As he approaches his 80th birthday, minister and chaplain Ed Salter shares his story of caregiving his wife Christine, who passed away almost 10 years ago. She was battling Parkinson’s 27 of their 50 years of marriage. Today Ed shares their story and their, including many of the sorrows enjoys that came with it. He spent his life savings on healthcare costs, had to endure sundowners syndrome for years, while he and his wife both maintained a witty sense of humor. He regularly sang to her, while pinching her toes or her nose, “You are my sunshine “. For years he has facilitated grief support groups and caregiver support groups and he talks about how God, his family and community has sustained him through it all. One of his greatest desires is to “finish well” and he is using the story worth platform to write his story and leave a legacy for his family. Near the end, Beth shares a little bit about her dissertation research on grief and the five themes that emerged from her interviews with grieving individuals. The five themes were Details/ telling the story of dying/loss, how they coped, How they felt (affect), How they changed, and the Relationship with the deceased. Here is an article summarizing her research.

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Grief, Caregivers, and Finishing Well with Ed Salter, D.Min.

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