In this episode Debbie shares her 40-year journey as a caregiver, beginning with her nursing career inspired by her father’s advice. After retiring in 2016, she remarried her former husband, who had a family history of Alzheimer’s, presenting new challenges as his cognitive health declined.
Join Shelly and caregiving expert Denise Brown as they discuss the challenges of caregiving, emotional support, and new Medicare resources for caregivers.
Allison, a caregiver for her husband Sean, recounts their 14-year journey navigating his diagnosis of Fanconi anemia, subsequent bone marrow transplant, and complications such as graft versus host disease.
Jen, the founder of Kindfulness Coaching, offers her insights on managing stress based on her social work background and personal experiences with burnout.
The conversation emphasizes the shared experiences among caregivers, recognizing the predominance of women in these roles while acknowledging commonalities across different conditions. We advocate for balancing caregiving responsibilities with personal well-being and adapting to new realities instead of longing for the past.
Traditional self-care advice felt irrelevant until the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Jeanette to seek therapy, revealing her sense of unworthiness for self-care. This realization led her to develop personal strategies for managing her needs and recognizing her worth.
“On My Way Back to You” by Sarah Cart details her journey as a caregiver for her partner Ben, who suffers from systemic sclerosis. Ben’s declining health led to significant weight loss, heart complications, and eventually a heart transplant.
Cynthia Lim is the author of Wherever You Are: A Memoir of Love, Marriage, and Brain Injury, about her journey as a caregiver for her disabled husband. It’s the story of re-envisioning life with disability and discovering the real truth of love and marriage.
Wes launched Rare Patient Voice, which is based on a novel approach to building a market research panel that enables patients and caregivers to share their voices with researchers and companies developing products to improve patients’ lives.
I appreciate my friend Harry Styron’s candid words and his reaching out to be a guest on the podcast. It was a heartfelt and poignant conversation about the reality of caregiving for spouses with Alzheimer’s.