Show Notes
How Do You Find Yourself Again After Identity Loss, Trauma, and Caregiving? #Grief #Loss #LifeBalance #Selfcare Suzy McNamara is an author and speaker who gives a voice to various forms of grief and loss that so often go unnamed and are unaddressed. Suzy wrote the book, The Silkworm, the Magician, and the Sister Tree, a deeply personal and human exploration of caregiving, grief, enduring love, and health & wellness. In 2024, Suzy lost her husband of 37 years, Bob McNamara, to Posterior Cortical Atrophy, an aggressive form of early-onset Alzheimer’s, after caring for him at home for five years. Months earlier, her sister and lifelong best friend, Elizabeth Muslin, died from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. These overlapping losses shape her perspective and inform her writing. Suzy’s work offers particular insight into early-onset Alzheimer’s, where illness dismantles identity during years when marriages, careers, friendships, and family life are often at their most active. She writes honestly about the daily realities of caregiving, including isolation, exhaustion, and the quiet labor of preserving dignity, countering shame, emotional wellness, and holding onto meaning amid uncertainty. Suzy believes grief is a lonely sport and survival depends on community, shared language, and the courage to name what is often left unsaid. Grounded in sustaining faith practices, she writes to walk alongside readers as they navigate their own losses. Suzy continues to find meaning through her lifelong love of books, movies, and music, interests she once shared with her husband and sister and now shares with her children and the wider community she has built. Learn: What identity loss actually feels. How can a person find themselves again after years of being in survival mode? Did writing The Silkworm, the Magician, and the Sister Tree help Suzy understand her own memory, grief, and healing? How can prolonged stress, caregiving, and unresolved grief affect a person’s sense of self over time? Get a couple of tips if you are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another condition, and you feel like you are disappearing on this caring journey.
Alzheimer’s Speaks Blog https://alzheimersspeaks.com/how-do-you-find-yourself-again-after-identity-loss-trauma-and-caregiving/
Watch the Video Interview Below https://youtu.be/1iGgNbYlbEY
Listen and Subscribe to Alzheimer’s Speaks on Apple Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-do-you-find-yourself-again-after-identity-loss/id986940432?i=1000760360523
Listen and Subscribe to Alzheimer’s Speaks on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gvhOd0O2mz3rOXOSFfCt7
Other Podcasts https://pod.link/986940432
Contact Suzy McNamara Website https://suzymcnamara.com LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzymcnamara Facebook https://www.facebook.com/suzy.mcnamara Instagram https://www.facebook.com/suzy.mcnamara
Contact Lori La Bey of Alzheimer’s Speaks Contact Lori La Bey with questions or branding needs at https://www.alzheimersspeaks.com/ Alzheimer's Speaks shifts dementia care from crisis to comfort around the world, one episode at a time, by raising all voices and delivering sound news, not just sound bites, since 2011. Alzheimer's Speaks is part of the Senior Resource Podcast Network. Support this Show: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/donate-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from Alzheimer's Speaks
Rethinking Bathroom Safety: 4 in 1 Chair Increases Safety For Older Adults Aging in Place With Greater Independence And Dignity #ShowerChair #TransferChair #Toilet Riser #Commode #PeriChair #Affordable #Safety #Dignity #Independnce #SpaceSaver #EaseWhenCaring Lori La Bey talks with Vince Ehrenberg, the founder of PeriChair, an innovative 4-in-1 bathroom safety chair designed to help older adults and individuals with mobility challenges maintain greater safety, independence, and dignity at home. He created PeriChair after recognizing the need for a more versatile solution that could support showering, toileting, and transfers with one thoughtfully designed piece of equipment. PeriChair saves time, money, and space!
Beyond Adult Day Care: Rethinking What’s Possible in Dementia Care #TherapeuticDementiaCare #RespiteCare #AdultDayCare Lori La Bey talks with Melanie O’Connell, the Founder and Executive Director of All in 4 You, a Therapeutic Dementia Care Center in Belleville, Illinois. She is passionate about moving dementia care beyond simply keeping people safe and occupied by creating purposeful opportunities for cognitive, physical, creative, and social engagement. Learn: What does a traditional adult day care model look like? What is a Therapeutic Dementia Care Center is. Learn about activities that have purpose. What does a typical day look like at All in 4 You? How does cognitive, physical, creative, and social engagement work together in your approach to dementia care? What changes has Michelle seen in the people they serve? If we changed the way we think about what people living with dementia are still capable of doing, what could the future of dementia care look like?
The Words She Left Behind - How Alzheimer's Changed Our Story Lori La Bey talks with Tanya Taibl, a special educator for over 30 years. She became a caregiver in 2023 for her aunt with Alzheimer's. Through this experience, Tanya has taken courses, workshops, and completed a certificate program in dementia care. Recently, she has published an award-winning book about her experiences and what she has learned along the way. It's called The Words She Left Behind - How Alzheimer's Changed Our Story. Learn: Why is Tanya’s book so different and insightful? Who can this book help? See the evidence of her Aunt’s decline through her personal journaling. What was the most challenging part of writing the book? How is the book structured, and what can you expect in it? What was Tanya’s biggest discovery in your journey? What surprised Tanya the most when caring for her Aunt? What is a Caregiver Café?
Optimizing Alzheimer's Care Lori La Bey talks with Stephanie Wierzbicka, who for 22 years worked at the ComForCare Franchise Systems, LLC. Her current role is Director of Strategic Health Care Programs, where she has developed programs designed to optimize client care and health outcomes across 375 US and Canadian locations. Her extensive hands-on experience visiting facilities, hospitals, and senior residences enables her to create tailored initiatives that help older adults and their families thrive.
Caregivers Helping Caregivers “In The Moment” Companionship On Your Caregiving Journey Lori La Bey talks with Denice Kennedy and Mike Weinberger, who are co-founders of Now What Publishing, LLC CaregiverCompanionAI and CARAforWorkplace.com Denice Kennedy has been a caregiver for several different family members, which positioned her to be a respected entrepreneur, transformational coach, and caregiver advocate. Her passion is helping caregivers receive support “In the moment” when their caregiver journey is hardest. Mike Weinberger is the author of “My Wife has Alzheimer’s, Now What?”. He has been a sole caregiver to his wife Nora. Mike’s passion is helping all caregivers never feel alone and receive the support they need and deserve.