Behind the Mask: COVID, Kids and Caregiving

Caregiver Andrea Couture juggles young children, caregiving during the COVID 19 pandemic, and stigma to share her father's Alzheimer's journey, seeking connection and support in a rural community. Andrea Couture, the author of "Embracing What Remains," brings a unique perspective to the podcast with her firsthand experience caring for her father, a surgeon diagnosed with dementia, while also raising young children. Her background in journalism and heartfelt storytelling offer valuable insights into the challenges and triumphs of her caregiving journey, especially navigating through the complexities of providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrea's willingness to share her family's journey with openness and honesty provides comfort and support to others who may be facing similar experiences. Her memoir and active involvement within the Alzheimer's community showcase her dedication to raising awareness and creating a sense of community among caregivers. In this episode, you will be able to: Uncover the impact of COVID-19 on Alzheimer's caregiving and learn strategies to navigate through it.Understand the importance of sharing Alzheimer's experiences and how it can positively impact caregivers and families.Explore writing as a powerful form of Alzheimer's advocacy and its potential to make a difference. Impact of COVID-19 on Alzheimer's Caregiving Amid the global pandemic, Alzheimer's caregivers have faced more unique hurdles. As Andrea explained, managing in-home caregivers during COVID-19, the resulting anxieties, and ensuring safety gave rise to much distress. Understanding these challenges can provide viewpoints for creating effective strategies to assist caregivers in navigating similar situations now and in future crises. As a new member of the AlzAuthor sTeam, Andrea now serves as an Acquisition Editor and moderator of a new collaboration with Aging & Amazing - AlzAuthor's Books & Chit Chat," which will feature her book during the inaugural event on January 30, 2024. Purchase Embracing What Remains, which is available as a paperback, Kindle edition and on Audible. After the Podcast Register for AlzAuthors Books & Chit Chat on January 30, 2024 Purchase Embracing What Remains, which is available as a paperback, Kindle edition and on Audible. Note: We are an Amazon Associate and may receive a small commission on book sales at no cost to you. Read Andrea’s AlzAuthors post See Andrea on When Dad Has Dementia on YouTube Andrea Couture is an author and mother of three children. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. Embracing What Remains is her first memoir and book. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, children, and dog. Connect with Andrea Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter About the Podcast AlzAuthors is the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Our podcast introduces you to our authors who share their stories and insights to provide knowledge, comfort, and support. Please subscribe so you don’t miss a word. If our authors’ stories move you, please leave a review. And don’t forget to share our podcast with family and friends on their own dementia journeys. We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization totally reliant on donations to do what we do. Your generosity will help cover our many operating costs, which include website hosting and maintenance fees, service charges to keep things running smoothly, and marketing expenses to promote our authors, expand our content, improve our reach, and more. Our ongoing work supports our mission to lift the silence and stigma of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. To sustain our efforts please visit https://alzauthors.com/donate/ . Thank you for listening. We are a WCN Featured Podcast. Proud to be on The Health Podcast Network. Want to be on the podcast? Here’s what you need to know. Shop our Store

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Welcome to the AlzAuthors podcast! We’re so glad you found us. We are the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Join us as one of our authors shares their dementia journey, revealing intimate details and painfully obtained knowledge to help others currently on this path. We hope our stories offer comfort and support as we strive to break the silence and stigma surrounding a dementia diagnosis. May one of our authors speak to your experience. For more info please visit https://alzauthors.com. Featuring Marianne Sciucco, RN Podcast producer and host Marianne Sciucco is a co-founder and director at AlzAuthors and a registered nurse who cared for hundreds of dementia patients over a 20-year career. She provided care to her stepfather during his dementia journey and witnessed the painful decline of four beloved aunts to the disease. Her novel, "Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer’s love story," is based on a couple she met through her work and is a testament to the power of love in the face of this heart-wrenching disease. Learn more about Marianne at AlzAuthors.com. Purchase "Blue Hydrangeas" Featuring Christy Byrne Yates, M.S., LEP Christy is a Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP), retired school psychologist, author, speaker and coach/consultant. Her book, “Building a Legacy of Love: Thriving in the Sandwich Generation” recounts her journey as a working mother of two who also managed the care of her parents, both of whom had some form of dementia. Combining her lived experience with her professional expertise in human development, wellness and a strengths based approach to finding solutions, Christy develops content, workshops and coaching to support Sandwiched families. She incorporates meditation, mindfulness and other evidence based mind/body practices into her work. She’s worked with care communities, financial professionals, estate planners and employers. Christy has a master’s degree in counseling psychology, and graduate credentials in both education and school psychology. Learn more about Christy at AlzAuthors.com. AlzAuthors is an Amazon Affiliate and may receive a small commission on book sales at no cost to you.