This Caregiver Life ™

What keeps you up at night? In this episode of #thiscaregiverlife we explore insomnia related to caregiving, tactics to help you cope, and resources you may find useful. We also read an excerpt of writing from caregiver and listener, Theresa Coomer. Read Theresa's blog, Peanut Butter in My Purse and Vitamin C in My Pocket: https://coomercaregiving.blogspot.com/.

If you're like a lot of caregivers, you likely find yourself saying "I'm exhausted", or "I can't sleep through the night".  Fall asleep or waking up and being unable to return to sleep plague caregivers like us! Here are a few tactics shared by other caregivers that may help:

• use a meditation or sleep assistance app
• practice mindful breathing
• listen to white noise/nature sounds-here's our favorite: https://amzn.to/3v98F6d 
• speak with your primary care physician - some caregivers benefit from taking supplements like melatonin or changing their diet
• practice good sleep hygiene, aka healthy habits such as getting up at the same time every day and keeping your room cool
• try aromatherapy such as an infuser, oils, Vicks patches, or using a laundry detergent like DIVA

We also review a book this week! Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD. Lots of great tips in this book. My favorite is, "if you fall asleep reading this book, it's a compliment!". You can purchase the book here for under $15 on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sCon8l. 

Thanks for joining us and we hope this episode helps you get some much-deserved Zzzzs! -Mar & Jenn

We all know how important it is for caregivers to focus on themselves. In this episode, Mar and Jenn discuss the powerful impact writing can have in the life of a caregiver. From journaling in a notebook to poetry and novels, caregivers everywhere are discovering the healing power of writing. Learn about writing prompts, which we will share in upcoming episodes and on social media. 

Want to dig deeper? Read Ann Lamott's Bird by Bird. 

Your hosts are authors, too. Though they have six books between them, they aren't done yet! Each has another book in the works!

Jenn's books: Friends for Life: Strangers Brought Together by the War in Iraq, Reassurance: Treasured Christian Poems, and Amateur Apothecary

Mar's books: Letters Home, Paws At Work, Thinking Through VA Benefits and Care: A Resource for Veterans with ALS and Their Caregivers and her blog: http://www.maryhahnward.com/

We'd love to read your writing on an upcoming episode. Email an excerpt to [email protected]. Thank you for listening!

After receiving an Alexa Echo Show for Christmas, Jenn found there were a number of tools that for caregivers and their loved ones, including the Care Hub. This free feature of Alexa-enabled devices works with the Alexa App and allows caregivers to remotely check in on care recipients. With an Echo device at your loved one's home and the Alexa app on your phone, you can see if they are being active, help set reminders and make list, and even get notified if they ask Alexa for help. Listen in as Mar and Jenn discuss technology and caregiving, and join the conversation on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages. 

Thanks for listening!

Join us to celebrate our 60th episode and two years of podcasting. Mar and Jenn are thankful for your support and to everyone who has shared this podcast to help other caregivers get through this caregiver life. 

If you are an author and would like your book considered for review on a future podcast, please see our website for submission details. 

Do you care for a loved one with Alzheimer's or memory disease? Visit wearehfc.org to find support and resources. 

*Hear strange noises during this episode? No worries, that's our special guest, Jenn's three-month-old granddaughter, Freyja. 

Our guests in this episode are Melissa Johnson and Melissa Comeau with the American Red Cross Military and Veteran Caregiver Network (MVCN). 

Melissa Johnson's husband is a combat veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm and was wounded in Iraq in 2006, leaving him with traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and blindness. Melissa reflects on the past 15 years of caregiving and shares her advice with those new to the challenge:

• Learn to live in recovery
• Recognize the cycles of caregiving
• Adapt to the transitions
• Accept today, don't worry about tomorrow

Melissa Comeau has been a caregiver for 10 years to her husband, a Marine Corps veteran with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress. She stresses the importance of controlling what you can and organizing what you can't! Her advice: don't lose yourself! Melissa has found journaling to be healing, and we encourage you to read her book, Sleeping With the War.  Follow updates and learn how to purchase a copy: https://www.facebook.com/sleepingwiththewr/. 

Learn about MVCN's use of the Rutgers Reciprocal Support Model, giving to yourself as you give to others. 

To connect with the American Red Cross directory for ALL caregivers, visit redcross.org/caregivers and herocare.auntbertha.com.

A great resource for anyone grieving a service member or veteran: taps.org.

Well, we made it to the end of 2020. What will 2021 look like? Who knows, but what we do know is that we will move forward with deliberate actions to make a difference. 

We wrap up the year with a reflection on our phenomenal growth. Thank you to our listeners around the globe, including those in the UK, Canada, Ireland, India, and Jamaica! This year we published over 1200 minutes of content over 33 episodes, and our followers increased 240%!

