This Caregiver Life ™

We’re back. And we took our time. After a long pause and a lot of life, this new episode of  This Caregiver Life  is about what it really feels like to live with pressure as a caregiver and why we’re officially over big New Year’s resolutions. We discuss the changing seasons of caregiving, the weight that accumulates over time, and why “I’m okay” can be a complete and honest sentence. This episode...

In this episode, Jenn and Mar dive into the realities of the “Flex Life,” exploring the constant need to adjust and adapt to the demands of caregiving, often at a moment's notice. They discuss how these quick pivots impact their day-to-day lives, emotions, and personal goals. Join us as we unpack the unique resilience required in a caregiver’s journey.

In this episode, we are sharing all the feels about #thiscaregiverlife. From gladiolas, to grace, and even guilt, Mar and Jenn share the ups and downs of caregiving. Key takeaways: plan your rest time, allow yourself to be flexible (it’s okay, really), and use your back burner when plans need to change. Read Anne Lemott’s “Bird by Bird”: https://amzn.to/4cangDX. Try the Ozlo Sleep Buds: https://am...

Hello! We had hoped to drop a podcast every month this year. We started strong until we hit February. Sound familiar caregivers? We did record this one, technically, in February. It's taken a few days to get back to writing show notes and publishing. In this podcast we focus on eating well. It's an overall way of caring for ourselves every day. Eating nutritious meals and snacks has a way...

Jenn and Mar welcome in 2024 with a new podcast episode! In "Give Your Mind a Rest" they chat about the usefulness of developing a meditation mindfulness practice. Food meditation is one of their favorites because, you know, why not. Food is a source of joy at times, so why not incorporate it into your daily practice? There are a variety of meditation practices to employ. It is our hope...

Mar & Jenn are excited to reconnect with you. We have all new episodes coming for 2024, but of course our episodes are always evergreen. We look forward to hearing from you on our social media pages on Facebook and LinkedIn. Please let us know what’s important to you as you live This Caregiver Life.

As we near the end of 2023 Mar gives a quick update and a look ahead to 2024. We look forward to posting more episodes in 2024. As always we hope to hear from our listeners on ideas for future content, questions they may have, and thoughts they'd like to share. Our Facebook page can be found here: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/thiscaregiverlife⁠ Mary's email: maryhahnward@gmail.com Jenn’s email: jenni...

In this episode, we chat about good sleep, good maintenance tips for caregiving, and ways we have learned to cope with all things caregiving. Interested in a Meditation Mouse? Find one for yourself here: https://amzn.to/3J19dVl https://amzn.to/3J19dVl Coming soon: Navigating the NICU Jenn explores tiny miracles of life inside the hospital's most precious, and sometimes scariest, ward: the NICU...

Are you a caregiver looking for meaningful employment? Is your company making room at the table for caregivers? In this episode, we discuss the challenges caregivers face in the workplace, how employers can support caregiving employees, and the many assets caregivers have that can add to, not take away from, a company’s culture and productivity. Our guest is Sharon Grassi, a caregiver who has expe...

Jenn and Mar take a deep dive into caregiver burnout and distrust. Between them, they have 50 years of caregiving. Over the years they have had their emotional, and physical, ups and downs as caregivers. They have had, and still have, periods of burnout. Burnouts are more quickly resolved now than in years past. They talk about essential coping strategies that have shortened burnout periods and ha...

Dr. Naomi Baum joins Mary and Jenn to talk in-depth about resiliency. Self-care is an overused phrase today. It's so common that it's easy to overlook its value and to be intentional about it. The same can be said for resiliency. The term, the concept, is used frequently though not necessarily effectively. Dr. Baum breaks it down for us. Dr. Baum is a psychologist and resiliency expert. Over the l...

Jenn and Mar took some time off to tend to their gardens. They each have two gardens. One is where they grow their indoor and outdoor plants. They share the ways in which gardening, toiling in the soil, has positively impacted their mental health and how it lends itself to mindfulness. It helps to lighten the load. It took Mar quite a while to embrace gardening, she wasn't an easy convert...feel f...

