Many millennials in America have gone through the experience of giving care for a loved one, but it's not something that's talked about very much in the mainstream media. In this episode, we talk with Tyler McLeod about having to be a caretaker for his father from the age of 10 after his father suffered a serious stroke. Deondre' also had to take care of his grandparents in his childhood as they were suffering from cancer. The experience of needing to sacrifice this much to care for another person, can be seen through the lens of careTAKING, where one sees providing care as shouldering a burden for another person versus careGIVING, which is the idea that the act of giving care can be seen as a gratifying end in and of itself for the person giving care. Almost all of us will likely have to fill one of these roles at some point in our lives and it is worthwhile thinking about how each of us will choose to do this emotional labor and how to support the caretakers and caregivers in our lives.
Vox article on millenial caregivers: https://www.vox.com/ad/20937084/millennial-caregiving-caring-baby-boomer-generation
PBS article explaining why more millennials are becoming caregivers: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/why-more-millennials-are-becoming-caregivers
Music is The Beauty of Maths by Meydän.