Links we mentioned in the show:

• David Kessler and Brené on
  Grief and Finding Meaning, https://brenebrown.com/podcast/david-kessler-and-brene-on-grief-and-finding-meaning/ 
• If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. Admiral McRaven's life lessons, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jflUvxQLkgs

This Caregiver Life is tough, and we appreciate each of you for sharing this journey with us. Best wishes to you and yours for Happy Holidays and a Bright 2021. - Mar & Jenn

Author and Caregiver Denise Brown is our guest for this episode of This Caregiver Life. After nearly 25 years running an online caregiving platform, really the first of its kind, Denise launched Through The Caregiving Years Training Academy in April of 2020, Denise offers training and leadership development opportunities for family caregivers and former family caregivers. Denise is currently caring for her parents, now 89 and 86, who live nearby in their own apartment.

She currently manages two online networks — HealingOurWay.com, focused on grieving and overcoming loss, and CaringOurWay.com, centered on resiliency and harnessing energy. In April 2021, she will host The Caring Conference which will feature workshops and sessions that reflect the conference theme, Our Resilient Spirit. 

Three days a week Denise poses Caring Questions, encouraging family caregivers to share their experiences by answering one question. Sharing our stories not only he's us heal, but it helps others on their journey, too! 

Connect with Denise:

• Caring Our Way: https://join.caringourway.com/

• Healing Our Way: https://join.healingourway.com/

• The Caring Question: https://caring.substack.com

• The Caregiving Years Training Academy: https://www.careyearsacademy.com

To kick off National Caregiver Month Megan Swanson joined us as our guest. Megan is the caregiver to her husband, Matt, a veteran, and the mom of three young boys. Megan is learning to find time for her mind and body this past year. She is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree and is actively engaging her body with kickboxing. In fact, when we chatted with Megan she had just returned from a kickboxing session and was radiant! We are giving a big shout out to Gabrieles Martial Arts for helping Megan achieve her fitness goals. 

One aspect of caregiving that we talked about that is a challenge for so many of us who live This Caregiver Life is social inclusivity by non-cargivers. This resonanted deeply with Jenn and Mar. 

November is the month we nationally recognize family caregivers from all walks of life. The theme this year is "Caregiving Around the Clock". The pandemic has burdened caregivers more than ever with all kinds of difficulties: more isolation, more lonesomeness, and challenges in accessing healthcare for their loved one and themselves. Because of the serious affects of COVID-19, more people need family caregivers than ever before. Mar and Jenn have shared the challenges they have faced, and continue to confront during the pandemic, know you are not alone. 

To share your story and/or share an idea for an upcoming podcast email us at [email protected]. 

#CaregivingAroundTheClock #ThisCaregiverLife #Caregivers  

"When I'm 64" is a brand new podcast by the Stanford Center on Longevity, and in this episode, Mar and Jenn chat with the show host, Ken Stern. Ken's worn many hats during his career, including 10 years at NPR where he was CEO. He's also an author, family man, and these days, a podcaster. "When I'm 64" explores topics from Altzheimers to caregiving in your 20s, and also features celebrity interviews with Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen who were inspired to start the nonprofit Hilarity for Charity, inspired by their first-hand the challenges of caregiving. 

During this show, we talked to Ken about UCLA's Steve Cole and his research on the link between our health and caregiving. Not only can stress make you sick, but giving and being kind can make you healthier! We learned a lot of Ken, and you will, too. Thanks for listening!

Thanks for joining us, and don't forget to like us on Facebook, send us a Tweet, and visit our website, where you can send us questions or even share your story. . 

We also ask that you give us a 5-star rating so we can reach even more listeners. We appreciate your support!

We LOVE International Podcast Day! Many podcasters are broadcasting live on September 30th International Podcast Day but since Jenn and Mar are super busy with all of the living life things like working, caregiving, self care, etc they did a special record! self-care. We love podcasting, it's that simple. It's one of the best endeavors we have ever involved ourselves in. Every single time we record a podcast we think about all of our sister and brother caregivers across the world living This Caregiver Life. We live it right alongside all of you, every day. We know the ups, downs, and in-between times.  Podcasting has been and will continue to be, a way to share our caregiver stories and resources. Join us in celebrating Internation Podcast Day by listening to This Caregiver Life podcasts, as well as, other podcasts. Mar recently started listening to Brené Brown's podcast: Unlocking Us. The first episode she relates to so well because she super struggles on 'first' and in particular thought, she would never be comfortable podcasting...yet here she is 54 episodes later and she loves it! There are so many good ones these days. Which ones do you like? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on social media at This Caregiver Life on Facebook and Instagram. 

#ThisCaregiverLife #Podcasting #InternationalPodcastDay