Cup of Care Podcast Series
Join co-hosts Katie and Sibtain for a series of conversations with Canadian family caregivers. As guests Marlene, Krysta, Sheila, Suzanne, Rina, and Darrel share powerful life lessons on caring from near and far, Katie and Sibtain realize that no two families are alike and that there is much to be learned from hearing each other’s stories.
Sibtain Ali
Sibtain Ali is a medical student at the University of Saskatchewan. Sibtain has studied Physiology and Pharmacology with primary research experience in lipid metabolism. However, in joining these teams he has contributed to interprofessional environments of learning and research revolving around education and caregiving. As a student he hopes to provide a unique perspective.
Katie Ottley
Katherine Ottley is a Ph.D. student in the Culture Health and Human Development stream of Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan. She has a broad set of research interests focused on the experience of family caregivers caring with people living with serious health conditions, including cognitive impairment. She is also interested in people's lived experience of bereavement throughout their lifespan. The podcast provided the opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary and inter-organizational team and make connections that might not have been made otherwise.
Greg Olson
Prior to working at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, I had just over 34 years working in community cable television, television & video production. There are a few stories to tell! I started with Sask Polytech (Moose Jaw Campus) in the summer of 2014. I work as a Media Production Specialist and get to work with amazing and incredibly talented people in our team. We get to do livestreaming, photography, video work and help to provide content of all sorts to our instructors, researchers, and management teams. I’m very proud to have played a part in creating the Research Division’s Caregiver podcast series and working with the team behind it. This project was a real joy and one of the top highlights of my time here.
Episode 1: Essential life lessons from family caregivers: Katie’s story
"I can remember sitting at the table with grandma and great-grandma, spending time and helping with whatever task was needed in the moment" - Katie
Welcome to Cup of Care! In this episode, health researcher co-hosts Katie and Sibtain explain how the Cup of Care podcast series came to be. As Sibtain interviews Katie about essential lessons from her own family caregiving journey, Katie touches on several topics that surface later in the series, including sharing responsibilities with other family members, caring from a distance, and (most important of all) how much we can learn from family caregivers.Episode 2: Keeping family close while living at a distance
"We have a standing date - every Thursday we visit on Zoom. And even though Dad can’t comprehend how we’re actually doing this and it just amazes him every single time, he loves it." - Marlene
Welcome to Cup of Care! In this episode, Marlene shares her experience of keeping family close while living at distance. She explains how long-distance caregivers stay actively involved in coordinating care, describes the feelings that arise from not being physically present all the time, and offers listeners ideas for bridging the distance.Episode 3: A self-styled approach to disability support
“I don’t have a clock to switch on and off; I have times when I’m needed.” – Krysta
Welcome to Cup of Care! In this episode, you’ll meet sisters Krysta and Kayley. In addition to being a family member, Krysta also works as Kayley's full-time caregiver. Using an open and humorous approach, the two share what it's been like to self-style their caregiving relationship. In doing so, they illustrate how important it is for care to run both ways. This leads co-hosts Sibtain and Katie to contemplate different funding models for caregiving in Canada.Episode 4: When the going gets tough, the tough get going
"Look for those moments of connection and really enjoy them." – Darrel
Welcome to Cup of Care! In this episode, Darrel looks back on pivotal moments in his caregiving journey, including the moment he first realized his mother’s cognitive health was changing, and the moment he realized how hard it was for his father to be his mother’s sole caregiver. He shares what inspired him to step into a role as their primary family caregiver, and how this shaped his own experience as a parent.Episode 5: Caregiving is just what I do
"I didn't think twice about if it was going to be hard or easy or how much time it's going to take out of my life; I just knew I had to do it." – Sheila
Welcome to Cup of Care! In this episode, Sheila, a Nehiyaw (Cree) woman from Treaty 6 Territory, explains how she supports an adult son living with an acquired brain injury and a genetic syndrome. While co-hosts Katie and Sibtain prepare for this exchange, Sheila explains the meaning of their tobacco offering. As Sheila describes how her son navigates his health conditions and how she supports him, you’ll find yourself reflecting the terms “caregiver” and “disability” in a new way.Episode 6: Some friends become family
“I always think, what would I like?” – Rina
Welcome to Cup of Care! In this episode, Rina shares wisdom from decades of experience supporting a close friend whose physical and cognitive function is changing. She keeps things grounded as she narrates the specific and creative ways she has contributes to her friend’s quality of life. When it comes down to it, Rina’s story is about treating others as we’d like to be treated, and about prioritizing the seemingly small yet very important things that mean so much to quality of life.Episode 7: Everyone has their own perspective
"We are very lucky in that she listens to everyone but says, ‘nope; this is what I want’." – Suzanne
Welcome to Cup of Care! In this episode, you’ll meet Suzanne, a retired teacher who – along with several siblings – provides care to her mother. As co-hosts Katie and Sibtain ask questions about the experience of sharing the caregiving responsibilities within a large family, Suzanne reflects openly on how everyone – including her mother – has their own perspective!Episode 8: Essential life lessons from family caregivers: On autonomy, commitment, and diversity
"I want to take these stories and experiences that these caregivers have so graciously given us as an indicator of where our healthcare system is today but also where it needs to go." - Sibtain
Welcome to Cup of Care! In this final episode, co-hosts Katie and Sibtain consider how the project intersects with their personal and professional lives. During this conversation, they discuss three important take-home messages from those who participated in this podcast series. These messages connect to the themes of autonomy, commitment, and diversity.Subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, or watch for these and other resources at appliedinterprofessionalresearch.com and www.spaltc.ca.
This series was produced in collaboration with creative partners from the Strengthening a Palliative Approach in Long Term Care team and the Saskatchewan Long-Term Care Network. Advisory support for this project was provided by Dr. Natasha Hubbard Murdoch from Saskatchewan Polytechnic and Dr. Paulette Hunter from St. Thomas More College. Technical support was provided by media production specialist Greg Olson from Audio Visual Services at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
In addition to Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s financial contribution, “Production of this podcast has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.”
Lastly, as with many things in life, this project would not have been possible without the direct contributions of family caregivers
Natasha Hubbard Murdoch (Producer)
Natasha Hubbard Murdoch is a nurse researcher at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Her practice background is oncology, orthopedics and long term care. She has been an educator for over a decade with a focus on interprofessional coordination and problem-based learning. With a focus on educational research, her topic areas are interprofessional teams, mentorship, and community caregivers.
Paulette Hunter (Producer)
Paulette Hunter is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan. She also works half-time as a clinical psychologist. Paulette’s research emphasizes person-centred and palliative approaches to dementia care in Canada’s long-term care system. She teaches on the topics of psychology, aging, and applied ethics.