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Your Brain On... Caregiving

41 min • 4 september 2024

As populations have aged, our need for caregivers has risen fast. The stresses of caregiving present brain health concerns that we must address urgently.

Caregivers are heroes. But they’re often so focused on looking after someone else, they neglect themselves. And self-care is so vital for caregivers, because the role is one of the most physically-, emotionally-, and psychologically-demanding responsibilities anyone can take on. Here, we discuss what that self-care can look like.

In this episode of ‘Your Brain On...’, we discuss:

• How the chronic stress of caring for a loved one with a neurodegenerative disease like dementia can affect your brain

• The ways we can mitigate these stresses, at the individual, family, and community levels

• How self-care can help caregivers be more effective and attentive in their roles

• Lifestyle interventions and meditative practices that can help alleviate the risks associated with caregiver burden

• The need for better caregiver support at the socioeconomic and policy level

• How emerging technologies are starting to help make caregivers’ workloads more manageable

Joining us for this poignant conversation are two wonderful guests:

DR. NATALI EDMONDS, a board-certified geropsychologist and founder of Dementia Careblazers, a platform providing support and guidance for dementia caregivers.

DR. HELEN LAVRETSKY, a Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and a leading researcher in geriatric psychiatry, who has researched the neurological benefits of lifestyle changes and de-stressing meditation for the cognitive and mental wellbeing of caregivers.

‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.

Drs. Ayesha and Dean are now welcoming patients via the Brain Health Institute: https://brainhealthinstitute.com/

‘Your Brain On... Caregiving’ • SEASON 3 • EPISODE 5

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LINKS

Dr. Natali Edmonds:

Dementia Careblazers: https://careblazers.com/

The Dementia Careblazers podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/dementia-careblazers/id1634661439

Dementia Caregivers on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DementiaCareblazers

Dr. Helen Lavretsky:

At UCLA: https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/helen-lavretsky

Study on yogic meditation for dementia caregivers: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3423469/