiety while being a caregiver is what led me to study psychology, counseling, and health education. Being an immigrant of sorts, I wanted to study people and how they lived. Fundamentally, I yearned to understand the whys and hows of our collective human journey because the entire time I was trying to make sense of my own.  

Minding the Caregiver takes these deep life lessons and the medicine that helped me and offers a comprehensive and heart-felt learning program for adults. The guide is structured like an old-fashioned “stand-and-deliver” and the journal supports the learner in moving through the inevitable invitations that are part of a family caregiver’s path. 

Caregiving touches every single human community and life. Community leaders and agencies can simultaneously support providers and build capacity in their communities that enable caring and connection for human flourishing. 

Mayra Porrata, M.Ed. 

mayra@solarapublishing.com