We're so excited to have Theresa Coomer join us for this episode in celebration of #MilitaryCaregiverMonth. You may remember we read an excerpt of Theresa's writing during episode 63. She's a mother, educator, caregiver, and author of the blog "Peanut Butter in My Purse, Vitamin C in My Pocket".  Theresa is an example of a caregiver who knows she has limits, but also knows she can set them super h...

What keeps you up at night? In this episode of #thiscaregiverlife we explore insomnia related to caregiving, tactics to help you cope, and resources you may find useful. We also read an excerpt of writing from caregiver and listener, Theresa Coomer. Read Theresa's blog, Peanut Butter in My Purse and Vitamin C in My Pocket : https://coomercaregiving.blogspot.com/ . If you're like a lot of caregiver...

We all know how important it is for caregivers to focus on themselves. In this episode, Mar and Jenn discuss the powerful impact writing can have in the life of a caregiver. From journaling in a notebook to poetry and novels, caregivers everywhere are discovering the healing power of writing. Learn about writing prompts, which we will share in upcoming episodes and on social media.  Want to d...

After receiving an Alexa Echo Show for Christmas, Jenn found there were a number of tools that for caregivers and their loved ones, including the Care Hub . This free feature of Alexa-enabled devices works with the Alexa App and allows caregivers to remotely check in on care recipients. With an Echo device at your loved one's home and the Alexa app on your phone, you can see if they are being acti...

Join us to celebrate our 60th episode and two years of podcasting. Mar and Jenn are thankful for your support and to everyone who has shared this podcast to help other caregivers get through this caregiver life.  If you are an author and would like your book considered for review on a future podcast, please see our website for submission details.  Do you care for a loved one with Alzheim...

Our guests in this episode are Melissa Johnson and Melissa Comeau with the American Red Cross Military and Veteran Caregiver Network (MVCN).  Melissa Johnson's husband is a combat veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm and was wounded in Iraq in 2006, leaving him with traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and blindness. Melissa reflects on the past 15 years of caregivi...

Well, we made it to the end of 2020. What will 2021 look like? Who knows, but what we do know is that we will move forward with deliberate actions to make a difference.  We wrap up the year with a reflection on our phenomenal growth. Thank you to our listeners around the globe, including those in the UK, Canada, Ireland, India, and Jamaica! This year we published over 1200 minutes of content...

Author and Caregiver Denise Brown is our guest for this episode of This Caregiver Life . After nearly 25 years running an online caregiving platform, really the first of its kind, Denise launched Through The Caregiving Years Training Academy in April of 2020, Denise offers training and leadership development opportunities for family caregivers and former family caregivers. Denise is currently...

To kick off National Caregiver Month Megan Swanson joined us as our guest. Megan is the caregiver to her husband, Matt, a veteran, and the mom of three young boys. Megan is learning to find time for her mind and body this past year. She is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree and is actively engaging her body with kickboxing. In fact, when we chatted with Megan she had just returned from a kickbo...

"When I'm 64" is a brand new podcast by the Stanford Center on Longevity , and in this episode, Mar and Jenn chat with the show host, Ken Stern. Ken's worn many hats during his career, including 10 years at NPR where he was CEO. He's also an author, family man, and these days, a podcaster. "When I'm 64" explores topics from Altzheimers to caregiving in your 20s, and also features celebrity intervi...

We LOVE International Podcast Day ! Many podcasters are broadcasting live on September 30th International Podcast Day but since Jenn and Mar are super busy with all of the living life things like working, caregiving, self care, etc they did a special record! self-care. We love podcasting, it's that simple. It's one of the best endeavors we have ever involved ourselves in. Every single time we reco...

Did you know there's an app that helps family and friends stay connected while caring for a loved one? Yep, there sure is. And best of all, it's FREE! During this episode, Mar and Jenn chat with  Mike Eidsaune, Founder and CEO of Carely, Inc. The Carely brand includes a free app for caregivers and a platform tool for care providers as well as the vast library of resources found at Caregiving....

Join us for a candid conversation about veterans, their caregivers, and suicide. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and a subject Mar and Jenn are passionate about supporting. Our country is facing a mental health crisis that has only worsened in the wake of a global pandemic. Suicide is a tough and complex issue, but seeing how you can do your part in helping yourself and those arou...