In honor of Nationwide Household Caregivers Month in November, the Social Well being Community hosted a panel to listen to from group members Richard Faust, Auldyn Matthews, and Frances McInerney about their experiences caring for family members. In case you are a well being chief who has been a caregiver, otherwise you’re at the moment caring for a cherished one, we encourage you to take a look at this panel.
Key takeaways
Advocacy is without doubt one of the most vital elements of being a caregiver. On this panel, the panelists dive into matters round self-care, advocating for his or her family members’ medicines and therapy, the analysis concerned as a caregiver, and extra. Auldyn and Frances add their distinctive views about what it’s prefer to be a “younger” caregiver and having to sacrifice sure elements of their lives with the intention to care for his or her cherished one. Whether or not you’re caring for a partner, mum or dad, or cherished one, these panelists cowl matters related to your journey.
In regards to the panelists
Richard Faust
Along with being a part of the group of ProstateCancer.internet contributors, Richard can also be a moderator for the location. His father-in-law was recognized with prostate most cancers within the spring of 2019.
Richard is a senior cross-site moderator for Well being Union (the mum or dad firm of ProstateCancer.internet) in addition to an completed communications specialist, author, and researcher in well being, science and expertise, and coverage. He was launched to Well being Union by his spouse, Kelly Mack, who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis and is a contributor on RheumatoidArthritis.internet.
Auldyn Matthews
Auldyn is the caregiver of her husband, Keegan, who was recognized with ankylosing spondylitis in 2014. Auldyn has at all times recognized Keegan with ache, even once they began courting over 10 years in the past. Through the years they’ve navigated docs, surgical procedures, and coverings to outline a brand new regular for his or her household.
After the beginning of their daughter in 2018, Keegan was recognized with extreme osteoarthritis in each hips from his AS and acquired a double hip alternative. All through her time as a caregiver, Auldyn has researched tons about AS, osteoarthritis in younger sufferers, and ache administration to assist Keegan in his illness.
Frances McInerney
As a major caregiver for her father, John, who was recognized with early-onset Alzheimer’s illness in 2017, Frances works in tandem together with her mom to navigate the ups and downs of this illness. Throughout her expertise dwelling with and caring for her dad, Frances has been in a position to make use of her experience as a speech-language pathologist to facilitate verbal and nonverbal communication, promote interpersonal relationships, and assist his independence with day by day dwelling expertise.
Frances’s ardour for advocating for people with neurological impairments reminiscent of Alzheimer’s illness, paired together with her intensive expertise with speech and language intervention, provides a novel perspective to the panel.
