The Whole Care Network

When Debbie Howard returned home to care for her mother, she was expecting just the physical demands of caregiving. Instead, she was thrust into a situation that tested her emotional strength, resilience, and boundaries. But with a newfound respect for her mother's autonomy, Debbie discovered the power of dignity and empowerment in her mother's final days. What did Debbie learn, and how did it sha...

Barry Jacobs is a clinical psychologist, medical educator and writer fostering the well-being of families coping with serious and chronic medical illnesses.  Barry is the author of The Emotional survival Guide for Caregivers and co-authored with his wife Julia L Mayer, AARP Meditations for Caregivers and AARP Love and Meaning after 50 . Since 2013 he has been a blogger on family caregiving and rel...

This mini version of the Island Treasures Podcast for caregivers contains excerpts from the full-episode "Therapeutic Journaling Through Caregiving" which features Lori Lemasters, author of "You're A Caregiver, Not a Saint: Yeah, Write!" Lori is the founder of Care Partners Resource and Consulting and a certified Journal to the Self ® Therapeutic Writing Instructor and host of the Carethartic Conv...

In this episode, Sarah interviews author, Lynn Abate-Johnson, about her book and her caregiver's journey as she took care of her mother through a cancer battle. You can check out her book at: https://outoflovebook.mn.co/ ➡️ LynnAbateJohnsonBook.com

Amanda has definite thoughts here! Topics: overly chatty cashiers, shopping cart alternatives, improvement to Instacart, shopping gnomes, the Mandolorian, Google Maps, healthy eating, ideas for Easter for people who don’t celebrate Easter. Listen up and listen in! Music: "Super Familiar", "Electric Dean", "Plant's Hotel Hellevator" by Josh Wilson Familiar Wilsons Media produces content to bring pe...

My guest Nathan Kottkamp is the founder and chair of National Healthcare Decisions, which highlights the importance of advance care planning. National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is an annual day recognized as a day to talk about advance care planning. My guest Nathan Kottkamp is the founder and chair of National Healthcare Decisions, which highlights the importance of advance care planning. H...

Despite growing up in a family where relationships and love were of utmost importance, Amy Goyer never expected her life to take the path of a caregiver. But through her journey, she prioritized self-care and mental health and empowered herself to provide compassionate and empathetic care for her loved ones. Little did she know this choice would lead her to an unexpected twist. In this episode, yo...

Lori Ramos Lemasters shares how she relied on therapeutic writing as one of her coping strategies through her 8-year caregiving journey. Lori was caregiving for her mom who had suffered a massive stroke, and that meant Lori also took on caregiving responsibilities that her mom had been shouldering for Lori's step-dad who was on dialysis for three of those 8 years. And to do this Lori didn't hesita...

Sue Ryan has been in roles of family caregiving for more than 40 years. Her mission is to empower individuals to maximize and accept the potential opportunities that change will bring. Sue moved from feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and yes - sometimes frightened - to confident, balanced, and supported, navigating the transitions in her life, her care receivers, and those who support them on their...

The Wilsons do a lot of traveling by car and so, naturally, have ways to make it better. Listen up and listen in! Music: "Super Familiar" by Josh Wilson  "Bullhog" by AJCW "Made of Aluminum" by Dan Belson and Josh Wilson Familiar Wilsons Media produces content to bring people together. We are curious, hopeful, and try not to take ourselves too seriously - admittedly, with varying degrees of succes...

Certified Caregiver Consultant Elizabeth Miller is helping other caregivers figure out how to stay healthy while juggling caregiving responsibilities. Elizabeth describes herself as a life-long caregiver, a sandwich caregiver, as well as a hands-on and remote caregiver. During the years she spent caring for her parents, Elizabeth learned her own caregiving style. She’s a huge fan of proactive self...

In a race against time, JJ, Natalie, and Emilie fight to overcome stigmas, regulations, and rejection to secure a caregiving community for their mom, in order to ensure she receives the best care. "Everyone deserves equal care - be an advocate and fight for what is best for your loved one." JJ, Natalie, and Emilie are three sisters who have experienced the difficult journey of placing their mom in...

