5 Podcasts for Busy Caregivers

Caregivers are busy people. We don’t always have the time to cozy up with a book or even read a quick article. That’s why we’ve compiled some of our favorite caregiving podcasts here! Listen as you’re driving to pick up a prescription or going for a much-needed walk. Listen as you’re brushing your teeth or folding the laundry. Listen as you’re cooking dinner or filling pill organizers. Whatever you’re doing, play these podcasts in the background — and you’ll come away with valuable information, tips, stories, and advice. (Then pat yourself on the back for your effective multitasking!)

Included in Feedspot’s Top 10 Caregiver Podcasts for 2019, Happy Healthy Caregiver spotlights real family caregivers sharing the ways they feel their best — all while providing the best care. A new episode is available every other Wednesday. A favorite episode of ours is #50: Best Smartphone Apps for Family Caregivers. Find out about apps for avoiding traffic jams so you’re not wasting precious time, discover apps for meditation (gotta get that self care in!), and check out apps for finding support groups, among others. Listen here.

Caregiving.com contributes so much good to the caregiving community, including their thorough, enlightening podcasts which allow you a fly-on-the-wall experience for conversations about different caregiving experiences. A favorite episode of ours is #65: A Caregiving Boost: Silliness. In this episode, Kathy Koenig speaks to the idea that silliness is imperative to the caregiving experience — something that our Caregiving Advice team has emphasized many times! Laughing is truly the only way to make it through the ups and downs of caregiving, and this episode is a thoughtful look into the very idea of how silliness nourishes our vitality and creativity. Listen here.

Chris MacLellan, author of What’s the Deal with Caregiving, adds his own personal flair to his podcast, Healing Ties, in which he uses the art of the shared story to speak with — and connect —caregivers from across the globe. We suggest checking out the episode in which he chats with Michelle Seitzer, founder of Caregiving Advice, titled Making Room in the Margins. In this episode, Michelle & Chris talk about leaving space and time in the margins of your schedule, and letting the in-between moments of your busy life breathe so you can process the strains and demands of caregiving in a healthy way. To avoid any bias, we also highly recommend listening to the episode Alz You Need, in which MacLellan speaks with millennial caregiver and entrepreneur Leda Rosenthal about the ways she is changing and enhancing the lives of persons with Alzheimer’s via her innovative technologies. Truly incredible, and certainly worth listening to. Listen here.

Caregiver SOS is an hour-long podcast that airs every Sunday evening (but is available any time after airing as well). Perfect for a long drive, a waiting room time-passer, or an evening unwind session, this podcast is hosted by nationally-recognized gerontologist Carol Zernial, with veteran broadcaster Ron Aaron. Gain weekly information on topics important to you in these thought-provoking conversations. An episode that stood out to us aired in April, in which Jeannie Ralston, the writer and co-founder of Nexttribe (an online magazine for women who are “aging boldly”), celebrates the creativity and power of women, a demographic prominently represented in caregiving. As a company run entirely by women, Caregiving Advice gives a standing ovation to this episode! Listen below.

In this podcast, you’ll hear from Toula Wootan — a nationally-recognized caregiver advocate and caregiver herself — as she provides advice and careful counseling for caregivers. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to the episode, I’m Here Not There. Now What? Long Distance Caregiving, in which Wootan explores the complexities of being a caregiver from a distance: a different home, city, or even a different state. Important, difficult questions are addressed, and guest hosts contribute their own valuable points of view. If you are caregiving from a distance, or if you suspect this is in your future, this is a vital episode to listen to — and make sure you have a notebook and pen close by! Listen here.

What are your favorite caregiving podcasts? Tell us in the comments below.