Episode 9: Lonely on Both Sides

Episode 9: Lonely on Both Sides

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2522183/open_sms] My mom says she feels lonely — forgotten — locked away from the world.  And yet, she chooses not to leave her room. Not for meals. Not for activities. Not even when we offer to go with her. In this episode, I talk about the complicated reality of loving someone who is safe, cared for, and still deeply isolated — and how some patterns of loneliness don’t begin with illness, but quietly precede it. This is a conversation about ambiguous grief, boundaries, and the hard truth that we can’t want connection more than someone else is willing to accept it. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522183/support]

Episode 8: When the Caregiver Needs Care

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2522183/open_sms] Sometimes caregiving asks more of us than we realize — until our own bodies tap us on the shoulder and say, “It’s your turn.” After a three-month pause, I’m back to talk about why I had to step away: navigating my own health challenges, learning what it means to stop pouring from an empty cup, and finding my way back without everything being neatly resolved. This episode isn’t about having answers — it’s about giving ourselves permission to rest, reset, and return when we can. If you’ve ever disappeared for a while just to survive… this one’s for you. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522183/support]

Episode 7: Fish, Face, and Other Notes

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2522183/open_sms] Dementia isn’t just grief and red tape. Sometimes, it’s sitcoms, imaginary fish, and your mom asking why her face keeps disappearing. In this episode, I share some of the most memorable, surreal, and unexpectedly tender things my mom has said over the last two years. These quotes—these “notes”—are fragments of her changing reality, but they still carry her voice, her humor, and her heart. From wedding venues that don’t exist, to heartfelt confusion about whether she still has a second job, these moments are as absurd as they are emotional. They remind me (and maybe you too) that even when memory fades, love and identity find strange ways to stay present. If you’ve ever laughed and cried in the same breath, this one’s for you. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522183/support]

Episode 6: “Good Days Are Still Hard”

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2522183/open_sms] What do you do when your loved one with dementia has a “good day”—but it still hurts? In this episode, I talk about the strange emotional terrain of almost. When my mom remembers something… and then forgets it 20 minutes later. When she smiles, laughs, even calls me by name—but still believes she needs to leave for work in the morning. These are the days that look like progress from the outside, but carry a quiet grief on the inside. Because sometimes the hardest part of dementia caregiving isn’t the chaos—it’s the clarity that doesn’t last. I also break to the present moment, over two years into our Wernicke-Korsakoff journey, to reflect on what she’s relearned, how time gets warped, and why she still believes she should be living a life that no longer exists. This one’s for anyone who’s ever felt guilty that the “better” days still break your heart. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522183/support]

Episode 5: Calling from the Hostage Situation

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2522183/open_sms] What do you do when your mom calls from the nursing home and says she’s being held hostage by her ex-boyfriend from 15 years ago? In this episode, I talk about the stage of caregiving no one prepares you for:  👉 the daily phone calls  👉 the delusions  👉 and the emotional whiplash of comforting someone inside a reality you can’t share. I also talk about what it feels like to become your parent’s emotional anchor—and the strange comfort that comes from being the person they call, even when they don’t know exactly where they are. If you’ve ever taken a deep breath before answering the phone… this one’s for you. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522183/support]