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Episode 18 Wrap Up for 2024 and Thank You

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

Release Date: 11/14/2024

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

In this episode, John and Fran talk about the upcoming documentary "Caregiving" to be aired, Tuesday June 24 at 9PM on Public Broadcasting System (PBS) stations across the USA. It will also be available to watch via streaming on . The documentary is produced by Wellbeings , a family caregiver advocacy group , resource, and center for support. Produced by the actor Bradley Cooper (who cared for his Dad when he was diagnosed with cancer), and narrated by actress Uzo Aduba, Caregiving tells the personal stories of family caregivers, their triumphs, their challenges, fears and...

Season 2 Mid Season Update

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

It's been a while since we published a new episode. There has been a lot going on... with Fran's practice, with John's medical situatiuon, as well as personal things. We wanted to let you know what we have been up to, and also to let you know that we have not let you go! We have been talking, about next episode ideas, and plans for the balance of the year. As always, if there's a topic you want to hear about, let us know. We will do our best to research it and create an episode. In the meantime, hang tight-we will be back with new topics and new guests. And remeber-you are not alone.

Season 2 Episode 7 Navigating Clinical Trials

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

In this episode, John and Fran talk with an Oncology Pharmacist with a deep knowledge of the clinical trial world. We heard about the diferent phases of clinical trials, and what each means; when and where to look for clinical trials. We also heard about the rights and responsibilities of both the trial investigator as well as the patient. If you are considering joining a clinical trial, there is a lot of information to process. Hopefully this discussion will give you enough background to be able to ask the right questions. We have posted websites on our blog page that Dr Wong...

Season 2 Episode 6 Caregiving Stress Part 2

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

Caregiving is a marathon, not a sprint. The caregiving continuum takes a caregiver through all kind of responsibilties, tasks and pressures. In this episode, John and Fran talk about the pressure of caregiving at the end stages of treatment, whether that is remission and surveillance, or hospice and end of life decision making. As a caregiver, it is important to recognize, that even if your loved one is in remission, they are living in a body changed by the illness, and possibly the treatments. Alternatively, if you are facing end of treatment options, having those difficult conversations with...

Season 2 Episode 5 Dealing with Stress in Caregiving Part 1

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

There are many pressures people are dealing with in today's world. Watching the news, one sees wars, famines, natural disasters all around us. In our own personal world, prices, jobs, family, kids all contribute to a heightened anxiety. It seems a symptom of modern society. Add to this ambient stress levels, the added pressure of receiving a cancer diagnosis for a loved one, and the pressure is intensified. In this episode, John and Fran talk about the physiological and psychological responses to stressful situations, in particular the initial phases of caregiving. There are resources that can...

Season 2 Episode 4 Caregiving with Rare Cancers

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

Winston Churchill, in describing the old Soviet Union, once said "it is a riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigmna". When a loved one is diagnosed with a rare cancer, it can certainly feel that way. With limited information, and uncertainty about where to turn, a caregiver can feel incredibly lost and overwhelmed. Today John and Fran spoke with a woman, who cared for her husband Jeffrey, when he was diagnosed with rare appendiceal cancer. She talked openly and candidly about her journey and what she learned along the way. February is rare disease awareness month,...

Episode 3 Handling Medications

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

When we become caregiver, we take on many roles and wear many hats. Nurse, advocate, cheerleader, chief paperwork officer, to name a few. One of the most important roles we play is the handling and administration of medications for your loved one. With advances in pharmaceuticals, there are many anti-cancer drugs that can be taken orally as opposed to intravenously. That allows patients to avoid the infusion centers and risk of infection with an IV. However, the benefits of oral meds means more diligence required by the caregiverr to help administer and handle meds in a safe...

Season 2 Episode 2 Friendship and Caregiving

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

In this episode, John and Fran talk with two friends, Laurie and Bonnie, who shared the common experience of breast cancer patients, support group members and advocates for other patients. Their friendship took on a new dimension when Laurie was diagnosed with endometrial cancer, after 26 years remission of her breast cancer. Laurie and Bonnie open up about that journey, and how Bonnie ,almost organically stepped into the role as caregiver to her friend. Their's is a story of strength, courage and bonds of friendship that is both endearing and...

Season 2 - We're Back!!

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

It's been a while, we know. Holidays, moving, caregiving, and life in general kept us away from the podcast microphone. But we are back! Fran and John share what the holidays were like for them, and discussideas for upcoming episodes. Season 2 should prove to be quite interesting and informative. Above all, we want Caregiver Companion to be a place where you can come, at the end of long day, and listen to people who have been, or are still on your same journey. Our message is 'you are not alone", and our mission is provide you, as a caregiver, a sense of community and...

Episode 18 Wrap Up for 2024 and Thank You

Caregiver Companion-A Guide for the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients

More Episodes

This is our final episode for 2024. We will be back in 2025 with more topics and guests. It was a little over a year ago that the idea for this podcast was born. In 2019, I wanted to do something to help cancer patients and their familes, and by what I believe to be Divine Providence, I met my good friend Ray, who also lost his spouse to cancer. Ray introduced me to people at the local hospital where he volunteered, and we formed and developed a support group for family caregivers of cancer patients. There I met Dr Fran Baumgarten, and we all collaborated on the support group. That was 2019, and the support group has been running ever since. While the feedback has been very positive, we are able to reach only those patients and their families at the cancer center. Last year I began thinking about how to reach more people, and make it easier to access, and the podcast idea was born. I spoke with Fran about possibly joining me as a guest from time to time. To my great joy, Fran was all in, and agreed to co-host with me. So we were off and running. Of course neither of us knew anthing about podcasting. A crash course ensued. We recruited support, and thanks to my neice Toni-Anne, herself a podcaster, who gave us advice, introductions to tech people, and pointed us in the right direction. And a special thanks to my talented son Danny, who created our podcast cover art, as well as all the graphics and artwork used for the slides with our suport group. I know this means a great deal to him to lend his great talents to this cause, and I appreciate him so much. This podcast has exceeded our expectations beyond compare. After 17 episodes we have over 1,000 downloads, and are heard around the globe, including the US, Canada, Greece, Australia, Russia, France, Brazil, Romania, Argentina, Sweden and Bangladesh.

We want to say a big THANK YOU to all our listeners. Your listenership tells us we are providing something helpful and of value to you. You encourage us to keep bringing interesting guests and meaningful topics to you.

We are now planning next year's episodes, and if you have suggestions, comments, questions or ideas please reach out to us, through our website www.caregivercompanion.libsyn.com or through our email [email protected]

Also, if you need support or help from a therapist. Reach our to Fran's Place www.centerforcancercounseling.org There you can find help at little to no cost.

We want to wish you peaceful, restful and joyful holiday season. Take one step at a time, take care of yourselves, and continue on.

I want to leave you with the words of theoretical physicist Wald Wasserman....

"Life's purpose is companionship, friendship, love... and none of that could be experienced without you, so thank you, thank you, thank you"

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