Claim OwnershipIn Sickness
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© 2020 Allison Breininger and Justin Bajema
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Listen in as Allison Breininger and Justin Bajema, millennial caregivers for their chronically ill spouses, speak honestly about what life is like when there are more days spent in sickness than in health.
117 Episodes
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Justin and Allison have each been caregiving for more than a decade. In this episode, they talk about how things have changed for them as they’ve gotten older, learned things about themselves and the health care system, and had countless experiences, both positive and negative. --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Wednesday, October 1, from 6:00-7:15pm CT. Register Here!
After a summer full of surgeries and hospitalizations for her husband, Allison reflects on what it felt like in the days and weeks after those crises as she recovered from all they went through. She and Justin share what those moments can feel like, what they have found to be helpful, and how supporters can help. --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Monday, September 15, from 6:00-7:15pm CT. Register Here!
In this episode, Allison and Justin speak with Alec Wendelboe, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the MN Brain Injury Alliance and MN Stroke Association about how people living with chronic conditions and those who are caregiving have a higher likelihood of experiencing suicidal ideation. They discuss why this is, what that may look and feel like, and where to get support. --- MN Brain Injury Alliance MN Stroke Association Resource Facilitation Program Mental Health First Aid 988 Lifeline --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Thursday, September 4, from 6:00-7:15pm CT. Register Here!
Justin and Allison both care not only for their spouses, but also pets in their homes. In this episode, they talk about the process of deciding to add pets to their families and the ups and downs they’ve experienced since, specifically related to their caregiving role.
Jessica Kim was the primary caregiver for her mother with pancreatic cancer and later her father with congestive heart failure, both of whom lived their final years in her home. In this conversation, Jessica shares how these two caregiving scenarios impacted her life, family, and home, how she managed her relationship with her siblings throughout, and how this role inspired her to create ianacare. --- ianacare.com --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Monday July 7 from 6:00-7:15om CT. Register Here!
The first line of the “I’m Part of the Story” song written by Priscilla Momah for The Negative Space “I’m supposed to be the strong one that rises up when the storm comes,” inspired this conversation in which Justin and Allison talk about how caregivers commonly feel or are told that they need to be strong.
Priscilla Momah is a soul-nourishing song weaver who supports healing and community through the power of sound and music. In this episode, she talks with Justin and Allison about how music and sound can support caregivers and those they are caring for. --- www.cocowombwellness.com Sound Medicine The Healing Power of Sound --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Monday, June 9 from 6:00-7:15om CT. Register Here!
In this episode, Allison and Justin discuss what their lives may have looked like if their partners had not ever gotten sick, the good things that have come from being on this path, and the parts they would never have chosen to experience. --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Tuesday May 27 from 6:00-7:15om CT. Register Here!
Becoming a caregiver can flip life on its head, upending so much of what we thought we knew and could count on. In this episode, Justin and Allison talk about all the ways caregiving has left them feeling dizzy and unmoored over the years and present some strategies they have found to be helpful. --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Monday, May 12 from 6:00-7:15om CT. Register Here! --- insickness.care | thenegativespace.life
A terrible car accident left Kelly Lang and her young daughter with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). In this episode, she shares what happened and what it has been like parenting a child with a TBI while living with one herself. --- substack Instagram Kelly Lundin Lang Facebook The Miracle Child Facebook Page LinkedIn The Miracle Child The Miracle Child: Traumatic Brain Injury and Me --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Thursday, May 1 from 6:00-7:15 CT. Register Here! --- insickness.care | thenegativespace.life
The time, energy, and money that is involved with caregiving can often mean that hobbies a caregiver used to enjoy are no longer available to them. In this episode, Allison and Justin talk about hobbies they used to have, ones that are new since becoming caregivers, and ones that have been adapted. Also included are clips and quotes from caregivers of all kinds who submitted their thoughts on this topic. --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Monday, April 14 from 6:00-7:15 CT. Register Here!
