The Caregivers Dilemma

It can be easy to lose yourself when you spend all of your time thinking about the needs of others. If you're feeling like you've lost your spark, check out my conversation with Jess Kaskov of Joyfulness with Jess... and get some tips to find it again.

 You can take Jess's quiz at www.jesskaskov.com/soulsalary

There are A LOT of products available to help with care, safety, and independence. But how are you supposed to know what to get? Heck, how are you even supposed to know what all your options are??? The fact is, having the right equipment can be life changing, but it often takes a specialist to get the right recommendation.... and specialists can be hard to access!

Enter occupational therapist, Dr. Brandy Archie and her groundbreaking service AskSAMIE.com . Listen to hear Dr. Archie's story about how she came to create AskSAMIE, learn why it is so hard to get what you need through insurance, and find out how you can access professional equipment recommendations through AskSAMIE.com .... for FREE.

In this special episode of The Caregiver's Dilemma, we're featuring the weekly series "Caregiver Question of the Week" from Higher Standards Caregiver Training.

This caregiver query was all about nutrition and Parkinson's disease, so Emilia brought in Registered Dietician, Crystal Fossmeyer to give an answer to this incredibly important question!

You can submit your question here: https://forms.gle/dbuSreKFkxqxV5Y7A

Medication can have enormous positive or negative impacts on both health and quality of life. It can also be intimidating and confusing, so many family caregivers struggle to advocate and communicate effectively with healthcare providers about the medications their care partner is on. Meet Shay Domangue, physician assistant and creator of the Shay Way - a step by step method to help family caregivers understand, organize, and effectively manage their care partners complex medication list.

There's no substitute for understanding someone's wishes at end of life, but it can be a difficult conversation to have. The Conversation Project is here to help you find the words you need to ensure the people you love get what they want. Listen to this episode featuring the Great Laurie Miller, and then check out https://www.conversationreadyntx.com/ and https://theconversationproject.org/ to get more.

If you're a caregiver over the age of 50 (or you know one) there's a good chance you need a whole slew of resources... for your role as a caregiver (of course), but also for all of the other roles in your life! Check out this interview with Leslie Farin to learn about one of the hottest resource sites around for everything over 50.

Talk about baptism by fire. When Sabrina Johnson's family was hit with unbelievable 1-2 punch of ALS and cancer, she could have crumbled. Instead, the fighting spirit instilled by her father kicked in, transforming her from a family caregiver... to a powerful advocate.

There are times when it's hard to share your feelings as a caregiver. You might feel that no one understands, or be protective of sharing too much about the person you are caring for. In such times, what is a caregiver to do? The story of Lori Lemasters from carepartnersresource.com offers insight into a simple but powerful way to experience growth, expression, and healing through the journey of caregiving.

Dr. Brittany Lamb is on-call for this episode, where she talks about her experience caring for people with dementia in the ER, and how caregivers of people with dementia can put together a plan for medical care.... before a crisis! Find Dr. Lamb at www.blambmd.com or follow her on social media at https://www.instagram.com/blamb.md/ https://www.facebook.com/blambmd https://www.linkedin.com/in/blambmd/

Elder Law Attorney John McNair joins for this Episode of The Caregivers Dilemma, where he shares some NEED to KNOW info about the legal and financial side of caring for a loved one.