Hope for the Caregiver

This show starting by sharing some hilarious moments of my parents who listen to the show on Alexa (Dad calls it "A LEXUS,").  We pivoted the show to point caregivers to tangible hope and referenced Lamentations 3:19-33.  We took quite a few calls and even discussed the new song by Gracie and Russ Taff that is available below.  Our phone lines lit up and we talked with a father of a special needs...

From Sept 8, 2019 HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER on Sirius XM's Family Talk Channel.  SUNDAYS AT 6 PM EASTERN 

Caller from Sunday's HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER on Sirius XM's Family Talk Channel shared how a tip from the show helped her recently.  Her ex-husband requires care, and she gave her son a respite in caring for him, but even through his dementia ...he still remembered to hate her. Able to laugh, while learning to "bite her tongue and like the taste of blood," she shared how a small tip (the Delta Doct...

Yes, she's had 80 surgeries and both legs amputated ...so you'd think horseback riding would be off limits for Gracie. She doesn't ride anymore (although she insists she will again!), but this hilarious moments reveals the biggest reason why! Listen to this clip from Hope for the Caregiver heard on Sunday 9/9/2019 on Sirius XM's Family Talk Channel (131) Sponsored by STANDING WITH HOPE

From HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER:  Sept 9, 2019   "I've Got To…," "I Need to…," "You Don't Understand, I Have To…." "It's My Obligation to …" These are all statements made by all caregivers at some point, and, sadly, all too frequently.  The feeling of obligation drives us to push ourselves to dangerous stress levels for our health, finances, and emotional stability.  The way we can push back is to rec...

Marlene in Indiana struggles as a caregiver for her husband who has lung cancer. Although she cares for her husband, she also helps take care of other family members. Marlene is living in the fear of tomorrow, next week, and next year. We helped point her back to today and a path towards help for her. How are YOU feeling?

The heart of a caregiver is often deeply troubled. This is why we do the show. We know that if we can speak to fear and chaos in our hearts, then it helps set the stage for the body to get healthier as well.  Not just the body, but the mind, the marriage, and the money. So many of our external challenges reflect an internal problem ...of the heart. Hope for the Caregiver is not just the name of my...

 Excerpt from HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER on American Family Radio: 8/24/2019 It's starting to dawn on a lot of us …some of who are newer to this, not so much, but a lot of us have that realization, "Man, this thing is not going to have the happy ending, it's not going to have the happy ending that we want, it's not going to get pretty. In fact, it's going to probably get worse." And what do you do wit...

TRANSCRIPT:   Alright, we're talking about resentment today, and a lot of folks deal with this issue. It is a brutal issue that affects caregivers; it cripples us; it really does. A lot of people think if I could just get so-and-so to stop acting this way, then I can be okay, and it's all going to be good. But the problem is not the person we're taking care of, the problem is ourselves, and it sta...

On 9/1/19, HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER expands to the Family Talk Channel (131) on Sirius XM. Sundays (starting 9/1/19) at 6 PM Eastern, we will be LIVE!   In addition, we're live each Saturday morning at 8 AM Eastern on American Family Radio.  Our mission is simple:  We're going to point family caregivers to safety.  Drawing upon more than three decades of experience, a whole lot of mistakes (I am the...

Portion of HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER Monologue 8/10   "...The whole point of this is to speak clarity to a caregiver so that we're not floundering around wondering, you know, where do we go next? What do we do? What's going on? And I go back to this whole thing with gun safety.  I think a lot of people rush to push their political ideology and very few people are rushing to push this in a ministry ca...

Statistically speaking, someone orbiting an impaired or hate-filled individual attends a church, temple, or mosque. Rather than waiting and debating over what to do, can we not appeal to our clergy who collectively interact and influence a massive number of citizens? While politicians and pundits speak to and from green screens and platforms, pastors speak to families in dire circumstances.  Paren...

HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER is broadcast LIVE each Saturday at 8 AM Eastern on American Family Radio.   Peter: Hank in Virginia. Hey Hank, how are you feeling?  Hank: Oh, I'm confused. My mother moved in here almost five years ago now. But then she died November 5th. Okay. My sisters all say I'm building castles in heaven because of what I did. But my problem is that now that she's gone, I feel incredi...

