Reconsidering Episode 46: Liz O'Donnell on caring for elderly parents
7 snips
May 30, 2025 
Liz O'Donnell, founder of Working Daughter and author of the insightful book on caregiving, shares her transformative journey through the challenges of supporting aging parents. She discusses the often unnoticed burdens of caregiving while balancing work and family life. Topics include the complexities of sibling dynamics, the importance of self-care, and the stigma surrounding elder care in the workplace. Liz emphasizes the necessity of open conversations about caregiving and the unexpected grace that can emerge from these experiences.
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The Day Everything Changed
- Liz describes a single day that spiraled from routine care to crisis when her father was hospitalized and later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and her mother received a terminal cancer diagnosis within hours.
- That double diagnosis launched her into full-time caregiving and ultimately shaped Working Daughter.
Caregiving Is A Growing, Invisible Crisis
- Longer lifespans and dual-career households have made elder caregiving more common and visible than in prior generations.
- Cultural stigma and workplace indifference have kept caregiving conversations marginalized until recently.
A Nurse's Hard Truth
- A hospice nurse told Liz to prioritize caring for her mother and to protect her job, reframing caregiving as demonstrating unconditional love.
- That conversation became Liz's moment of acceptance and reordered her priorities.
