Balance in caregiving is often talked about, but what does it really look like in everyday life? In this episode, Jerri McElroy, primary caregiver, entrepreneur, and author, shares her caregiving journey and how caregiving touches every part of our lives.

From managing overwhelming medical responsibilities and advocating for a loved one, to caring for a parent with whom you may have had a complicated relationship, Jerri speaks candidly about the emotional and practical realities caregivers face. She also reflects on empathy, boundaries, and the importance of caring for yourself while caring for others.

If you are a family caregiver or supporting an aging parent, you may see yourself in Jerri’s story and gain insight into finding your own sense of balance along the caregiving journey.

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Jerri's Linktree https://linktr.ee/jerrynjerri

Daughterhood

My guest today is world-renowned dementia expert Teepa Snow, occupational therapist and founder of the Positive Approach to Care, which offers training, services, and resources to families and professionals worldwide.

 Teepa has spent decades helping people understand the brain changes behind dementia and, just as importantly, how to support both the person living with dementia and the caregiver.

In our conversation, we discuss strategies for interacting with your care partner from mild cognitive impairment on, what changes and what stays the same, accepting help from others, why knowing your person and knowing yourself are equally essential while providing care and so much more.

TeepaSnow.com

Daughterhood.org

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Dr Shoshana Ungerleider, is a board-certified internal medicine physician, science journalist, and passionate advocate for compassionate end-of-life care. 

She hosts and produces TED Health and the NY Radio Award–winning podcast Before We Go, and founded the End Well Foundation to make end of life a part of life.  Shoshana regularly appears as a medical expert on CNN, MSNBC, and CBS News, with bylines in TIME, USA Today, Scientific American, and more.  She executive produced the Oscar-nominated Netflix film End Game, funded the Emmy-winning Extremis, and produced Robin’s Wish, about the final years of Robin Williams. 

In this episode, we explore how popular culture and healthcare meet—how film, media, and storytelling shape the way we see end-of-life, grief, loss, and caregiving—and we’ll hear Shoshana’s story of caring for her father through cancer. From documentaries to news headlines, including EndWell’s part in consulting on HBO’s Emmy winning drama The Pitt, these cultural moments guide how we talk about death, support those we love, and face our own final chapters.

TRANSCRIPT with resources

Daughterhood

My guest today is Susanne White, The Caregiver Warrior, an author advocate, Daughterhood circle leader and veteran, family caregiver who turned her personal journey into a mission to support others. 

After caring for her parents through illness and dementia, she emerged with powerful lessons in compassion, resilience and self care. Her new book, self care for caregivers is a guide for anyone navigating the emotional roller coaster of caregiving. 

In this conversation, we explore the difference between guilt and shame. We talk about the weight caregivers carry, the second guessing the family dynamics, the difference between accountability and responsibility, even the quiet grief that shows up along the way. Most of all, we share ways to ease that burden and how to remind ourselves that being human is more than enough. 

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Caregiver Warrior

For support and community visit: Daughterhood

Rebecca Dittrich is a healthcare attorney, a former corporate executive, a death doula, a Daughterhood circle leader and Founder and CEO of The Reprise Project. After working professionally for years on issues related to Medicare, longterm care and senior living, her dad’s catastrophic stroke in 2021 turned all of those issues deeply personal. She’s since committed her career to supporting caregivers and fostering the honest intentional conversations that help families approach aging and dying with clarity, purpose, and connection. She is a millennial caregiver who lives in San Francisco with her husband and dad, and who will enter the sandwich generation in the fall of 2025 when she welcomes a baby girl.

In this episode, Becca shares what it’s really like to be a younger caregiver, navigating big responsibilities while your peers are living totally different lives. We talk about balancing caregiving with your own goals, building a support system, setting boundaries, having that conversation with your parents, and more. Whether you’re just starting out or have been caregiving for years, we share tools and insights that apply to every stage of the journey.

