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We talk a lot about the primary caregiver.
The person managing appointments, medications, decisions, sleepless nights, and the emotional weight of watching someone they love decline.
But caregiving often has a supporting cast.
Sometimes it is a spouse, a sibling, a neighbor, a friend, or a child stepping in to help care for their grandparent.
In this deeply personal episode of Chat with Nat, Natalie Kime is joined by her son, Braxton Kime, to talk about caregiving through his eyes. During the last few months of Natalie’s mom’s life, Braxton became part of the caregiving team. He helped with physical care, range of motion exercises, moving his Nana when she could no longer move herself, giving Natalie and Papa moments to step away, and spending time with Nana when conversation was no longer easy.
This conversation explores what it means to be the support caregiver, the person who may not carry the full weight every day, but whose presence can make it possible for the primary caregiver to keep going.
Braxton shares memories of his Nana before dementia, what it was like to see her decline, the hospital night that helped him understand how much she had changed, the emotional weight he saw Natalie carrying, and the moments of laughter, love, and closure that stayed with him.
Together, Natalie and Braxton talk about dementia, family caregiving, anticipatory grief, support roles, caregiving guilt, resilience, financial preparation, and the importance of having hard conversations before crisis arrives.
This episode is a reminder that caregiving does not happen to just one person.
It happens to a family.
What You Will Hear
- Why caregiving often has a supporting cast
- Why Natalie wanted listeners to hear the caregiving story through Braxton’s eyes
- Braxton’s early memories of Nana, including head massages, late-night news, pillow forts, and hide-and-seek
- The three words Braxton used to describe Nana before dementia: strong, strict, and loving
- When Braxton first realized Nana was changing
- What it was like to see Natalie become a caregiver
- Why dementia added a mental and emotional layer Braxton was not prepared for
- The hospital night with sundowning and hallucinations that showed Braxton how far Nana had declined
- How Braxton stepped in as part of the respite and caregiving team
- Why support caregivers matter, even when they only step in for a few hours
- What Braxton saw happening to Natalie in survival mode
- The tension between choosing caregiving and still feeling the weight of what it costs
- Why caregiving is almost always two things at once
- What people misunderstand about primary caregivers
- The moments of humor and joy that helped the family keep going
- Why comfort can be more important than correction in dementia caregiving
- The beauty of making Nana smile when words were no longer easy
- How Braxton experienced anticipatory grief and closure
- The contrast between losing his father suddenly and walking with Nana through her final decline
- How Braxton became a rock for Natalie and Papa
- Why military training did not prepare him emotionally for caregiving
- The moment he realized Nana was getting close to the end
- What Braxton was grateful he got to say before Nana passed
- Why financial preparation matters for the next generation
- Braxton’s closing reminder to take care of your family
Episode Summary
This episode gives listeners a rare and meaningful perspective on caregiving: the view from the support caregiver.
Natalie is joined by her son, Braxton, who helped care for his Nana during the final months of her life. He was not the primary caregiver, but he became one of the people quietly stepping in with extra hands, emotional steadiness, respite, physical help, and moments of connection.
Braxton begins by sharing memories of Nana before dementia: head massages, watching the 11 o’clock news, running around the house, and building pillow forts that Nana would come destroy just because she wanted to join the fun.
He describes Nana before dementia as strong, strict, and loving.
As the conversation continues, Braxton shares when he began realizing she was changing. After he moved out of the house, Nana would ask where he was going, where he lived, and who lived in the home. Those conversations became some of the first signs that dementia was changing her understanding of place, people, and memory.
Natalie and Braxton also discuss what it was like for him to come home from the military and see Nana and Papa living in Natalie’s home. At first, the biggest change he noticed was physical. Nana was less independent, needed help moving around, and eventually relied on a wheelchair.
But as he became more involved in her care, Braxton realized the mental side of dementia added an entirely different layer.
One of the hardest moments he describes was a hospital night when Natalie and Papa needed sleep, and Braxton stayed with Nana. As the sun went down, she began experiencing sundowning and hallucinations. She asked repeated questions, became scared, talked to people who were not there, and panicked when Braxton moved around the room. That night gave him a clearer understanding of how much she had changed.
Braxton also shares what he saw happening to Natalie during the last few months. He noticed her living in survival mode, focused constantly on Nana and Papa. He saw the stress, frustration, anger, love, responsibility, and the struggle between caring for someone deeply and feeling like parts of your own life have disappeared.
One of the most important themes in the episode is that caregiving is often two things at once.
It can be an honor and still be exhausting.
It can be chosen and still feel heavy.
It can be full of love and still include frustration.
It can bring closure and still break your heart.
The episode also includes moments of laughter, especially around Nana’s forgetfulness, her theatrical responses, and the time she threatened Papa with her “real husband,” not realizing the man sitting beside her was Papa. Natalie and Braxton talk about learning that, with dementia, comfort is sometimes more important than correction.
Braxton reflects on the moments that meant the most to him, especially being able to make Nana smile even when she could no longer speak much. He shares the powerful moment when he told her he loved her and she looked at him and said, “I love you,” some of the last words he heard from her.
The conversation also explores grief. Braxton had lost his father earlier that same year in a very different way, with little warning and without the same opportunity for closure. Walking through Nana’s decline was painful, but it gave him time to grieve, say what mattered, and become a support for Natalie and Papa from a place of understanding.
Toward the end, Natalie asks Braxton what she can do now so that caring for her someday does not become an impossible burden. Braxton says she is already doing the financial preparation, including life insurance and savings, that can help make care less financially overwhelming. This brings the episode back to one of Natalie’s ongoing messages: one of the greatest gifts we can give the next generation is making sure they do not have to destroy their own financial future to care for us.
This episode is tender, wise, funny, honest, and deeply human.
It is for primary caregivers, support caregivers, adult children, grandchildren, spouses, and every family trying to understand how to care for one another before crisis comes.
Pull Quotes
“Caregiving often has a supporting cast.”
“There are moments as a mother when you look at your child and realize they aren’t a child anymore.”
“Caregiving changed our entire family.”
“Comfort is more important than correction.”
“Caregiving is two things at once in almost every situation.”
“The emotional weight of caregiving is something many people will not understand until they are in it.”
“Love doe
Thank you for listening to Chat With Nat: Caregiving, Money & Real Life Solutions. This podcast is your trusted guide for caregiving strategies, caregiver support, long-distance caregiving tips, financial planning for families, and managing caregiver burnout. Each week, we provide actionable advice, expert interviews, real caregiver stories, and practical tools to help you navigate caregiving challenges, protect your finances, and care with confidence.
Whether you’re caring for aging parents, managing adult children with special needs, or balancing caregiving with work, Chat With Nat is here to help you care smarter, avoid burnout, and feel supported every step of the way.
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