This Caregiver Life ™

In this podcast, Let's Talk Intimacy , Jen Ransil joined us for an open conversation regarding intimacy and disabilities for couples. Jen is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Pennsylvania; Adjunct Professor, Human Development and Family Science, Messiah College and Adjunct Professor, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Evangelical Theological Seminary.  When Jen is not teaching she...

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month . In this episode of This Caregiver Life, we are joined by health scientist Roxana E. Delgado, Ph. D., a national advocate and the wife of Sergeant First Class retired Victor L. Medina, MRC, CRC, a combat-wounded, Purple Heart Recipient veteran. She assumed the caregiving role, which has inspired her advocacy work and career path. With over a decade of experie...

Jenn and Mar catch up with one another for the first time in a few weeks. Jenn had the flu. Mar had surgery.  Proving once again as much as caregivers often seem to be able to do it all, they, too, are human beings subject to illness and the demise of body parts. They were both caregivers DOWN the last few weeks. They are on the mend and looking forward to a yearful of interesting and engagin...

On December 21, 2004, a suicide bomber attacked a military dining facility in Mosul, Iraq. Hundreds of service members were having lunch at the time, including Jenn’s younger brother James, an 20-year old Army Specialist serving with the Deuce Four Stryker Combat Brigade. In total, 14 U.S. soldiers were killed along with 4 U.S. civilian employees of Halliburton, and 4 Iraqi soldiers. Another 72 pe...

Shawn Moore, a caregiver to her husband, and founder of "Caregivers on the Homefront" talks about the importance of caregivers remembering who they are, and the ways in which she has navigated the holidays in recent years.  Visit us on social media: facebook.com/thiscaregiverlife twitter.com/thiscaregiver www.thiscaregiverlife.com

Tara's husband, Todd, was wounded in Afghanistan. Two of the men Todd was serving with, who were dear friends of both Todd and Tara, died in battle, on the day Todd was injured. It also happened to be Tara and Todd's anniversary. Tara shares how they changed things up so as to continue to honor the men that lost their lives on the day they died while celebrating their love and life commitment to o...

Roxana Delgado joins us for a conversation about reducing stress and letting it go. Roxana cares for her husband, Victor, a veteran who sustained a traumatic brain injury while deployed.  Visit us on social media: facebook.com/thiscaregiverlife twitter.com/thiscaregiver www.thiscaregiverlife.com

Caregiver, Lara Garey, loves the holidays. She shares that over the years, traditions evolved that her family loves. When her husband was diagnosed with ALS she created new ones, like an upside Christmas tree, to help them lovingly hold onto the memories of those traditions pre-disease.  Visit us on social media: facebook.com/thiscaregiverlife twitter.com/thiscaregiver www.thiscaregiverlife.c...

Brian Vines, a veteran, joins us for a frank conversation regarding the holidays and caregiving. He shares insights on how he has cared for his wife, wounded veteran, while also having his mother living with them for a period of time.  It would seem that there are not nearly as many male caregivers as females. Brian helps dispel that myth when he shares that at least 40% of caregivers are mal...

Colleen believes building a good team with family, healthcare providers, and community is highly important in helping her to be the best caregiver possible for her care recipient, her husband. We couldn't agree more.  Visit us on social media: facebook.com/thiscaregiverlife twitter.com/thiscaregiver www.thiscaregiverlife.com

Jenn shares her recent experience as a panelist on Politico’s program “Caring on the Homefront” . On October 17, 2019, Politico hosted a panel discussion on improving policies that could help military/veteran caregivers. Jennifer was joined on the panel by Lisa Pape Deputy Chief Patient Care Services, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Terri Tanielian Senior Behavioral Scientist, RAND Corporatio...

Lindsay Jurist-Rosner is the CEO of Wellthy, Inc. based in New York City. Wellthy is helping the 66 million Americans who care for aging, chronically ill and disabled loved ones. With Wellthy, Lindsay is building the company she needed throughout the 28-years of caring for her mother. Prior to founding Wellthy in 2014, Lindsay was in the advertising technology and media industries with functional...

Meet Lisa who balances her growing career with caregiving for her husband. Lisa shares insight into how she makes it all work, and how any can keep moving forward in their life, despite setbacks. We also learn about 2nd.md. They connect clients with board-certified, leading doctors across the country for an expert second opinion via video or phone within 3 to 5 days. the best part is their Care Te...

