Podcast
Parentsitting with Kip Lewis
Hosted by Kip Lewis · EN
What happens when you suddenly become responsible for parents facing cognitive decline and dementia? ( and then cancer )
Many of us have no idea how to cope with the changes that can come fast and furious — the fear, the uncertainty, and the feeling of being lost and alone. Only those who have lived through it truly understand what it’s like to lose the parents we’ve known our whole lives, even as they remain physically right in front of us.
Join Kip Lewis on his real-time journey as he navigates the emotional role reversal so many of us experience with aging parents. From recognizing the early signs to managing your first reactions and enduring the emotional rollercoaster that comes with caring for the people who once cared for us — this series explores it all with honesty and heart.
Share your own stories, ask questions, and connect with others as we all go parentsitting together.
Email: parentsitting@gmail.com
9episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
seeing the light of day
Apr 2200:13:20Tap to summarizeAs caregivers we devote so much time and energy to our parents that we often end up neglecting our own well-being. In this episode of Parentsitting, I share some of the conscious decisions I made to reconnect with myself and how admitting I needed help ultimately allowed me to see the light again.
Transcribe →Dementia, The Death of the Relationship
Mar 2600:19:18Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I talk about how dementia slowly robs us of the time we have left with our loved ones, and in many ways, takes the relationships we once knew along with it. I also share some of my personal experiences with my parents over the past month, which I think will resonate with anyone who has faced dementia or Alzheimer's.
Transcribe →My Dads Rapid Decline
Mar 400:23:17Tap to summarizeOn this episode I discuss a routine trip to see my parents that took a turn for the worse. How I ended up spending six straight days and evenings at a hospital, and how it was the beginning of a reckoning that life doesn't last forever.
Transcribe →The day I'll never forget
Feb 1100:20:27Tap to summarizeAs I continue down this journey of " parentsitting", I've recently come to understand how apathy plays a significant role in dementia, something I hadn't fully recognized before. In this episode, I also share what has been the most difficult day of my adult life: the day I moved my parents out of their home and made the difficult decision to take the car keys away.
Transcribe →Is This My future
Feb 100:17:54Tap to summarizeOn this episode I tackle something everyone who has a parent with dementia thinks about at one point or another, specifically, wondering if what we are seeing is our own future. I share the moment it really hit me, as well as how I've decided to deal with it personally. And the letter I wrote to my parents' years before they began their cognitive decline.
Transcribe →Becoming the Boss
Jan 2100:18:16Tap to summarizeOn this Episode I tackle some of the hard decisions that we all have to make at some point when dealing with dementia. Here I share how the roof on my parents' house became the final straw and how their issues while driving led to one of the most difficult decisions that I've had to make. Why did we end up in court and more.
Transcribe →Where's The Money
Jan 1100:15:32Tap to summarizeIn episode two, I share how a few basic financial mistakes first caught my attention and eventually led me to take a deeper look into my parents' finances. I also talk about my own shortcomings in navigating their dementia and hos visits to their home revealed the scammers who were trying to take advantage of them.
Transcribe →You've got mail got mail
Jan 500:13:15Tap to summarizeIn this first episode of Parentsitting, I explain why I chose to step into this space and start a conversation about a topic that doesn’t receive nearly enough attention—despite how many families across the country are living with a parent or loved one battling dementia. In this episode, I share some of the early signs I initially missed, why their mail became such a telling indicator, and how my early reactions unintentionally strained our relationship.
Transcribe →Parentsitting: The Trailer
Dec 3100:05:30Tap to summarizeJoin me on this journey as I explain why I decided to discuss and share my experiences of taking care of two parents battling Dementia.
Transcribe →