In Sickness

In Sickness

By Allison Breininger and Justin BajemaMedicineHealth & FitnessMental Health
Download on the App Store

In Sickness episodes

  • 106: When Mental and Physical Illnesses Collide: A Conversation with Caregiver Rodolfo Nieto

    Rodolfo Nieto cares for his wife, Clare, who has struggled with both Dissociative Identity Disorder and Pancreatitis. In this episode, he shares what it's like to care for both her mental and physical health needs, what that's meant for their relationship, and the impact it's had on his life.

    ---

    The Unseen Divide - A Personal Passage from a Spousal Caregiver

    ---

    Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Sunday, March 30 from 6:00-7:15 CT. Register Here!

    49 min
  • 105: Time Toxicity: Studying the Time Burdens of Caregiving with Dr. Arjun Gupta

    Oncologist Dr. Arjun Gupta's team has coined the term "time toxicity,"which refers to the significant time investment required for cancer patients and their caregivers to undergo cancer treatment and related activities. In this episode, he talks with Allison and Justin about how he came to be invested in the needs of caregivers and what his team has learned and hopes to accomplish with their research on time toxicity. Note: while Dr. Gupta's research focuses on cancer patients and caregivers, his learnings transfer to many if not all types of caregivers.

    ---

    Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Sunday, March 16, from 6:00-7:15 CT. Register here!

    56 min
  • 104: Caring for Multiple People

    Many caregivers end up caring for not just one, but multiple family members, often concurrently. In this episode, Justin and Allison discuss how and why this happens, the impact this can have on caregivers, the boundaries that can be established, and the adaptations that can be made, as well as how supporters can help.

    ---

    Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Monday, March 3, from 6:00-7:15 CT. Register here.

    47 min
  • 103: Who Can We Vent To?

    When going through the challenges of caregiving, it's common for caregivers to struggle to find a safe place to vent. Caregivers may hesitate to share with their loved one, friends may not get it, and some are worried to burden other caregivers with their hard things. Despite all of this, not venting isn't an option. In this episode, Allison and Justin discuss all of this as well as strategies for both caregivers and supporters.

    ---

    Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Tuesday, February 18, from 6-7:15 pm CT. Register here.

    43 min
  • 102: The Impact of Caregiving on our Nervous Systems

    Trauma-informed yoga therapist, Jacqueline Vlietstra talks with Justin and Allison about the basics of nervous system regulation, how short and long-term caregiving impacts our nervous systems, and ways in which caregivers can find wellbeing in the midst of it all.

    ---

    Yoga for Resilience

    ---

    Join us for an online support group related to this episode on February 3 from 6:00-7:15pm CT. Register here.

    57 min
  • 101: Finding Opportunities to Maintain Our Agency

    As caregivers, it can feel as if our loved one's health is in the driver's seat and that there are few parts of our lives over which we have control. In this episode, Allison and Justin share ways in which they have been maintaining or taking back their agency in various aspects of their lives and how supporters can help.

    ---

    Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Tuesday, January 22 from 6:00-7:15pm CT. Register here.

    47 min
  • 100: How Far We've Come: A Celebration of 100 Episodes

    Internet friends who had bonded over caregiving, Justin and Allison set out to record six episodes of a podcast in early 2020. In this, their 100th episode, they look back at how far they've come, favorite moments along the way, the impact this podcast has had on them, and what they hope for next as well as listen to messages sent in from listeners.

    46 min
  • 99: Caregiving Across the Ages

    Becoming a caregiver can happen at any age, and while there are some universal truths, the age and stage of life that a person is in when this occurs can impact the way this feels and unfolds. In this episode, Allison (44) and Justin (42) talk with Ella Whitlecroft (23), Glenn Nishida (65), and Harriette Manis (74) about how the age and place in life they were in when they began caregiving played a role in their life decisions, finances, education, employment, and relationships.

    --

    Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Sunday, November 24, from 6:00 - 7:15 pm CT. Register here.

    --

    Episode 100 is coming up and we'd love for you to be a part of it. You can call us at (360)389-2334 and leave a message sharing a favorite moment, memory, or episode, what the podcast has meant to you, or anything else you'd like to share. We'll collect the messages and share some as part of our 100th epsiode. Thanks for listening!

    1 hr 8 min
  • 98: When Our Closest People Don't Show Up

    There are people in our lives who, because of biology or proximity, we would expect to show up for us in our times of need, and it can be especially painful when they don't. In this episode, Justin and Allison talk about the grief and disappointment when people close to us don't show up, but also the beauty when other, less expected connections, do.

    ---

    Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Monday, November 4, from 6:00 - 7:15 pm CT. Sign up here!

    ---

    Episode 100 is coming up and we'd love for you to be a part of it. You can call us at (360)389-2334 and leave a message sharing a favorite moment, memory, or episode, what the podcast has meant to you, or anything else you'd like to share. We'll collect the messages and share some as part of our 100th epsiode. Thanks for listening!

    52 min
  • 97: Our Needs Matter Too

    Caregivers regularly put the needs of their loved ones far above their own, even when that comes at a cost to their own wellbeing. In this episode, Allison shares how, after 14 years of accompanying her husband to a procedure he has regularly, she has made the decision to not attend for the sake of her own mental health. Listen in as she and Justin discuss the steps leading up to this decision, the complexities that surround it, and how supporters can help.

    ---

    Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Tuesday, October 22 from 6:00-7:15pm CT. Sign up here!

    ---

    Episode 100 is coming up and we'd love for you to be a part of it. You can call us at (360)389-2334 and leave a message sharing a favorite moment, memory, or episode, what the podcast has meant to you, or anything else you'd like to share. We'll collect the messages and share some as part of our 100th epsiode. Thanks for listening!

    54 min

About In Sickness

From the publisher's feed

Listen in as Allison Breininger and Justin Bajema, millennial caregivers for their chronically ill spouses, speak honestly about what life is like when there are more days spent in sickness than in…

More shows like In Sickness

Modern Love by The New York Times

Modern Love

8,846 Listeners

Happier with Gretchen Rubin by Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

12,884 Listeners

Marketplace by Marketplace

Marketplace

8,731 Listeners

Pod Save America by Pod Save America

Pod Save America

87,116 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,799 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,447 Listeners

Everything Happens with Kate Bowler by Everything Happens Studios

Everything Happens with Kate Bowler

5,108 Listeners

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos by Pushkin Industries

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

14,353 Listeners

Kelly Corrigan Wonders by Kelly Corrigan

Kelly Corrigan Wonders

3,340 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,882 Listeners

All There Is with Anderson Cooper by CNN Podcasts

All There Is with Anderson Cooper

10,532 Listeners

The Mel Robbins Podcast by Mel Robbins

The Mel Robbins Podcast

19,254 Listeners

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus by Lemonada Media

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

10,690 Listeners

The Wirecutter Show by The New York Times

The Wirecutter Show

1,175 Listeners