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Most families do not make a comprehensive long-term care plan before they need one.
Instead, they rely on a few assumptions:
“Mom will move in with me.”
“My siblings will help.”
“We’ll figure it out when the time comes.”
But when an aging parent experiences a fall, receives a diagnosis, develops dementia, or can no longer live safely without assistance, those assumptions can quickly become a family crisis.
In this episode of From Guilt to Good, Jeanette Yates speaks with Lindsay Friedman, a former nursing assistant, lifelong multigenerational caregiver, four-time founder, and the founder of CareBloom and LTCareNav.
Lindsay explains why families need to discuss long-term care before care becomes urgent—and why choosing where someone will live is only one small part of a complete plan.
They discuss the true responsibilities of family caregiving, preserving an aging parent’s dignity, the cost of professional care, Medicare and Medicaid misconceptions, sibling responsibilities, dementia care, and the questions every family needs to answer honestly.
Lindsay also shares the first two questions caregivers should ask:
What am I realistically willing and able to do?
What does my loved one want their future care to look like?
Because the best time to create a long-term care plan is before your family has to make impossible decisions with no information and no time.
Audio Chapters
00:00 The crisis created by not having a plan
01:28 Lindsay’s family caregiving journey
03:10 The hidden responsibilities of family caregiving
04:23 Autonomy, dignity, and the care recipient’s preferences
07:41 What Lindsay learned after becoming a family caregiver
09:00 Why families avoid planning for long-term care
11:26 Moving in with family is not a complete care plan
13:47 The potential cost of professional care
15:15 Medicaid planning and the five-year look-back
18:40 Preparing for the next change in a caregiving journey
20:08 Planning for care with limited financial resources
22:20 The difficult questions families need to answer
26:20 Creativity and connection in dementia care
29:31 The first step for families that have not planned
30:17 How LTCareNav supports families
31:31 The experience that inspired CareBloom
35:00 Plan today, protect tomorrow
Resources and Links
Lindsay Friedman
LinkedIn
LTCareNav
CareBloom
LTCareNav’s Care Compass Podcast
Books by Lindsay Friedman
Plan Today, Protect Tomorrow
The Questions That Matter
Book Mentioned
Creative Care by Dr. Anne Basting
Program Mentioned
TimeSlips
Episode Sponsor
Savi Security Savi Security
A special thank you to our Sponsor, Savi Security. Learn more about how Savi protects your family from AI-powered scams across calls and texts, 24/7: https://www.savisecurity.com
Jeanette Yates
Website and trusted caregiver resources
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NOW AVAILABLE! From Guilt To Good Enough: A Caregiver’s Journey of Overcoming Burnout Through Healing Childhood by Jeanette Yates. Having been a caregiver for her mother since childhood, Jeanette knows firsthand the emotional toll caregiving can take. In this memoir-turned-self-help guide, she shares her journey of healing, setting boundaries, and reclaiming her life. Click here to purchase your copy!
At The Self-Caregiver LLC we guide women caring for their aging parents overcome burnout and release guilt to create more freedom and fulfillment in their life.
We believe you cannot give more of yourself until you heal the wounds, replenish your being and reconnect to the fullness of who you are, embracing the purpose you‘ve been called to live.