In this episode, Denise Albea shares with us the journey she has been on caring for her dad and how she has found help along the way. Her dad has Parkinson's Disease and attends a program, Elderhaus, for people who are 55 years old and up. Elderhaus is a program that provides community and home-based care. Season 2 is focused on help: getting help, asking for help, accepting help, offering help. W...

Jenn and Mar share their recent experience preparing for Hurricane Dorian, as well as, the focus of the second season of "This Caregiver Life".  Please follow us on our social media platforms. Have something you want to share with us? Leave us a message! If you like us please give us a 5-star rating!  Visit us on social media: facebook.com/thiscaregiverlife twitter.com/thiscaregiver www....

This episode is a rebroadcast of our companion podcast, Sarcasm Sisters. We relive Mar’s experience preparing for an enduring Hurricane Florence. Caregivers will find tips and suggestions when preparing for natural disasters themselves, and anyone can learn how to support caregivers during stressful times. Thanks for listening.  Visit us on social media: facebook.com/thiscaregiverlife twitter...

Marjorie Pennington, author of "Bring Home the War: The Life of a Military Caregiver", joined us for an in-depth conversation about being a military caregiver to her husband. "Bringing Home the War" is a powerful story of faith, and commitment.  Marjorie says this: "This book is the culmination of a long journey. It wasn't a journey my husband or I can say we chose, but rather it was one that...

 Jean Montjoy joins us today in a candid conversation about burnout. Jean holds a Masters in Social Work, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She chats with us today about burnout from a professional caregiver perspective. She shares with us her journey as a social worker, how burnout sneaks up on her, and how she has addressed it. She is a kind, compassionate, transparent, and overall...

Caira Benson is a seasoned professional in the nonprofit community, a homeschooling mother of five, and caregiver for her disabled veteran husband and three of their children. Her dedication to providing the best quality of life to her clan is inspirational. Join us as we learn about Caira's journey as a Hidden Hero, and we learn how she manages to even make time for herself.  Caira is an Eli...

Our guest today is Karee White, an Army veteran, married to an Army veteran for 30 years, mother to nine children...yes you read that correctly, and a caregiver to her daughter Kimmy. Kimmy is a wounded veteran with a severe traumatic brain injury. Veteran Directed Care is a VA program Kimmy is part of, and Karee almost can't live without it. The Veteran Directed Care (VDC) is: The Veterans D...

 Megan Smith is an Elizabeth Dole Foundation Fellow and joins us today as our guest. Megan is a caregiver to her husband who was injured in Afghanistan, and a mom of two boys. In addition to her beloved role of mom to her sons, one of them requires additional care. Her oldest has severe myopia, asthma, and food allergies. Megan is kind enough to give us an inside peek at how she juggles her r...

Lara Garey is our guest on this podcast. Lara is the spouse, and caregiver, of an Air Force veteran with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS. Lara is also a newly appointed Elizabeth Dole Foundation Fellow. In this podcast, Lara does not hold back on how deep she is into the caregiving role. She fit in this interview while her husband, Tom, was in ICU.  Visit us on social media: facebook.com/t...

What is self-care and why do we need it? Is your go-to self-care healthy? Is it working? Explore all things self-care in this episode of This Caregiver Life, and visit our Facebook page where you can ask questions, share ideas and learn more about caregiving. This is real life. This is our caregiver life. Visit us on social media: facebook.com/thiscaregiverlife twitter.com/thiscaregiver Comments o...

Mar and Jenn have a frank conversation regarding a sudden, serious illness: sepsis. Jenn is a sepsis survivor of two and a half years. Mar's spouse, Tom, in addition to having ALS for eight and a half years, recently survived sepsis. They share their personal experiences, and signs and symptoms of sepsis.  Visit us on social media: facebook.com/thiscaregiverlife twitter.com/thiscaregiver Comm...

This Caregiver Life podcast today focuses on a unique fundraising effort for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Roasting for Research. Please join us to learn more about this exceptional campaign that raises awareness, and funding, to help beat back ALS.  Visit us on social media: facebook.com/thiscaregiverlife twitter.com/thiscaregiver Comments or suggestions for This Caregiver Life? Please emai...