JJ, Natalie, and Emilie are sisters who have provided caregiving, either local or long-distance, to their mother since 2011. After a medical crisis in 2019, they realized that their mother could no longer live independently and have since been on a caregiving rollercoaster, having moved their mother five separate times in four years.  The sisters never expected to be caregivers for their mother, b...

Podcaster, caregiver, and advocate Savina Makalena is sharing what she’s learned as a family caregiver.  Savina is the host of the Caring Caregiver podcast and a personal caregiver for her mom. Savy is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Gimme A Break, a non-profit organization whose mission is to care for caregivers by giving them an emotional and physical break as well as resources for th...

The Wilsons address the various problems and pitfalls that marrieds encounter...and perhaps this episode hits too close to the bone for Josh? Plus our 2nd listener question and another brilliant project from Wilson Technologies. Music: "Super Familiar", "Electric Dean", "Santa Nah" by Josh Wilson.  Familiar Wilsons Media produces content to bring people together. We are curious, hopeful, and try n...

Nicole Will was 15 years old when her grandma came to live with her family, which marked the beginning of many changes in her life. As her teenage years progressed, Nicole's mom was pulled in many directions between taking care of her children and her mother. Nicole had to work through complicated emotions as she experienced her mom's attention being divided between loved ones. These same emotions...

Cameron Huddleston’s personal and professional lives collided when her mother was diagnosed at age 65 with Alzheimer's Disease. She was 35 and mother of two young daughters, with a son added later in the journey! Because her mom was living on her own and Cameron lived closest, she stepped into the role of caregiver.  For the first two years after the diagnosis, her mother continued to live indepen...

For our 70th episode, we spoke with the very irrepressible  Ellen Belk , a domestic educator and Silver Living strategist, with a refreshing "call it as she sees it" style that leaves a lasting impression on anyone who works with.  company founder of the  K.I.M. Academy (Keep In Mind)  - An online Dementia Education platform to serve both professionals & families with on-demand, interactive le...

Rupert Callender identifies as a radical undertaker. He’s changing funeral services, one personal experience at a time. Rupert was moved to become an undertaker through his experience of bereavement and its aftermath. He spent much of his childhood in the hospice where his mother worked, and the caring humanistic philosophy of the hospice movement is central to his work. He opened The Green Funera...

This is a bonus episode of Daughterhood The Podcast. At Daughterhood, we hear your challenges in navigating the healthcare system and how it can be both frustrating and disheartening.  In each of these bonus episodes, I have the pleasure of speaking with Daughterhood Founder Anne Tumlinson where we will bring the caregiving conversation to a different level with change leaders and policy experts. ...

Most people run away from the topics of death and dying but Registered Nurse and family caregiver Barbara Karnes runs toward it. She’s a quoted expert in many national media publications and has been awarded the NHPCO Innovator award for her decades as an end-of-life educator. She is a pioneer in the hospice industry and the author of what is referred to as “the little blue hospice book”.  In this...

The Wilsons solve the various difficulties that we have as we try to stay clean and fresh. Plus an update from Wilson Technologies and we answer our first listener question. Music: "Super Familiar", "When James Dean Decided to (Run for President of the United States of America)", "Kiss Ur Soul" by Josh Wilson and "Made of Aluminum" by Dan Belson and Josh Wilson.  Unscrew It Up is a part of The Who...

UNSCREW IT UP - NEW PODCAST JOINING THE WHOLE CARE NETWORK! The Wilsons solve the various difficulties that we have as we try to stay clean and fresh. Plus an update from Wilson Technologies and we answer our first listener question. Music: "Super Familiar", "When James Dean Decided to (Run for President of the United States of America)", "Kiss Ur Soul" by Josh Wilson and "Made of Aluminum" by Dan...

Cindy Weinstein is an English professor at the California Institute of Technology and the author of the award-winning Finding the Right Words: A Story of Literature, Grief, and the Brain , based on her experience with her father's early onset Alzheimer's in the 1980's. During her father's illness she was a graduate student at the University of California at Berkley, separated from her family in Fl...

Chris MacLellan is making meaning from his experience as the primary caregiver for his life partner Richard. Chris and Richard’s story was featured in the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-nominated 3-part story, “In Sickness and In Health: A Couple’s Final Journey,” which told their journey of caregiving. The story told of the challenges LGBT partners have in dealing with the medical and legal system, but it a...