Caring For Ageing Parents in Midlife - Sarah Vosburgh

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The car keys become the battleground, and suddenly you’re negotiating safety with someone who believes they’re fine. That’s where this conversation with psychologist and writer Sarah Vosburgh begins — caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s while still raising children and holding the rest of life together.

We explore the identity shift that comes with caregiving in midlife, the constant vigilance, and the quiet fear of watching someone you love lose memory, judgement, and parts of who they’ve always been.

Sarah speaks openly about delayed diagnosis, family denial, and the realities no one prepares you for — from navigating driving to the emotional complexity of moving a parent into memory care, where relief and grief often sit side by side. We also talk about dignity, the small choices that help preserve it, and why trying to “be right” can create more distance when dementia reshapes a person’s world.

If you’re supporting ageing parents, facing dementia, or feeling the weight of caring for both children and parents at once, this conversation will feel familiar.

We also touch on what comes after — the memories that linger, the stories that surface, and how Sarah has used writing and poetry to process grief. Her memoir, Who Will Name the Bees?, offers a way for other carers to feel seen in an experience that can be incredibly isolating.

If this episode resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who might need it, and leave a review to help more midlife carers find these conversations.

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