When Being a Good Caregiver Means Letting Go — with multi JUNO Nominee Shawnee Kish

What happens when being the caregiver your loved one needs means accepting that you cannot do it all yourself?

In this episode of The Hart of It All, Teri Hart speaks with four-time JUNO Award nominee Shawnee Kish about becoming a caregiver to her mom, Lynn, after a catastrophic brainstem stroke changed both of their lives in December 2020.

Shawnee shares the extraordinary lengths she and her wife, Jen, went to support Lynn, from navigating hospitals and rehabilitation during COVID to buying and renovating a home so they could live together and provide the support she needed. But as Shawnee tried to help her mom rebuild her life, she began to realize that recovery could not happen on her terms. Lynn had changed, her needs had changed, and Shawnee had to learn the difference between trying to fix someone’s life and supporting them as they decide what they want that life to look like.

At the same time, the demands of full-time caregiving were taking a devastating toll on Shawnee’s career, marriage, motherhood and sense of self. She opens up about reaching a point where something had to change, the guilt she felt admitting she could no longer provide the level of care her mom needed, and how another major health crisis forced their family to rethink everything once again.

Today, Mama Lynn is thriving with a team providing around-the-clock support, while Shawnee has found a new way to be both her daughter and her caregiver. Their relationship, she says, has never been better.

This is a powerful conversation about caregiver burnout, guilt, power of attorney, family dynamics, stroke recovery and the difficult realization that sometimes the most loving thing a caregiver can do is stop trying to be the hero.

Resources:

Follow Shawnee Kish:

Website: https://www.shawneekish.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shawneekish

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawneekish/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/67KtTWjRTAU9ZkjRFnaffZ?si=70T4i4kCSvqc2YPcvLk6AA