Dementia Caregiver’s Story – A Transparent Look

Rayna Neises, your host, speaks with Carolyn Birrell.  Carolyn worked for the American Cancer Society at their National Headquarters and then as a real estate agent before retiring to Idaho. Soon after her move across the county, Carolyn made the difficult decision to relocate her aging mother, Fay, to be near her. She then spent the next eight years caring for Fay while she journeyed with dementia. Carolyn’s documentation of their time together led to her book, “Walking with Fay”. She describes it as the book she was searching for but could not find during her time as a Caregiver. She provides the following insights:  

• (5:14)  Typically, caregiving for a parent falls on one child’s shoulders. 
• (7:00)  When caring for a person with dementia, it is at times necessary to just answer their questions in a way you think is going to make them happy.
• (8:00)  Deciding when the time is right to take over your loved one’s care can be difficult.
• (14:00)  The pages of her book came from email interactions she had with friends describing the situations she experienced while caring for her mother.
• (16:27)  The book is unique in that Carolyn admitted her mistakes and her feelings for the average reader to benefit from.
• (17:07)  Contact Carolyn at her website www.carolynbirrell.com and order her book there or anywhere you can buy books online.  
• (17:42)  Please leave reviews online as they are very important for the algorithms used by the sites as well as enabling others to find the book.  
• (18:07)  This conversation has been brought to you by the Encouragement Series created just for you to encourage, inspire, and offer you hope in this season of life. By joining, you can learn some new tips and tricks to help you take care of yourself. Enroll today at www.EncouragementSeries.com.

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Rayna Neises A Season of Caring

Rayna Neises understands the joys and challenges that come from a season of caring. She helped care for both of her parents during their separate battles with Alzheimer’s over a thirty-year span. She is able to look back on those days now with no regrets – and she wishes the same for everyone caring for aging parents.

Rayna is the author of No Regrets: Hope for Your Caregiving Season, an ICF certified coach, the host of “A Season of Caring” podcast, Positive Approach® to Care (PAC)Independent Certified Trainer and speaker who is passionate about offering encouragement, support, and resources for regret-free caring aimed at preventing family caregivers from aimlessly wandering through this important season of life.

Rayna lives on a farm in southeast Kansas with her husband, Ron, and small pack of adorable dogs. She is the baby of her family, but most would never guess that. She is a former teacher who enjoys crafts of all kinds and spending time with her grandkids most of all.