Happy Healthy Caregiver

Loretta Woodward Veney cared for her mom Doris who lived with dementia as well as for her aunt, sister, and husband. Loretta’s care experiences prompted her to write a few books, become a trained LEGO Serious Play facilitator, and inspire others through her speaking events and engaging workshops. In this episode we talk about and how creative play with Legos can help care partners connect and remain calm, why identifying those in your care village is critical to your success, the financial strains of caregiving and frustrations around the Medicaid Waiver process, how her faith community surrounded her with goodness after the loss of her husband, and why Loretta’s current self-care mantra is ‘stay and play’. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod174 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https:/

Frances Hall is the founder and executive director of ACAP, Adult Children of Aging Parents, a nationally unique nonprofit organization that she founded when she was the caregiver for her mother. In 2012, Frances began offering monthly educational programs for her fellow faculty and university staff and then for her broader North Carolina community. Since then, ACAP has grown to nine chapters in four states and continues to grow. In this episode, learn what makes the ACAP Community different from a typical support group, how Frances gave herself grace while caregiving, and how journaling was healing in her caregiving season. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod173 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/contact-us/ The Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast is part

Matt Perrin spent eight and a half years surrounded by dementia as a member of the sandwich generation. He was caring for his mother, Rosemary, who was living with Alzheimer's Disease. And simultaneously helping his wife Lindsay care for her father, Steve, who was living with Lewy Body Dementia. Steve lived in Matt and Lindsay’s home with their three girls and dog. Matt's lived experience gave him a new professional purpose and unlocked a passion for creating that he never knew he had. He found solace in writing and continued his practice with his popular weekly email series. In this episode, we discuss unearned caregiver guilt, win/win perspectives, social connections that led to being in a documentary, and new career paths inspired by caregiving. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod172 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship o

I thought it fitting to publish this episode during November, which is National Family Caregivers Month, and this year’s theme is #caregiversconnect. A great theme since, on this show, we are about creating a connective community of family caregivers and connecting (or I say fast-tracking) you to the help and support you need, crave, or don’t even know about. I have a relentless passion for seeing and helping family caregivers. When I started Happy Healthy Caregiver, I had a clear mission of providing support and resources to family caregivers, and I wanted to do this full-time. And I also need an income. I worked on Happy Healthy Caregiver while working full-time as a sandwich generation caregiver. I had no business starting a business, and yet I knew this was needed. I felt isolated, alone, overwhelmed, unhealthy, and drowning as a sandwich-generation working caregiver. If we change nothing, then nothing changes. I struggled with how to monetize HHC. I always wanted people who could afford my services (lik

Lisa Nigro describes herself as an ordinary woman with an extraordinary spirit. Before becoming a full-time caregiver in 2015, she was a community activist serving the poor, and undervalued living in Chicago. Currently, she is the full-time caregiver of her adult son, Nick, who on October 31, 2015, suffered a heart attack at home from a virus and became brain injured and fully disabled. Lisa shares how she is thriving in this new season of life, even with its difficulties and challenges. In this episode we discuss the parallels of Lisa working with the homeless and caring for Nick, how being non-verbal doesn’t mean non-communicative, the challenges in finding quality respite care, gratitude pumpkins, pizza gardens, and more! Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod170 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact E

Nikki Nurse inspires women to live their best lives. As a former family caregiver with 10+ years of practice, Nikki believes that real health and wellbeing come through tending to small moments - in the mundane of our everyday lives. In this episode, Nikki focuses on creating your care team to help you with your self-care and how technology plays a huge role. We discuss how incorporating colors in design, fashion, and other small details can make colossal impacts. Nikki shares her story of how she got ‘lost in the caregiving sauce’ and how, with intention and ‘mindful moments, ’ she has created a happy and healthy flow for her life. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod169 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/contact-us/ The Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast

Alyse Dunn and her sister were young adults when they cared for their parents. Alyse’s caregiving experience prompted her to start a business to help family caregivers. In this episode, we talk about the racial nuances Alyse encountered while caregiving, what she would change in the care space if she had a magic wand, and how caregivers can fast-track to the resources they may not even know they need. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod168 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/contact-us/ The Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast is part of the Whole Care Network. Rate and Review the podcast: https://bit.ly/HHCPODREVIEW

