The time, energy, and money that is involved with caregiving can often mean that hobbies a caregiver used to enjoy are no longer available to them. In this episode, Allison and Justin talk about hobbies they used to have, ones that are new since becoming caregivers, and ones that have been adapted. Also included are clips and quotes from caregivers of all kinds who submitted their thoughts on this topic.
Rodolfo Nieto cares for his wife, Clare, who has struggled with both Dissociative Identity Disorder and Pancreatitis. In this episode, he shares what it's like to care for both her mental and physical health needs, what that's meant for their relationship, and the impact it's had on his life.
Oncologist Dr. Arjun Gupta’s team has coined the term “time toxicity,”which refers to the significant time investment required for cancer patients and their caregivers to undergo cancer treatment and related activities. In this episode, he talks with Allison and Justin about how he came to be invested in the needs of caregivers and what his team has learned and hopes to accomplish with their research on time toxicity. Note: while Dr. Gupta’s research focuses on cancer patients and caregivers, his learnings transfer to many if not all types of caregivers.
Many caregivers end up caring for not just one, but multiple family members, often concurrently. In this episode, Justin and Allison discuss how and why this happens, the impact this can have on caregivers, the boundaries that can be established, and the adaptations that can be made, as well as how supporters can help.
When going through the challenges of caregiving, it’s common for caregivers to struggle to find a safe place to vent. Caregivers may hesitate to share with their loved one, friends may not get it, and some are worried to burden other caregivers with their hard things. Despite all of this, not venting isn’t an option. In this episode, Allison and Justin discuss all of this as well as strategies for both caregivers and supporters.
Trauma-informed yoga therapist, Jacqueline Vlietstra talks with Justin and Allison about the basics of nervous system regulation, how short and long-term caregiving impacts our nervous systems, and ways in which caregivers can find wellbeing in the midst of it all.
As caregivers, it can feel as if our loved one’s health is in the driver’s seat and that there are few parts of our lives over which we have control. In this episode, Allison and Justin share ways in which they have been maintaining or taking back their agency in various aspects of their lives and how supporters can help.
Internet friends who had bonded over caregiving, Justin and Allison set out to record six episodes of a podcast in early 2020. In this, their 100th episode, they look back at how far they’ve come, favorite moments along the way, the impact this podcast has had on them, and what they hope for next as well as listen to messages sent in from listeners.
Becoming a caregiver can happen at any age, and while there are some universal truths, the age and stage of life that a person is in when this occurs can impact the way this feels and unfolds. In this episode, Allison (44) and Justin (42) talk with Ella Whitlecroft (23), Glenn Nishida (65), and Harriette Manis (74) about how the age and place in life they were in when they began caregiving played a role in their life decisions, finances, education, employment, and relationships.
There are people in our lives who, because of biology or proximity, we would expect to show up for us in our times of need, and it can be especially painful when they don’t. In this episode, Justin and Allison talk about the grief and disappointment when people close to us don’t show up, but also the beauty when other, less expected connections, do.