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S4E06: Caregiving Beyond Life: One Woman's Journey of Caring for Her Late Husband's Mother | Alison Pena
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Summary
In this episode of the Aging Together podcast, Dr. Pooja A. Patel interviews Allison Penna, a grief resilience coach, who shares her personal journey of caregiving and navigating grief after the loss of her husband. Allison discusses the challenges of caregiving, the importance of setting boundaries, and the need for self-care. She emphasizes the significance of building new networks and reconnecting with oneself after loss. The conversation highlights the often misunderstood nature of grief and the essential role of love and support in the caregiving process.
Takeaways
- Grief resilience is a life skill everyone can develop.
- Caregiving often leads to a loss of identity for caregivers.
- Setting boundaries is crucial for caregivers' mental health.
- Grief is often misunderstood, leading to isolation.
- Reconnecting with oneself is essential after loss.
- Building new networks is important after losing a loved one.
- Caregivers need to prioritize self-care and love themselves.
- Focus on quality time over completing tasks in caregiving.
- Grief can change relationships, requiring new boundaries.
- It's important to surround oneself with supportive people.
About the Guest
Alison Pena aka Bad Widow is a NYC-based grief resilience coach, speaker and bestselling author of The Bad Widow Guide to Life After Loss: Moving Through Grief to Live and Love Again. She became a primary caregiver during her husband's battle with cancer and a widow, when David died in 2016. He left her his mother, Joyce, to care for, since he was an only child. Alison has been her primary caregiver for the last 9 years, keeping her safe and loved at home until just before her 102nd birthday. Each phase of Joyce's increasing health issues brought new challenges they faced together.
Everyone grieves someone or something. That makes grief resilience a life skill. Alison developed Life After Grief Blueprint coaching for her bereaved clients with time-tested ways from her own experience to reconnect with themselves, re-engage in the world, reinvent their identities, rebuild their networks and reset their paths forward.
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The Aging Together Caregiver Hub is a FREE community for family caregivers of older adults. Join us today to find a peer network and access our learning studio with simple, bite-sized content, resources, and a support group.
S4 Sponsor: SafetyGrip, by Hartmobility
Patented anti-slip grip technology for all your home safety needs.
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