Debbie Weiss cared for her father, her husband, and currently cares for her adult son. Debbie is an expert in chasing your own dreams despite your circumstances. She is a fellow author, podcaster, and entrepreneur. In this episode, we dive into the steps Debbie took and is still taking to overcome her limiting beliefs and fears. You’ll be amazed at what has transpired since Debbie decided to stop ‘sleepwalking through her life’ and put herself in the driver's seat of living her life without regret. You’ll also learn about pickleball, what Debbie calls her ‘constant void’, and how hearts and Glenda the Good Witch inspire her. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod167 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/contact-us/ The Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast is part

Karen C.L. Anderson was the chosen family member to be the legal guardian for her grandmother. This decision surprised Karen because her mother and mom’s siblings were also options. Karen shares her caregiving story and how it has informed her life’s work. She is a master-certified life coach and author helping adult daughters with difficult mothers take care of themselves in that relationship. In this episode, we go deep into setting healthy boundaries and creating an intentional identity. We discuss when estrangement may be the right option, how to break unhealthy cycles to heal our trauma, and the benefits of kale and Words with Friends. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod166 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/contact-us/ The Happy Healthy Caregiver

Lynn Abaté-Johnson understands the typhoon of emotions and responsibilities that come with caring for a loved one. For over six years, Lynn was the primary caregiver for her mother. Lynn says she discovered how to blossom through (and after) caregiving rather than let it drown her. Now she helps other family caregivers by giving them the emotional and logistical support they need. In this episode, Lynn and I chat about grief relief, matriarchy expectations, unexpected respite, and online journals to help streamline communication surrounding a health journey. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod165 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/contact-us/ The Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast is part of the Whole Care Network. Rate and Review the podcast: https://bit

A Nomad Caregiving Life of Traveling and Running with Anthony Copeland-Parker Anthony Copeland-Parker cares for his partner Catherine, who was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s ten years ago. Before becoming a family caregiver for Cat, Anthony who goes by Tony was a professional pilot for thirty-seven years, much of his career with United Parcel Service. When he retired, he started writing his blog called Running With Cat. Up until recently, they lived as nomads and completed marathons and half marathons while exploring 82 countries across all 7 continents! In this episode, Tony shares the ups and downs of the nomad caregiving life, where they have found support while traveling, why Tony pushed the envelope and insisted that he and Cat live together in independent senior living, and what special requests he makes of the home care professionals so Cat continues to live a life filled with her personal joys. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod164 Receive the podcast

At 20 years old, Isabel Melgarejo became a family caregiver when her dad passed, and her mom fell into depression. For years Isabel has helped her mom in what she needed. As a project manager in her profession, Isabel learned the power of proactive planning. She now applies this practice to all life’s events. In this episode, Isabel and I chat about why she became curious about her feelings and what action she took to address her needs. We also talked about the awkward long term care conversations with her mom and how she helped organize her immediate family to align the responsibilities to match mom’s needs. And, learn what daily self-care habit Isabel practices to increase her frequency of good days. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod163 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happ

Belva Denmark Tibbs is a primary caregiver for her husband, Mark, and a support caregiver for her parents. While she may have departed her career as a senior healthcare executive, she is far from what others think of as retired. Belva serves on several community organizations and boards, including the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. She is passionate about mindset, aging well, and educating others. In this episode, Belva and I discuss a gamut of topics including invisible caregiving labor, conquering fear, pros and cons of Chat GBT (artificial intelligence), and establishing boundaries. You’ll also gain some great tips like why you’ll want to add a dry erase marker to your caregiver tote bag. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod162 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthy

