The Caregivers Podcast

The Complete Guide to Hospice Care w/ Les Harp

In this weeks episode, Dr. Mark Ropeleski sits down with hospice nurse, clinical educator, and content creator Les Harp (@thathospiceguy). After unexpectedly becoming a caregiver and losing two wives to cancer, Les turned his profound personal grief into a life mission to educate families and healthcare professionals about the reality of end-of-life care. In this deeply moving and honest conversation, Dr. Mark and Les dismantle the biggest myths surrounding hospice, discuss how to handle shifting goals of care, and explore the heavy emotional toll—including anticipatory grief and burnout—carried by family caregivers. Whether your family is currently navigating an end-of-life diagnosis or you simply want to understand this inevitable stage of life with more humanity and less fear, this episode is for you. Click here to watch a video of this episode. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iouaN_Emug] Support Our Guest: ▶️ TikTok: that.hospice.guy ▶️ IG: that_hospice_guy ▶️ YouTube: ThatHospiceGuy ▶️ Facebook: That Hospice Guy (https://www.facebook.com/p/That-Hospice-Guy-61584427606316/) Connect With Us: ▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast [https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast] Subscribe to The Caregivers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. If you find these conversations helpful, please leave a review or share this episode with a fellow caregiver. Listen: 🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c [https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c] 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665]

"Promise Me You’ll Never Put Me in a Home”: When Families Face Long-Term Care w/ Janice Martin

In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, host Dr. Mark Ropeleski sits down with senior living expert Janice Martin to unpack the hidden traps families fall into during this challenging stage. From navigating the guilt of a "never put me in a home" promise to managing intense sibling friction over inheritance versus care costs, this conversation brings to light the realities families are often afraid to say out loud. We also explore the practical side of senior housing: baseline costs, level-of-care price thresholds, resident rights regarding personal habits, intimacy in care facilities, and how to recognize the tipping point of true caregiver burnout. Click here to watch a video of this episode. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTjZLX0QAjk] Support Our Guest: ▶️ Book a call, buy a book, & more: https://stan.store/seniorliaison ▶️ The Complete Guide To Assisted Living: https://amzn.to/4u3Cnb4 ▶️ The Journey To Assisted Living: Expectation vs. Reality: https://amzn.to/3P1lCi1 Connect With Us: ▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast [https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast] Subscribe to The Caregivers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. If you find these conversations helpful, please leave a review or share this episode with a fellow caregiver. 🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c [https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c] 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665]

Setting Boundaries Without the Guilt: A Caregiver's Guide to Healing w/ Greg Fougere

Caregiving is often framed through the lens of love and duty, but what happens when it becomes an old survival role? In this episode, Dr. Mark Ropeleski sits down with trauma-informed coach Greg Fougere to explore the deep-rooted family patterns, nervous system responses, and "self-abandonment" that often drive the default caregiver. We dive into the concept of parentification - where children become the emotional regulators for their parents - and how these childhood adaptations create a "survival mode" baseline that leads to extreme burnout in adulthood. If you’ve ever felt like you can’t keep going but you also can't stop, this conversation is for you. Click here to watch a video of this episode. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eF2nOlwFE0] Support Our Guest: ▶️Website: https://healoutloud.info [https://healoutloud.info] ▶️Book a call: https://start.healoutloud.info/simple-book-call-appt [https://start.healoutloud.info/simple-book-call-appt] ▶️TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greg.healoutloud [https://www.tiktok.com/@greg.healoutloud] ▶️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greg.healoutloud/ [https://www.instagram.com/greg.healoutloud/] ▶️YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Greg.HealOutLoud [https://www.youtube.com/@Greg.HealOutLoud] ▶️Email: greg@healoutloud.info [greg@healoutloud.info] Connect With Us: ▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast [https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast] Subscribe to The Caregivers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. If you find these conversations helpful, please leave a review or share this episode with a fellow caregiver. 🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c [https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c] 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665]

The Hidden Family Dynamics That Break Caregivers | Amy Vasterling on Narcissism and Care

Are you a family caregiver who feels trapped by unfair family dynamics? In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark Ropeleski welcomes author Amy Vasterling to discuss how family conditioning can strip away a caregiver’s identity. Amy shares insights from her book, Know, explaining why boundaries are often treated as betrayal in enmeshed families and how caregivers can reclaim their inner truth. The conversation dives deep into the difference between The Model (social and family control) and The Knowing (our innate truth). Amy and Dr. Mark explore the unique challenges faced by Highly Sensitive People (HSP) in caregiving roles, the hidden control within enabling behaviors like worry and guilt, and practical strategies for navigating siblings who refuse to share the load. If you have ever felt like the family scapegoat or struggle with the false moral standard of total sacrifice, this episode provides the language and tools you need to find safety and choice again.   Click here to watch a video of this episode. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOOcnjNtJ3w] About Our Guest Amy Vasterling is an author and researcher who helps individuals reclaim their inner truth from social and family conditioning. Her book, Know: Where the Status Quo Ends and You Come to Life, offers a handhold for those navigating complex emotional systems. Support Amy ▶️"Know": https://mybook.to/knowbyamyvasterling [https://mybook.to/knowbyamyvasterling] ▶️ https://linktr.ee/amyvasterling [https://linktr.ee/amyvasterling] ▶️ https://amyvasterling.com [https://amyvasterling.com] Connect With Us ▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast [https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast] Subscribe to The Caregivers Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. If you find these conversations helpful, please leave a review or share this episode with a fellow caregiver. 🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c [https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c] 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665]

Is It Time For Assisted Living? w/ Janice Martin

When is it truly time to transition a parent or loved one into assisted living? In this episode of The Caregivers Podcast, Dr. Mark Ropeleski sits down with senior placement expert Janice Martin to pull back the curtain on the elder care industry. From navigating the 72-hour Medicare discharge crisis to the staggering reality of home care costs (which can exceed $21,000/month), Janice provides a roadmap for families feeling overwhelmed and guilty. We explore how to identify the subtle red flags of decline, how to choose a facility based on care rather than pretty furniture, and why the phrase "I love you too much to let you live like this" is the most powerful tool in a caregiver's arsenal.  Click here to watch a video of this episode. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe5R2pQ51Us] Support Janice: ▶️ Book a call, buy a book, & more: https://stan.store/seniorliaison [https://stan.store/seniorliaison] ▶️ The Complete Guide To Assisted Living: https://amzn.to/4u3Cnb4 [https://amzn.to/4u3Cnb4] ▶️ The Journey To Assisted Living: Expectation vs. Reality: https://amzn.to/3P1lCi1 [https://amzn.to/3P1lCi1] ▶️ https://www.instagram.com/Senior.liaison ▶️ https://www.tiktok.com/@Seniorliaisoncfl ▶️ https://www.facebook.com/janice.senior.liaison Follow us: ▶️ https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast [https://linktr.ee/thecaregiverspodcast] Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: 🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c [https://open.spotify.com/show/1fLSHPA7ZHbOpvrmcbfcd5?si=2a71d7c4e2e9427c] 🔊 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-caregivers-podcast/id1842203665]