With a rampant drug culture and the disintegration of the family, more and more grandparents find themselves caregiving, parenting, and struggling with enabling as well as their own marriages and health.  Norma and her husband are a family in crisis. We discussed that while there's no solution ...there is a path. But it's not going to easy.  [Transcript] Peter:                 Norma in Indiana. No...

"The Obvious Often Becomes Obvious ...Just Before It Becomes Obvious." Susan from Memphis called the show to share her dilemma of caring for her mother from a long distance. With one brother pulling the yeoman's share of the load, resentment cropped into the family. Yet, Susan didn't quite know what to do. I asked, "Instead of helping your mother, how about helping your brother?" When helping a ca...

"I'm going to swerve into something today that I've been stewing on for a while ..." That's how we started the July 20, 2019 show, and we tackled families struggling with addiction (alcoholism). I said to a young man recently, "Honour thy father and thy mother.." (Exodus 12:20) DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO HONOR THE IMPAIRMENT! When dealing with an addiction issue, family members all too often (and s...

A show FOR caregivers. ABOUT caregivers.  HOSTED by a caregiver. With millions putting themselves between a vulnerable loved one and even worse disaster, the family caregiver continues to be an "at risk" individual. Not just physically and emotionally, but financial risk looms for caregivers, as well.  It's not enough to say,"take care of yourself."  Caregivers need require regular, specific, and...

One day, while flying to Atlanta on Delta Airlines, (Duh,Everything Leaves Through Atlanta), I discovered that flight attendants state the best advice for caregivers—all day long: "In the unlikely event of the loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling. Securely place your mask on first, before helping anyone next to you who may need assistance." That small directive, which I...

Watching someone suffer with chronic pain remains a heartbreaking reality for so many caregivers. As a spouse of a chronic pain sufferer ( Gracie's dealt with this for 36 years), I personally understand the frustration, despair, grief, and helplessness in watching a loved one suffer.  Laura called the show to share her difficulties as she watches her husband suffer. One of consistent challenges ca...

As anyone who's moved knows, things can get lost or misplaced in the process. In our recent move to Southwest Montana, my scattered mind led me to drop my debit card in the parking lot of a grocery store in Bozeman. (Granted, I've got all this head ...and so little brain, but I'd like to think that I can normally keep from hurling my debit card to the ground.) Meet the wonderful individual who fou...

From HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER the radio show June 30, 2019. Defending your faith ...to yourself.  Sometimes the challenges we faces as caregivers overwhelm us and we falter. While many of us know the words to say to others about faith, hope, and God, do we know what to say to our own hearts that are struggling? One of my favorite passages in Scripture is 1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distresse...

"Our Circumstances May Not Be Able to Change, But We Can Change."  - Mary Tutterow, The Heart of the Caregiver  Mary called the show to share her journey, insights, and her new book, The Heart of the Caregiver  Mary and her husband Winn have two adult children and live in Charleston, South Carolina. Their daughter, Mary Addison, has cognitive and physical challenges and an active seizure disorder....

Sandi Floria quickly moved  to intense concern when her 42-year-old husband repeatedly dropped the baby food while feeding their infant.  The puzzled look on his face signaled more than just clumsy hands, and she jumped into action  - because she understood warning signs of a stroke. Sandi called the show to share her story, their journey, and their ministry, Compassion Radio. Sandi's husband Bram...

From HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER air date June 6/22/2019 Special guest: Mary Tutterow. Mary and her husband Winn have two adult children and live in Charleston, South Carolina. Their daughter, Mary Addison, has cognitive and physical challenges and an active seizure disorder. They also cared for Winn's mother through cancer and dementia. A former anchorwoman and marketing executive, Mary now writes, sp...

We are thrilled to welcome HOME RULE as a sponsor on our North Carolina affiliates.  www.homerule.net "Care-taking is a full-time job. We believe that families should be able to access the benefits they are receiving. When you are understaffed, you lose that time: sleeping time, working time, family time, restoration time- YOUR time." Home Rule offers Skilled Nursing Services as well as Companion/...