Making Space

When an older adult needs care, what happens to the family and the home at its center? For the individuals who shoulder the work, what emotional and practical costs come due?

In Making Space, Heather Carlile Carter and Jennifer Carlile-Bortz gather the voices of those living through it.

The book is built from first-person narratives, developed through qualitative research and organized around four thematic lenses: the emotional journeys of caregivers; the complications of strained family relationships; the transmission of legacy and inheritance; and the procedural orientations that help families move through daunting logistical demands. The accounts span caregiver burden, cognitive decline and dementia, collecting and hoarding disorder, and the storied objects that convey meaning across intergenerational relationships. Individual narratives and sections are self-contained and can be read independently, with no prior academic background assumed. Each section supports deeper engagement through learning objectives, key terms, discussion questions, and further activities.

These are intensely personal, often isolating experiences, increasingly woven into the life of every family; the book exists to remind readers that they do not walk this path alone. Ideal for students and faculty across gerontology, aging studies, social work, human-centered design, family studies, and counseling; practitioners working with older adults, from geriatric care managers to interior designers; and small-group learning contexts, including caregiver support groups and book clubs.