Caregiver's Compass

Donna Thomson, a well-known advocate for caregivers, joins Stephanie in this episode to discuss her experiences as a caregiver both to her father and her son with severe cerebral palsy and medical complexity. She also touches upon the trauma that can result from caregiving and her experiences navigating the Ontario healthcare system. 

Donna Thomson is the co-author with Dr. Zachary White of The Unexpected Journey of Caring and the author of The Four Walls of My Freedom: Lessons I've Learned From a Life of Caregiving. Donna facilitates Caregiving Essentials and instructs the Family Engagement in Research, both at McMaster University. Donna has sat on The Expert Group on Home and Community Care, the advisory committee for the white paper on aging and on the Working Group on Complex Care for Adults with Developmental Disabilities for the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care . She is a lifelong family caregiver and advocate. 

Find Donna: https://www.donnathomson.com/

This episode is part 1 of 2. 

Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com


For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Compassion in Caregiving.

Donna Thomson, a well-known advocate for caregivers, joins Stephanie in this episode to discuss her experiences as a caregiver both to her father and her son with severe cerebral palsy and medical complexity. She also touches upon the trauma that can result from caregiving and her experiences navigating the Ontario healthcare system. 

Donna Thomson is the co-author with Dr. Zachary White of The Unexpected Journey of Caring and the author of The Four Walls of My Freedom: Lessons I've Learned From a Life of Caregiving. Donna facilitates Caregiving Essentials and instructs the Family Engagement in Research, both at McMaster University. Donna has sat on The Expert Group on Home and Community Care, the advisory committee for the white paper on aging and on the Working Group on Complex Care for Adults with Developmental Disabilities for the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care . She is a lifelong family caregiver and advocate. 

Find Donna: https://www.donnathomson.com/

This episode is part 1 of 2. 

Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com

Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection
 
For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In today's episode Stephanie shares a real case example of a very overwhelmed primary caregiver who had to say 'no' and take a step back while her father was admitted to the hospital.

This story emphasizes that it is ok to take a step back when needed and discusses who you can lean on and transfer concerns to when you need to say no.

Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Compassion in Caregiving.

In today's episode Stephanie shares a real case example of a very overwhelmed primary caregiver who had to say 'no' and take a step back while her father was admitted to the hospital.

This story emphasizes that it is ok to take a step back when needed and discusses who you can lean on and transfer concerns to when you need to say no.

Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com

Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection
 
For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

We all have that person in our lives- they are well-meaning and do not recognize it but will reach out to us ongoing about concerns that are very minimal to us while we are navigating crises and significant stressors. What do we do in these situations? Do we reply to their comments and where do we draw the line?

In this episode Stephanie discusses how to approach these situations and what we can do to communicate with those we love who reach out to us in this manner. 

Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Compassion in Caregiving.

We all have that person in our lives- they are well-meaning and do not recognize it but will reach out to us ongoing about concerns that are very minimal to us while we are navigating crises and significant stressors. What do we do in these situations? Do we reply to their comments and where do we draw the line?

In this episode Stephanie discusses how to approach these situations and what we can do to communicate with those we love who reach out to us in this manner. 

Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com

Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection
 
For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In Episode 26 of Caregiver's Compass, Adrienne discusses her experiences since her mom's passing 18 months ago (from Multiple System Atrophy), while entering a new chapter in her caregiving journey. Adrienne touches upon grief, traveling after caregiving and experiencing life without her mom.

About Adrienne: 

Adrienne Glusman is professional speaker, ambassador and advocate on the topic of Millennial Caregiving, sharing her story and journey as an only-child caregiver to her mom, Hetty, who passed away in 2020 after living with Multiple System Atrophy since 2010.  Adrienne's story as Hetty's caregiver was featured in a Wall Street Journal article, 'The Call To Care for Aging Parents Comes Sooner Now'.  Her story has also been featured in Health magazine, Toronto Sun and Vox.com to name a few.  In addition to keynoting national conferences for Leading Age, National Church Residences and the Multiple System Atrophy Coalition, Adrienne has also been involved with various caregiving campaigns including serving as a caregiver ambassador for EMD Serono's Embracing Carers, Leading Age's 'Carry the Convo' and The Scan Foundation's 'Do You Give a Care'.   You can follow her on Instagram and Facebook @younglifeinterrupted, or subscribe to her podcast, Young Life Interrupted, where she is lending a voice to her journey so other young caregivers can feel seen, heard and supported. 

Find Adrienne: 

Facebook and Instagram: @younglifeinterrupted

Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Compassion in Caregiving.

In this week's episode, Laura Smothers-Chu (founder of Befriended Heart, LLC) discusses what it can be like as a long-distance daughter and a long-distance caregiver. She explores some of the myths surrounding distance caregiving and she and Stephanie additionally discuss the emotional aspects associated with distance caregiving. 

Laura opens up about her fertility journey in this episode and about experiencing loss after caregiving. 

About Laura:

Laura Smothers-Chu is the CEO & Founder of Befriended Heart. Here, she helps long-distance daughters navigate their parents’ dementia. Laura is a Certified Senior Advisor and a Certified Dementia Practitioner. With over 10 years of experience in health care, she was also a long-distance daughter of dementia. Laura enjoys guiding daughters in managing stress on the dementia journey. She also hosts a YouTube channel called Joy in Dementia and is quite active on Instagram. She lives in Washington DC with her husband, rescue dog and cat. Laura enjoys living in the moment and discovering joy wherever possible.

Find Laura:


http://www.joyindementia.com


Youtube: https://rebrand.ly/joyindementia

Instagram: @joy.in.dementia


Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com

Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection
 
For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

Maria Kent Beers, one of the co-creators of the Remember Me Podcast, talks to Stephanie about how she channeled her grief into helping others and creating meaning from the difficult times in her life. Stephanie and Maria also discuss living with a mom diagnosed with FTD at a very young age while starting a family and a career. 

Maria Kent Beers is a fierce advocate for Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and ALS. Her passion for this work was fueled by her mother's diagnosis in late 2016, at the young age of 52. In 2020, Maria channeled her grief and creative talents into creating a FTD-focused podcast, Remember Me, with internet friend and fellow caregiver, Rachael Martinez. Now formally formed as Remember Me, LLC, Maria and Rachael's organization is dedicated to providing a platform for early-onset dementia resources and a loving and engaged community bonded over shared experience.

Maria lives in Boston where she is a mother to one spirited boy and wife to her college love. She is a proud graduate of Boston University's College of Communications, where she started her love of radio as a host of "BU in the Morning" Radio Show and summer intern for MTV Radio in NYC.

Find Maria on Instagram: @remembermepodcast 

The Remember Me community and online store: http:///www.remembermeftd.com

Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Compassion in Caregiving.

It is completely normal to compare yourself to other caregivers and other people around you. Why do others have more help when it comes to caring for others? Why did all of this have to happen to you at your age while not to others? Why do others seem so happy and care-free while you are struggling daily? 

In this episode Stephanie discusses comparing to others in general and during stressful times in our lives. She also suggests specific ideas for how to move past comparing and more towards gratitude for your own life and what you have. 

Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com

For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

The content shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not constitute therapy or counselling. If you are in need of mental health support or professional guidance, please reach out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Compassion in Caregiving.