How to Succeed in the Caregiving Role No One Trained You For
“Caregiver” doesn’t sound like a leadership role. There’s no office, no business card, no salary. But if you’ve ever been the one running point on a loved one’s care, you know you’re the strategist, the logistics coordinator and the person everyone leans on.
In this week’s episode of The Death Readiness Podcast, I talk with Jennifer O’Brien, author of Care Boss and The Hospice Doctor’s Widow. Jennifer has been a healthcare leader and a caregiver, multiple times over.
What she learned (and lived) is that caregiving is high-stakes, high-skill, and it changes you forever.
The Job No One Trains You For
Jennifer cared for her husband through his terminal illness, and along the way, she developed a toolkit that every family caregiver should hear about. We talked about:
How to create a shared vision and purpose in the midst of crisis
The value of family meetings and clear roles
Using data to support emotionally difficult decisions
Smart delegation, focused praise, and real-world ways to support caregivers without making more work for them
Why “precious time” became a phrase her husband used both as a doctor and a patient, and how it reframed everything
Why “Let me know if I can help” needs to be retired, and what to say instead
Palliative Care vs. Hospice: Not the Same Thing
If you’ve ever asked about palliative care and been told, “It’s too early for that,” the provider may not understand what palliative care really is.
Jennifer clears it up for us:
Palliative care = comfort care to ease suffering, which can be provided alongside curative or life-extending treatment
Hospice = comfort care after curative treatment has ended, when the individual has a prognosis of six months or less to live
Listen to Episode 14 here:
Resources & Links
Books by Jennifer O’Brien
At Peace Toolkit. Jennifer O’Brien’s guide to being at peace with end of life. This packet walks you through setting up the medical ID on your smartphone, establishing your advance healthcare directives, organizing administrative details, and starting conversations with loved ones.
The Death Deck. 112 cards with a mix of multiple choice and open-ended questions designed to spark lively discussion around the topic of death.
State Advance Directive Forms provided by the National Alliance for Care at Home
Precious Time Implementation Guide. Guides healthcare professionals in communicating the reality of the end-of-life situation to patients and their families.
Connect with Jennifer:
Website: jenniferaobrien.com
Send a message to Jennifer
