Caregiver's Compass Stephanie Muskat

In episode 62, Stephanie speaks to Adria Thompson who, in 2021, grew her passion for helping dementia caregivers and those with dementia as an SLP with Be Light Care Consulting. She talks about how her career as a speech language pathologist led to her overall vision to provide support to caregivers around the world.


About Adria:


Adria Thompson is a speech language pathologist, a dementia educator, and is the founder of Be Light Care Consulting. She has 8 years experience providing one-on-one speech therapy services with adults and found her passion and purpose in specifically working with people with dementia. She has spent the last 3 years developing dementia programs for therapy companies and training other therapists to increase their effectiveness and confidence. She now provides one-on-one consulting services and creates daily videos of realistic, functional care tips for professional and personal caregivers of individuals with dementia.


Find Adria:


On Instagram: @belightcare 


Website: https://www.belightcare.com/


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In episode 61, Lisa Sonshine from the Juno Award winning duo Sonshine and Broccoli talks to Stephanie about her father’s FTD diagnosis, decline and passing- a part of her life she has not shared in great detail in the past. She notes how she has taken her grief from this very difficult time and has poured it into her passion for uplifting others through music and performance. 
 
About Lisa: 
 
Lisa is the co-founder and creator of Sonshine and Broccoli as well as a proud wife, entertainer and mom of 2 boys Zade and Barryn bringing joy, style, positivity and sonshine to all.
 
With her sons Zade and baby Barryn in tow,she is just getting started as a new mom with the drive and passion to support, motivate and entertain other moms going through the stages of motherhood by her side.
 
Find Lisa 
Instagram: @sonshinel

Website: https://www.sonshineandbroccoli.com/
 
Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com
Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection
For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In Episode 60, Stephanie discusses a commonly expressed thought that many of her clients express having: I wish this situation would just end. She explores the guilt, shame and embarrassment that can surround this thought and the reasons why a caregiver may have these thoughts. 
 
*Please note: If you ever have the intention or thought of harming yourself or someone else please contact your local emergency department immediately.*
 
Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com
Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection
For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In episode 59, Stephanie further talks about her journey after her mom’s initial diagnosis of FTD. She touches upon what her life looked like after she moved out of her home, caregiving for her grandmother, how she established boundaries when it came to balancing her own life and her mom’s care and how life has been since she had 3 children of her own.


Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com
Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection
For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In this episode, Stephanie speaks to social worker Kelly Polci who has worked with pregnant and postpartum women and families in high-risk obstetrics and the NICU. They look at the systemic definition of postpartum and what supports are currently available in the postpartum period to women in Ontario. They additionally talk about scenarios in which a mother may have a child requiring NICU care while needing to go to and from the hospital to care for other family members and how one can balance their mental health needs at this time.


Kelly Polci, MSW, RSW is a registered social worker and psychotherapist in private practice. She now works at The Hospital for Sick Children. The bulk of her career was in high risk obstetrics and a high-acuity neonatal intensive care unit at another hospital. Her passion and expertise is in women’s and more specifically reproductive mental health. 


Find Kelly:


https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/kelly-polci-toronto-on/831972


http://www.instagram.com/kellypolcitherapy


Group Therapy Works: https://www.grouptherapyworks.ca/


Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com
Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection
For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving

In this episode, Stephanie speaks to nurse and caregiving consultant, Karen Lake, as she discusses how she went from caring for patients as a nurse in an inpatient hospital setting to providing consultations and assisting caregivers with their overall support systems and system navigation. 
About Karen Lake: Karen proudly works as a professional Caregiving Consultant and Care Navigator; called to offer this service to families after working as a Registered Nurse in Home Health Care for 25 years. She has a special passion for supporting, guiding, and directing family members to be the best they can be in their caregiving role, to help them make informed choices, to be prepared and to confidently navigate the complex issues that come with caring for a loved one. Karen has seen the emotional struggles that family members face as they attempt to balance caregiving with the other demands of life; children, career, retirement and illness. And so, she has made it her mission to serve and support family members of aging loved ones in the Fredericton area, and beyond.
Gathering her years of experience and expertise, she has carefully crafted comprehensive programs that are tailored to meet each family’s specific needs. When not supporting her clients, she collaborates on other projects, such as the first ever Death Expo in Atlantic Canada, Caregivers Wellness Retreats, Caregiver Wellness Expos and has more recently ventured into the world of research working on several projects that support Family Caregivers.
Find Karen:
On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KarenLakeCares
On her website http://www.karenlake.ca
Visit us on our website:
www.compassionincaregiving.com
Join our FREE Facebook community! https://www.facebook.com/groups/compassioncaregiverconnection
For more visit our Instagram! @compassionincaregiving