Hope for the Caregiver

"Many express difficulties in knowing how to help a caregiver, but most caregivers agree that it's not complicated. Sometimes it's just a bowl of soup and a kind word." - From - A MINUTE FOR CAREGIVERS - When Every Day Feels Like Monday.

What kind of relationship withstands the brutal onslaught of nearly four decades of medical trauma and 85+ operations? Well, ours has - but not because of us. In this episode, I share the origins of our relationship as Gracie and I recently celebrated our 37th anniversary. Despite the challenges, my goofiness, and my lack of abilities, God continues to sustain Gracie and me through "sickness and h...

Facing Our Giants Before the famous altercation with Goliath, when David expressed anger at the blasphemous giant, one of his embarrassed older brothers who camped at the battle scene furiously derided him. But King Saul heard about David, and astonishingly, the king allowed the teenager to fight Goliath. Saul even put his tunic and armor on him. Saul was tall, but David wasn't, and the king's arm...

Author Beth Marshall shares her journey through grief and how she remains "Uncrushed."  www.bethgmarshall.com   Beth Marshall is a freelance journalist, conference speaker, and author of Grief Survivor  and  A Time to Heal, a grief journal . After losing close family members, she began to journal through the difficult days of grief. As she wrote about her loved ones and started connecting with oth...

Harsh Judgment Interviewing a couple who raised two children with Huntington's disease (HD) on my program , they relayed a heartbreaking story where they stood before a judge who clearly didn't understand the nature of HD. After repeated arrests for shoplifting, violent behavior, and other issues, the judge commented from the bench that she felt this resulted from "bad parenting." Unable to addres...

Longtime friend, Dr. Dan Scott (Pastor, Counselor - and caregiver) called the program to discuss his new book,  Faith In The Age of AI - Christianity through the Looking Glass of Artificial Intelligence. 

If caregivers mapped out a decision tree for our daily lives, it would look like a forest. Each day we're faced with numerous choices—and most seem filled with unpleasant outcomes. Sometimes the decisions before us have a paralyzing effect, and we don't know what to do next. In those moments, we serve ourselves well to choose the next right thing as our action step. The big problems become more ap...

Before you make that appointment with a counselor, take a few moments and do these things. 

One of the toughest issues caregivers wrestle with - is guilt. In this episode, we discuss a path to deal with the guilt. 

Aggressive Assurance Chapter 3 During a recent medical event with my wife, she received significant time with the acute pain  management team. To my surprise, they engaged me, asked questions, and solicited my thoughts as Gracie's longtime caregiver. Recognizing that post-operative pain management with her is a bit of a trick, they listened as I shared numerous "incidents" from her long journey. ...

A listener shared her frustration, weariness, and burnout after years of caring for her husband following a traumatic brain injury. At sixty-eight, she expressed growing concern regarding her abilities—and his diminishing ones. "He's got a colostomy, ileostomy, and a host of other physical issues requiring full-time care—and I'm just exhausted. His mind is sharp, but his body is severely impaired,...

The word "Sustainability" is used extensively in regards to climate and energy  - but what about for caregivers and those who seek to help caregivers? 

Dr. Larry Frazier, author of  A Story Behind Every Hymn  joined the program to discuss his passion for telling the stories behind hymns. An outstanding vocalist (opera, oratorio, church music), Dr. Frazier also served as a professor of music at the University of West Georgia. His radio program, The Hymn of the Week , continues to inspire audiences with the rich heritage of Christian Hymns.  Dr. Fr...

One of the more challenging things that caregivers face is feeling disoriented. Caregiving hits are bodies, minds, emotions, professions, money, and relationships - often simultaneously.  We desperately need "situational awareness."   HopeForTheCaregiver.com

While many are accustomed to visiting or calling the elderly or infirmed - doing a welfare check - how many inquire about the caregiver? 

Lt. Col. Oliver North, USMC,  Ret. joined me for a special conversation about his life as a caregiver for his wife, Betsy. I sent the manuscript of my new book, A MINUTE FOR CAREGIVERS - When Every Day Feels Like Monday to Col. North's publishing company (Fidelis Publishing). The manuscript resonated deeply with Col. North - who is in his own difficult caregiving journey. He not only expressed a g...

"If you don't know what to say to a family caregiver, don't worry about it - I do. Give them this book."   

In our ongoing series of helping caregivers stay safe, we tackle fighting a battle while trying to be something we're not. Plus, we delve into five common financial missteps. 

Emily Boothroyd of Merrit Finacial Advisors ( www.merritfa.com ) called the program to share insights for caregivers when dealing with finances. eboothroyd@meritfa.com Sharing five things to avoid; two of them are: Staying silent Trying to do it all Listen to the whole conversation and feel free to reach out to Emily for any questions you may have. 

So ...you want to get remarried, and you're being asked to sign a prenup? Have you considered having this conversation? 

Practical tips on sharing your message on the air ...  

A note from a Hope for the Caregiver group on Facebook prompted this monologue from our broadcast. 

From the radio broadcast 04/22

Coming up with titles of books and articles that I write is never easy for me - here's how I came up with the title of my newest book and the celebrity that helped me. 

From April 15-2023