End-of-Life University

Learn about the current crisis in family caregiving and what you can do to help.

My guest Dr. Jessica Zitter is a specialist in Critical Care and Palliative Care medicine and the author of the book Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life. Her work is featured in the documentary Extremis as well as her new film, Caregiver: A Love Story. Today she discusses the current crisis situation for family caregivers who are drastically overworked with little support. This is one of the most important topics we can address for the future! Learn more at these websites:

www.jessicazitter.com

www.caregiveralovestory.com

Read the transcript here. Watch video on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

• What inspired Jessica to create Caregiver: A Love Story
• How film is a compelling medium for encouraging people to change their behavior
• How medical providers are often unaware of the stresses facing family caregivers
• More people are now dying at home than in the hospital which means there is huge need for caregivers
• 1 out of 5 Americans is caring for a loved one at home
• The burden experienced by caregivers is physical, mental and financial
• We need a workplace culture that supports caregivers
• Family caregivers are providing billions of dollars of unpaid work for an average of 4.5 years
• Hospitals and doctors are doing a poor job of preparing caregivers for the tasks they will face – The Care Act requires them to provide education (but it’s not happening)
• Hospice staffs are also burdened by the caregiver crisis
• We also need to build up and support professional paid caregivers

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Previous episodes dealing with caregiving: Jennifer O’Brien – Hospice Doctor’s Widow; Roz Jones – Training Family Caregivers; Dr. Leslie Kernisan – Help for Aging Parents
• Book recommendation: Living with Dying – Complete Guide for Caregivers by Jahnna Beecham and Katie Ortlip; Listen to interview here
• Host a screening of Caregiver: A Love Story and companion workshop
• Get Jessica’s book: Extreme Measures

• Leave me a message by email: karen@karenwyattmd.com, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
• Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
• Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
• Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
• Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

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