Hope for the Caregiver

Hope for the Caregiver on American Family Radio   March 16, 2019

What if instead of shelling out hefty fees for a few days of legal help, you paid a monthly membership and got a law firm for life? Well, we're taking legal representation and making some revisions—in the form of accessible, affordable, full-service coverage. Finally, you can live life knowing you have a lawyer in your back pocket who, at the same time, isn't emptying it. Michele Shulman of the Na...

From Hope for the Caregiver radio show.  

On this show, we led off with Paul's exhortation about anxiety.  For caregivers, this verse - while admittedly challenging - is particularly important to us in calming ourselves down in the daily grind of caregiving.    "... do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses...

A woman struggling with her needy husband while she cared for her mother ...posted her frustration online in a Facebook group. The "advice" she got from members ...appalled me, so I weighed in to the discussion. Nancy from Jacksonville called in response to what I told this woman ...and we had a lovely spirited discussion about it! This and more from 02/24/2019

Has the world pulled you away from God by enticing you to believe that others have the answers that will bring you happiness -- the perfect mate, financial success, a flawless body, drama-free home, and much more? God is calling you back and to seek Him, His word, and His promises that will fulfill your life -- Truth!  I Seek Truth  is an intimate journey that teaches the reader to study God's Wor...

 Tom called when he heard me reference Russ and Tori Taff's movie, "I STILL BELIEVE." He wants to refer it to a family struggling with alcoholism.   Click to listen to my interview with Tori Taff. https://hopeforthecaregiver.podbean.com/e/tori-taff-talks-about-her-journey-with-russ-and-the-movie-i-still-believe/  

Alcoholism is often referred to as "...the only disease that convinces you that you don't have it." Our first caller, Eric, demonstrated that axiom ...perfectly.  So much so, that it never registered to him how his disease affects his wife.  Amos demonstrated the importance of seeing a professional following the loss of a caregiver's loved one. Mary needed her husband to step up ...but was afraid...

Holidays can be difficult for so many caregivers.  Valentine's Day is one that brings an even deeper pain for caregivers of an impaired loved one who no longer recognizes them or can participate in the relationship.   In our show' s  "Caregiver Tip of the Day" segment sponsored by AARP of TN, here is a way that those caregivers can honor that special love. 

A pastor called the show to talk about his mother-in-law's declining health and her spiritual condition, but the conversation quickly returned to him better caring for his wife by tackling the laundry, cooking, and cleaning.    1. Washing clothes (with fabric softener, bleach or color-guard detergents) is not that complicated. Separating clothes by color doesn't require much training and practice....

All too many caregivers judge themselves without mercy - all we see are our mistakes. But if we're going to judge ourselves (and I don't recommend that we do), let's at least judge ourselves fairly.  That means if we berate ourselves for our performance record ...then we need to also judge ourselves by our attendance record - which is flawless.  We keep showing up. Now, once we've established that...

Elizabeth Miller of HappyHealthyCaregiver.com @HHCaregiver Discussing her journey and her work to help family caregivers.  Also, check out the Caregiving Conference in Nov.  https://www.caregiving.com/ncc19/  

From our radio show. Features Caregiver Tip of the Day Today's Senior Moment The Count of Mighty Disco, John Butler Special Guest:  Elizabeth Miller of HappyHealthyCaregiver.com @HHCaregiver Discussing her journey and her work to help family caregivers.  Also, check out the Caregiving Conference in Nov.  https://www.caregiving.com/ncc19/    

Hope for the Caregiver broadcast February 2-2019.     Text from Peter's Blog at www.hopeforthecaregiver.com   From one geographical extreme to another, American state assemblies strode into the viability and quality of life issue in groundbreaking ways during January. Starting with Hawaii's new Our Choice Our Care Act launched on January 1, 2019, medically-assisted death marched closer to being co...

Noise bombards us every day.  From 24-hour cables news, to traffic, to our mobile devices, we are inundated with a wall of noise that seems to keep so many of us in a state of agitation.  For Caregivers, taking a moment to sit quietly and settle our hearts down …seems nearly impossible …but it's critical for us to just that. You see, if we don't take time for stillness …we're going to have to make...

Seven years ago, Standing With Hope launched a program - the only one of it's kind in the world - where inmates helped disassemble donated used prosthetic limbs in order to recycle the parts . Standing With Hope is the presenting sponsor of HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER.  Founded by Gracie and Peter Rosenberger, Standing With Hope has two program areas: A prosthetic limb outreach to amputees in Ghana, We...

Callers to the show shared their heartache, fear, and despair in trying to serve as caregivers ...while simultaneously dealing with the trauma and ravages of a family member with addiction. Sometimes, law enforcement is required for the safety of the caregiver ...and these women are in danger.  Sarah also called in ...and wait until you hear her story of how she made brutal choices, but kept herse...

Callers shared with the show (HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER) to share their struggles with resentment . All too often, caregivers find themselves in the downward and destructive spiral of resentment-not always at their loved ones. Sometimes it can be at family and friends who don't help they way the could (or should) Sometimes, it can be at medical personnel. It can be at themselves ...or at God. Brought...

All too many caregivers struggle with resentment. In this show, we took on the topic of resentment ...and our callers shared their stories and challenges. Leading off with a vivid picture of my best friend and I cleaning a pig barn at age 14, we discuss how God uses suffering and challenges to clean off the gunk built up on our hearts. Ah yes, growing up in rural South Carolina provide me many opp...

We caregivers often find ourselves lost in the "Caregiver FOG." (Fear, Obligation, Guilt).  This caller to the show struggled with the obligation issue. One of the easiest ways to tell that is the language used:  "I have to, I must, I'm supposed to, I'm stuck with it." He wanted a checklist to help him do the minimal for his mother ...but I instead focused on the heart issues that seemed to lead h...

"Addiction is a chronic disease. Where there's a chronic disease, there's a caregiver ...a caregiver in need of their own recovery." - Peter Rosenberger Dr. Stephen Loyd, the medical director for JOURNEY PURE called the show to discuss caregivers and their loved ones battling addiction.  From his own journey through addiction to serving as Tennessee's director for Substance Abuse Services, Dr. Ste...

Tracie called the show to express her broken heart over her daughter with a drug addiction.  Addiction is a chronic disease.  Where there is a chronic disease, there's a caregiver.  On this call, I asked Tracie to consider a 12- step recovery program for family members of addicts and alcoholics.  She referenced attending one years ago if saving her father from alcoholism and that it failed ...so s...

A special guest, Charlene, shared her journey with her husband who lived with MS. A few years ago, someone put a copy of my book, HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER in her hands, and Charlene read a chapter each day.  Finishing the book, she started it over and repeated the process many times.  What happened after that, however, brought me to tears as she shared a powerful moment in their life together ...and...

During seasons of joy and happiness, many caregivers feel the opposite. Even if attending church is possible, many feel isolated ...even on a crowded pew. The relentless challenges facing so many caregivers often leads them to hang their heads while others jubilantly belt out hymns. That's why HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER exists.  That's why we do the show. We speak fluent caregiver and bring a lifetime...

Hope for the Caregiver is the national radio show hosted by Peter Rosenberger - author/speaker and 30+ year caregiver for his wife, Gracie.