It’s a familiar story to so many of us: Taking on the role of caregiver for an ailing older parent(s) and in the process, losing touch with the life we previously had. As we know, caregiving for a loved one can be an all-consuming task, but somehow, journalist Kitty Eisele managed to take notes, and create a diary, while caring for her Dad, journalist Al Eisele, who died this year at the age of 85, following the 2016 death of his wife of over 50 years. By stealing away a few moments at a time during her years as a caregiver, Eisele has managed to give us all the gift of a new podcast she’s created, Demented, which tells the story over several episodes of how she became “the parent of her parent” as her dad slowly succumbed to memory and health declines. Part audio diary and part conversation with close friends and experts, this newly released podcast addresses both the nitty-gritty of daily caregiving (the hands-on care, keeping track of medications, etc) along with broader societal issues about how to pay for such care and how to manage the burdens of care as an unpaid family caregiver. The title of the podcast comes from the realization that while her father was experiencing cognitive decline, his daughter was in fact the one losing her mind. 

To get the word out and promote this podcast, Eisele recently sat down with the Texas Public Radio show The Source, and you can listen to that interview here. She was also recently interviewed by NPR broadcaster Scott Simon, and you can listen to their conversation here. The Demented podcast is available wherever you find your usual podcasts, and you can also keep up on podcast episodes by following its Instagram account here.

Along similar lines, but perhaps with more humor, is the podcast People With Parents, which is the creation of stand-up comedian Leighann Lord. Named one of the 10 Podcasts for Older Adults That Promise to Entertain—and Enlighten by the Wall Street Journal, Lord uses this podcast to discuss her caregiving responsibilities for both of her parents. For some laughs (and perhaps a sense of shared responsibilities) you can watch her do a stand-up routine about her caregiving role by clicking here.