Care For We Podcast

Sarah Rasby, PhD

The Care For We Podcast is a 7-episode series exploring the realities of family caregiving across the lifespan through a blend of research, lived experiences, and meaningful conversations. Drawing from dissertation findings, personal stories, and expert insights, the podcast examines the challenges, joys, losses, resilience, and identity shifts that often accompany caregiving. Topics include disability, aging, ambiguous loss, family relationships, healthcare systems, advocacy, and the often-unseen emotional labor of caring for others. The goal is to create connection, increase understanding, and bring visibility to the experiences of caregivers and care recipients alike.

Episodes

  1. Episode 3: The Story Behind the Statistics

    1d ago

    Episode 3: The Story Behind the Statistics

    What do family caregiving statistics really tell us, and what do they leave out? In Episode 3 of the Care For We Podcast, co-hosts Sarah Rasby and Drew Bohlke are joined by special guest Jina Ragland, Senior Associate State Director of Advocacy and Outreach for Nebraska AARP. Together, they explore the current landscape of family caregiving in Nebraska and across the United States, examining the numbers that help define caregiving while also uncovering the human stories behind the data. The conversation highlights the prevalence of family caregiving, the economic value caregivers provide, the challenges many caregivers face, and the implications these realities have for families, communities, healthcare systems, and policy. Most importantly, Sarah, Drew, and Jina discuss how statistics represent real people whose experiences often remain unseen despite the critical role they play in supporting loved ones. Co-Hosts: Sarah Rasby and Drew Bohlke Special Guest: Jina Ragland, Senior Associate State Director, Nebraska AARP Audio Editing: Ben Frerichs References and Resources AARP & National Alliance for Caregiving. (2020). Caregiving in the United States 2020. Washington, DC: Author. AARP Public Policy Institute. (2023). Valuing the Invaluable: 2023 Update—Strengthening Supports for Family Caregivers. Washington, DC: Author. National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) & AARP. (2020). Caregiving in the U.S. 2020. Washington, DC: Author. Nebraska AARP. (2024). Nebraska Family Caregiver Resources and Advocacy Information. Lincoln, NE: AARP Nebraska. AARP Nebraska Caregiving Resources Caregiving in the U.S. Report Valuing the Invaluable Report

    51 min
  2. Episode 2: Why Family Caregivers Matter- Research, Relationships, and Community

    Jun 22

    Episode 2: Why Family Caregivers Matter- Research, Relationships, and Community

    In Episode 2 of the Care For We Podcast, I sit down with my former graduate co-advisor, Dr. Cody Hollist, to explore why family caregivers deserve greater attention in research, policy, and practice. Cody and I reflect on a mentoring relationship that began at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2001 when Sarah was an undergraduate student. More than twenty years later, we worked together on my dissertation and course work at UNL, examining the experiences of family caregivers through a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. Rather than conducting research on communities, CBPR emphasizes conducting research with communities, recognizing that those living the experience often possess the deepest knowledge about the challenges they face and the solutions that may work. Together, we discuss the vision behind the dissertation project and how caregiver voices, stories, and expertise will help guide the research process. We explore how scholarship can become a vehicle for empowerment, relationship-building, and social change while creating knowledge that is both academically rigorous and practically meaningful. Dr, Cody Hollist is a Licensed Independent Marriage and Family Therapist, whose work focuses on trauma, resilience, family well-being, and community-engaged research. Throughout his career, Dr. Hollist has collaborated with communities both locally and internationally- primarily in Brazil- to better understand how individuals and families navigate adversity while building pathways toward healing and resilience. Whether you are a family caregiver, healthcare professional, student, researcher, or someone interested in creating stronger communities, this conversation offers an inside look at how research and lived experience can come together to advance understanding, connection, and care. Dr. Cody Hollist is a Licensed Independent Marriage and Family Therapist, his work focuses on trauma, resilience, family well-being, and community-engaged research. Throughout his career, Dr. Hollist has collaborated with communities both locally and internationally- primarily in Brazil- to better understand how individuals and families navigate adversity while building pathways toward healing and resilience. Learn More About Community-Based Participatory Research here: Israel, B. A., Eng, E., Schulz, A. J., & Parker, E. A. (Eds.). (2013). Methods for community-based participatory research for health (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass. Minkler, M., & Wallerstein, N. (Eds.). (2018). Community-based participatory research for health: Advancing social and health equity (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass. Wallerstein, N., Duran, B., Oetzel, J., & Minkler, M. (Eds.). (2018). Community-based participatory research for health: Advancing social and health equity (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass. Cargo, M., & Mercer, S. L. (2008). The value and challenges of participatory research: Strengthening its practice. Annual Review of Public Health, 29, 325–350. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.29.091307.083824

    1h 13m

About

The Care For We Podcast is a 7-episode series exploring the realities of family caregiving across the lifespan through a blend of research, lived experiences, and meaningful conversations. Drawing from dissertation findings, personal stories, and expert insights, the podcast examines the challenges, joys, losses, resilience, and identity shifts that often accompany caregiving. Topics include disability, aging, ambiguous loss, family relationships, healthcare systems, advocacy, and the often-unseen emotional labor of caring for others. The goal is to create connection, increase understanding, and bring visibility to the experiences of caregivers and care recipients alike.