Rodolfo Nieto cares for his wife, Clare, who has struggled with both Dissociative Identity Disorder and Pancreatitis. In this episode, he shares what it's like to care for both her mental and physical health needs, what that's meant for their relationship, and the impact it's had on his life. --- The Unseen Divide - A Personal Passage from a Spousal Caregiver --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Sunday, March 30 from 6:00-7:15 CT. Register Here!
Oncologist Dr. Arjun Gupta’s team has coined the term “time toxicity,”which refers to the significant time investment required for cancer patients and their caregivers to undergo cancer treatment and related activities. In this episode, he talks with Allison and Justin about how he came to be invested in the needs of caregivers and what his team has learned and hopes to accomplish with their research on time toxicity. Note: while Dr. Gupta’s research focuses on cancer patients and caregivers, his learnings transfer to many if not all types of caregivers. --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Sunday, March 16, from 6:00-7:15 CT. Register here!
Many caregivers end up caring for not just one, but multiple family members, often concurrently. In this episode, Justin and Allison discuss how and why this happens, the impact this can have on caregivers, the boundaries that can be established, and the adaptations that can be made, as well as how supporters can help. --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Monday, March 3, from 6:00-7:15 CT. Register here.
When going through the challenges of caregiving, it’s common for caregivers to struggle to find a safe place to vent. Caregivers may hesitate to share with their loved one, friends may not get it, and some are worried to burden other caregivers with their hard things. Despite all of this, not venting isn’t an option. In this episode, Allison and Justin discuss all of this as well as strategies for both caregivers and supporters. --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Tuesday, February 18, from 6-7:15 pm CT. Register here.
Trauma-informed yoga therapist, Jacqueline Vlietstra talks with Justin and Allison about the basics of nervous system regulation, how short and long-term caregiving impacts our nervous systems, and ways in which caregivers can find wellbeing in the midst of it all. --- Yoga for Resilience --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on February 3 from 6:00-7:15pm CT. Register here.
As caregivers, it can feel as if our loved one’s health is in the driver’s seat and that there are few parts of our lives over which we have control. In this episode, Allison and Justin share ways in which they have been maintaining or taking back their agency in various aspects of their lives and how supporters can help. --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Tuesday, January 22 from 6:00-7:15pm CT. Register here.
Internet friends who had bonded over caregiving, Justin and Allison set out to record six episodes of a podcast in early 2020. In this, their 100th episode, they look back at how far they’ve come, favorite moments along the way, the impact this podcast has had on them, and what they hope for next as well as listen to messages sent in from listeners.
Becoming a caregiver can happen at any age, and while there are some universal truths, the age and stage of life that a person is in when this occurs can impact the way this feels and unfolds. In this episode, Allison (44) and Justin (42) talk with Ella Whitlecroft (23), Glenn Nishida (65), and Harriette Manis (74) about how the age and place in life they were in when they began caregiving played a role in their life decisions, finances, education, employment, and relationships. -- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Sunday, November 24, from 6:00 - 7:15 pm CT. Register here. -- Episode 100 is coming up and we'd love for you to be a part of it. You can call us at (360)389-2334 and leave a message sharing a favorite moment, memory, or episode, what the podcast has meant to you, or anything else you'd like to share. We'll collect the messages and share some as part of our 100th epsiode. Thanks for listening!
There are people in our lives who, because of biology or proximity, we would expect to show up for us in our times of need, and it can be especially painful when they don’t. In this episode, Justin and Allison talk about the grief and disappointment when people close to us don’t show up, but also the beauty when other, less expected connections, do. --- Join us for an online support group related to this episode on Monday, November 4, from 6:00 - 7:15 pm CT. Sign up here! --- Episode 100 is coming up and we'd love for you to be a part of it. You can call us at (360)389-2334 and leave a message sharing a favorite moment, memory, or episode, what the podcast has meant to you, or anything else you'd like to share. We'll collect the messages and share some as part of our 100th epsiode. Thanks for listening!
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Allison and Justin, Thank you for your podcast, which addresses so many important topics about spousal caregiving. However, I'm having a very hard time getting past your excessive use of the word like.