Ashley Bendiksen cared for her mom who developed early onset Alzheimer’s. She chronicled her 8 year caregiving journey in her memoir The Language of Time which originated from her personal journals. Ashley served as Chairwoman of her local Walk to End Alzheimer's where nearly $500K was raised for Alzheimer's research. She also testified for the successful passage of a law in her home state of Massachusetts. Ashley is also passionate about additional topics. She is a national speaker on domestic and sexual violence prevention, resilience, and mental health. In this episode we talk about how Ashley balanced caregiving while still living her life as a young person in her twenties, we learn why Ashley is grateful for the time caring for her mom, the respect she gained from invisible labor that moms do, why dating herself and traveling solo recharges her, and how she is using her experiences to help others. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod161 Receive the podcast in your ema

Usha Tewari was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. She is a constituent advocate, and community engager with over 17 years of experience working for elected officials at the federal and local level. While working full-time, Usha was her mom's caregiver primary caregiver until December 2021 when her mom passed away from end stage dementia. In this episode, we talk about how videos helped correct mom’s diagnosis, how Usha managed to work full time while caring for her mom, what relieved her caregiver and grief burnout, and what Usha is doing about impacting positive changes in Florida, her South-Asian culture, and beyond. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod160 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/contact-us/ The Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast is part of the

Kris has been the full-time family caregiver for her Grams, Mary, since 2017. They started sharing their life and love as they navigate Alzheimer’s together on Instagram that same year. Now with nearly half a million followers on TikTok Kris continues to create connections with fellow caregivers while sharing the special bond she has with her Grandma during the progression of this disease. Leading with love, laughter & NY attitude! In this episode, we dive into what a sole caregiving life looks like, share our dislike for internet trolls, explore what Kris would say to “new to caregiving Kris”, discover where lifewithgrams is headed, and extract the various steps Kris has intentionally taken to elevate her overall mental wellness. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod159 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities

Matthew Cauli became a full-time caregiver to his wife, Kanlaya, after she experienced two massive strokes and an ovarian cancer diagnosis. Matthew and his wife are in their thirties and raising their 6-year-old son Ty. In this episode, Matthew displays his dedication to keeping his family physically, emotionally, and financially afloat. We chatted about how his family’s life was turned upside0down, how he found therapy through social media channels, why he could no longer keep working while caregiving, and how the caregiving community has shown up for him in ways he didn’t anticipate. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod158 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/contact-us/ The Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast is part of the Whole Care Network. Rate and Review

Tena Scallan cared for her parents and her uncle through hospitalizations and end of life events. She was introduced as a family caregiver very young when her mom was diagnosed with liver cancer. Later, Tena worked in healthcare where she developed her passion for supporting family caregivers and sharing her secrets. In this episode, Tena and I reveal secrets around squeezing in time for yourself, helping your care recipients bust boredom and grumpiness, staying organized, and finding the resources you need to be the ultimate caregiver. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod157 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/contact-us/ The Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast is part of the Whole Care Network. Rate and Review the podcast: https://bit.ly/HHCPODREVIEW

Sue Ryan has been in roles of family caregiving for more than 40 years. Her mission is to empower individuals to maximize and accept the potential opportunities that change will bring. Sue moved from feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and yes - sometimes frightened - to confident, balanced, and supported, navigating the transitions in her life, her care receivers, and those who support them on their journey. She shares what she has learned through her speaking, coaching, and writing. In this episode, we talk about creating a caregiving friendly work environment, preparing for a natural disaster, strategies for guilt-free decision making, and other valuable resources to help you navigate the caregiving journey. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod156 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://

Most people run away from the topics of death and dying but Registered Nurse and family caregiver Barbara Karnes runs toward it. She’s a quoted expert in many national media publications and has been awarded the NHPCO Innovator award for her decades as an end-of-life educator. She is a pioneer in the hospice industry and the author of what is referred to as “the little blue hospice book”.  In this episode, we talk about all things related to hospice and end of life. We dispel the popular myths, define the terms, and discover why Barbara continues to make this her life’s work. Show notes with product and resource links: https://bit.ly/HHCPod155 Receive the podcast in your email here: http://bit.ly/2G4qvBv Order a copy of Elizabeth's book Just for You: a Daily Self Care Journal: http://bit.ly/HHCjournal For podcast sponsorship opportunities contact Elizabeth: https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/contact-us/ The Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast is part of the Whole Care Network. Rate and Review the podca