no. 13 - The Caregiver Episode

Nov 13, 2017

If you have days where you're not sure who needs your help more -- your kids or your parents, you know you're an unmillennial.

Today's episode of This Unmillennial Life scratches the surface on a topic that runs deep with both emotional responses and tactical requirements, the role of becoming caregiver to aging parents. For many unmillennials, but now is the time to begin the conversations around what our parents have planned (or not planned for) as they age and need additional help.

In the show I interview Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD as she shares a personal account of what it was like to transition to becoming the caregiver for her mother prior to her death. In the episode, Liz shares: 

• The events that led to her mom needing full-time care
• How she found services to support her mom's desire to stay at home
• The financial impact of in-home care
• The need to discuss wishes ahead of time
• Why people should get comfortable having the uncomfortable conversations
• How email and texts can take away some of the barriers to discussing these topics
• Resources she found helpful, including (affiliate link->) A Bittersweet Season and MindingOurElders.com.
• The importance of taking care of the caregiver

I wrap up this portion of the show by providing some additional resources I found online related to caring for an aging, and specifically note the valuable links available via the Caregiver Action Network.

To end the show, I discuss whether or not my distaste for mail and lack of commitment to sending cards is an unmillennial trait, a more-millennial phenomenon OR simply my own personal quirk. You be the judge and let me know what you think!

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Until next time,

~Regan

Never miss another episode! This Unmillennial Life is available each week via iTunes, NPROne and Libsyn.

This week’s episode is sponsored by HealthyAperture.com — the web’s first and only dietitian-curated recipe discovery site.

Musical support provided by Ben Williams at Kudzu Studio. Website support provided by Katy Widrick at MakeMediaOver.com. Additional support provided by Robin Plotkin of RobinsBite.com.