When Kate Washington sailed into her 40s, she had no expectation of the disaster that was about to strike. She had a Ph.D. in Victorian literature, a successful career as a freelance writer, and was raising two young daughters in sunny California alongside her husband, Brad. In her own words, it was a nice life. Then, Brad was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer that led to a string of health crises and turned the trajectory of her family’s existence upside down. Kate, already carrying a heavy mental load within the household, was suddenly thrust into the role of an unpaid family caregiver for her husband.

In this episode of Torchlight’s Exceptional Parenting Podcast, join host Stefanie Boucher for a candid discussion with Kate about her experiences as a “sandwiched” caregiver trying to take care of it all – children, spouse, home, career – while coming to grips an increasingly urgent level of caregiver burnout. We’ll also discuss Kate’s recent book, Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America, which chronicles her family’s journey and highlights the distressingly inadequate systems that support American families when serious illness strikes. Tune in as she shares how the experience both enlightened and changed her, how she helped her children cope with the difficult reality of having a parent in need of care, and the best ways to help a friend or family member who is in a caregiving role or living through a crisis.

About Our Guest:

Kate Washington is a writer in Northern California. Her book Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America (Beacon Press, March 2021) shines a stark light on the experience of family caregivers. Largely left on their own to navigate the medical, insurance, work, and social support systems involved when a loved one becomes ill, caregivers are ill prepared and unsupported as they struggle to manage family and work responsibilities. With 53 million family caregivers in (Caregiving in the U.S. 2020, National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP), Already Toast is a must read for family caregivers, health care and social support workers, and policy makers.

Visit Kate’s website at https://www.kawashington.com/already-toast.html.