Whole Caregiver

Grief Part 2

In this episode, we continue our conversation about grief. We get more specific about ways we have coped with grief and provide examples of how others can be supported in their grief. You'll notice we both identify the important role counseling has played in our lives and grief experiences. And, we highlight other strategies including bereavement support groups, exercise, mindfulness, music, visual arts, writing, and connecting with others. As you consider what you might need, remember that each person is different. Your way may not be our way. Please also remember that there is support if you are in crisis.
Reach out to a mental health professional immediately if you are in crisis. Here are some additional resources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
https://www.crisistextline.org/
Here are some resources for coping with grief:
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2017/10/coping-grief
https://www.mskcc.org/news/coping-grief-7-things-remember-when-dealing-loss
https://www.mhanational.org/bereavement-and-grief
Here are some helpful tips about how to help others in their grief:
https://ctrinstitute.com/blog/supporting-someone-through-grief/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2021/10/27/five-ways-you-can-use-your-own-experience-of-loss-to-help-others-who-are-grieving/?sh=26ad400e298c
Here is some information about mindfulness with some exercises:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356
Here is a Medium post from us about grief and joy:
https://medium.com/@TheCaregiverRevolution/2c67341665a4?source=friends_link&sk=60d5c4b50acaa20a4121a2f2ac7bc34f
 

Grief Part 1

The holidays can be a difficult time where grief may seem more profound. Grief and loss are pretty universal experiences, and can be part of the fabric of family caregiving. We can grieve the loss of health, the loss of a future, loss of relationships, loss related to death, among other losses. For the next two episodes, we will talk about the nature of grief and loss. We will also introduce strategies to cope with grief or support others during grief. 
For this first episode, we focus on a clip of Andrew Garfield from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u_TswLQ4ws
In this interview, Andrew Garfield touches on several topics including grief as a form of love, using his art to honor his mother who he is grieving, and sewing up our wounds through connection and art. 
We discuss the relevance of these factors in our own lives and experiences. We identify complicated grief, but do not go into depth with this. We have provided this link about complicated grief: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/complicated-grief/symptoms-causes/
If you feel that you may be experiencing complicated grief, please reach out to a trusted friend, family member, and health care provider. We have also provided a list of resources for grief, crisis, or mental health.
https://hopeforbereaved.com/
https://optionb.org/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
If you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or others, please seek care with a mental health professional immediately. We have also provided these resources:
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
https://www.crisistextline.org/
Here is a Medium post from us about grief and joy:
https://medium.com/@TheCaregiverRevolution/2c67341665a4?source=friends_link&sk=60d5c4b50acaa20a4121a2f2ac7bc34f
 

Caregiving Origin Story: Erna

Last episode we took a deep dive with Megan and her caregiving origin story. Now, we are privileged to hear more about Erna's journey with family caregiving. Erna is a marketing executive for a non-profit company focused on health equity. She is also founder of her own company U*Realized that focuses on accessible solutions for family caregivers. If that was not enough, she has had over twenty years of experience in the business sector. She brings important insights about the intersection of work and family caregiving. 
Here is an article that provides a great overview about Erna: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-erna-alfred-liousas/
Here is an example of one of Erna's brilliant family caregiving innovations: https://www.cg360.info/aboutus
 
Music Credit: Sunshower by shandr from Free to Use Music

Caregiving Origin Story: Megan

In this episode, we take a deeper dive with Megan to understand her family caregiving origin story. 
Here is a brief article about her and part of her journey: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-megan-thomas-hebdon/
Megan is a nursing professor, family caregiving researcher, and current family caregiver to her three children with chronic health conditions. Her work as a researcher focuses on well-being for family caregivers. 
Here we have linked out to several research articles she has published addressing family caregivers and well-being:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10448700/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10365074/
 
Music Credit: Sunshower by shandr from Free to Use Music

The Whole Caregiver Introduction

Welcome to our podcast! We are Erna Alfred Liousas and Megan Hebdon (The Caregiver Revolution), and we are excited to launch this podcast where we will explore all things family caregiving. We believe in addressing the holistic needs of family caregivers, and that is why we have named our podcast, "The Whole Caregiver." Much of what we will talk about will focus on family caregiving issues in early and middle adulthood, but this podcast has relevance for everyone. We believe this quote from Rosalynn Carter:
"There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers."
We have a Medium site that you can check out as well: https://medium.com/@TheCaregiverRevolution
 
Music Credit: Sunshower by shandr from Free to Use Music