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The Reprise Project

Instagram: drdwillseeyounow

Daughterhood

I'm delighted to welcome back to the podcast Dr. Barry Jacobs, and equally excited to welcome his co author and wife, Dr. Julia Mayer. Dr. Barry Jacobs is a clinical psychologist, family therapist, author and principal at Health Management Associates, a national healthcare consulting firm. He's the author of the emotional Survival Guide for Caregivers, and has been a trusted voice for caregivers through his long running aarp.org advice column. Dr. Julia Mayer is a clinical psychologist with over three decades of experience supporting women in caregiver roles as well as those with troubled marriages and histories of sexual trauma. She's the author of the novel A Fleeting State of Mind, and co-host of the psychology and social justice podcast Shrinks on Third. Together, Barry and Julia have co authored several AARP titles, and now they're back with their latest collaboration, The AARP Caregiver Answer Book. This compassionate and practical guide is a must have for anyone navigating the caregiving journey. Today, we're discussing some of the topics in their book, covering common challenges in caregiving: breaking promises, dealing with guilt and burnout, the emotional realities of caregiving and so much more.

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For more support and community, find us at Daughterhood

Dementia family caregivers face an overwhelming journey—without adequate support or resources.

Supporting someone with dementia is a complex, emotional, exhausting journey. Yet, dementia family caregivers face this challenge without the coordinated support, training, or resources needed to provide the best care possible.

But that’s beginning to change. On July 1st Medicare is launching a new, first-of-its-kind program called GUIDE—Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience—created to provide comprehensive, FREE support for dementia family caregivers.

Daughterhood has partnered with PocketRN, an approved Medicare provider for the GUIDE program and a nationwide organization offering families 24/7 access to nurses—right from their pocket.

My guest today is Jenna Morgenstern-Gaines, the CEO and co-founder of PocketRN. In our conversation, Jenna will share more details about the GUIDE program and its comprehensive benefits, including ongoing caregiver support, education and training, access to respite care, how to enroll, everything you need to know to access the program.

Episode TRANSCRIPT

Access Daughterhood's GUIDE page with information and locator HERE

CMS website information on GUIDE

If you or someone you love has ever faced a health scare, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. My guest today is Dr. Edward G. Rogoff, an accomplished educator and advocate whose personal journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Diagnosed with hemophilia as a child, Dr. Rogoff faced a lifetime of uncertainty—until a liver transplant in adulthood led to an unexpected cure. His experience sparked a lifelong commitment to patient advocacy, organ donation awareness, and reshaping how we approach chronic illness.

He’s served on the boards of the Hemophilia Association of New York since 1980 and LiveOnNY, the major organ donor organization for the New York City metropolitan area, and now he’s sharing his wisdom in his new book: "Scary Diagnosis: Navigating Fear, Finding Strength, and Securing the Health Care You Deserve."

In this conversation, we explore the power of building the right medical team, managing uncertainty, denial, having tough conversations, staying resilient and how to not let a scary diagnosis overtake your life and keep it all in perspective.

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Scary Diagnosis Navigating Fear, Finding Strength, and Securing the Health Care You Deserve 

Daughterhood

Today, my guest is Amy Fuchs, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Aging Life Care Professional with over 15 years of experience supporting families through the complexities of caregiving for aging loved ones.

As the founder of The Elder Expert, Amy combines her compassion, empathy, and expertise to provide personalized care and guidance for older adults and their families.

In today’s episode, we’ll discuss a challenging and all too familiar struggle: denial in caregiving. Whether it’s denial from our care partners, our siblings, or even from ourselves, it’s an obstacle many caregivers face. Amy shares practical strategies and insights to empower, cope, and manage it all.

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The Elder Expert

Daughterhood

My guest today is Dr Mary Frances O’Connor, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Arizona, Director of Clinical Training and a grief researcher. Dr O’Connor shared such great insights the first time she was on the podcast, I’m so glad she’s back to discuss her new book The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing.

Today we discuss the physical nature of grief, the physiological response of your body and how grief affects every system, We talk about our immune system, brain fog, ways to cope with grief, how to rebuild after loss and so much more.

TRANSCRIPT OF THIS EPISODE

MaryFrancesOconnor.org

Daughterhood