The Midlife Squeeze

Episode Summary What happens when caring for an aging parent slowly takes over your life? Erica sits down with her mother, Ivett, an occupational therapist who has spent more than a decade caring for her own parents — first her mother, and now her father too, both living with dementia. Ivett shares how occasional visits became a demanding caregiving routine, the challenges of coordinating family s...

Episode Summary What happens when a family crisis reveals that your aging parents need more help than anyone realized? In this episode of The Midlife Squeeze, Erica sits down with estate planning and elder law attorney Kolleen Bannon to discuss the caregiving journey that began after her 86-year-old father suffered a serious fall in 2021. While her father recovered, Kolleen discovered that her mot...

Episode Summary What happens when you have a plan for aging parents, but life doesn’t go according to plan? Erica sits down with Brad to share his family’s caregiving journey after his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. As his father’s needs grew, Brad and his wife managed appointments, transportation, and daily care before realizing home care was no longer sustainable. Brad discusses...

Episode Summary What happens when caregiving has no finish line? In this episode of The Midlife Squeeze , Erica sits down with Jodi Coleman, a caregiver and author who has spent 18 years caring for her family. Jodi shares how premature twins and neurological diagnoses changed motherhood, then how her husband’s brain cancer suddenly made her the caregiver, financial decision-maker, and family ancho...

Episode Summary What happens when caregiving begins overnight? In this episode of The Midlife Squeeze, Erica sits down with her friend Kiesha to share Kiesha's unexpected journey of caring for her mother. Kiesha's life changed almost overnight when her mother experienced a brain injury that caused significant cognitive and physical changes. The woman who had once been her anchor suddenly needed ar...

Episode Summary What happens when you're raising children while caring for aging parents? In this first guest episode of The Midlife Squeeze , Erica sits down with her husband, Peter, to reflect on nearly 20 years of caregiving. Peter shares his experience balancing a career, raising two daughters, and caring for his mother with multiple sclerosis and his uncle with Parkinson's disease. They discu...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION Financial planner Erica shares the unexpected caregiving experience that changed how she thinks about family, money, and planning. What began as a drive to a medical appointment nearly ended with her being arrested, and became her first real glimpse into the realities of caregiving. In this introduction to The Midlife Squeeze, Erica explores what it means to be part of the sand...

Financial planner Erica shares the unexpected caregiving experience that changed how she thinks about family, money, and planning. What began as a drive to a medical appointment nearly ended with her being arrested — and became her first real glimpse into the realities of caregiving. In this introduction to The Midlife Squeeze, Erica explores what it means to be part of the sandwich generation: ra...