Written by Carewell Team on Fri Apr 12 2024.
Caregiver: Anica L.
Who she’s caring for: Her mother, living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and her young daughter.
Meet Anica
Meet Anica L, our Caregiver Spotlight winner for April. Anica is a solo mother by choice, raising her young daughter while also acting as the primary caregiver for her mother Barbara who has Alzheimer’s and Dementia. On top of that, Anica also works full-time as a family therapist. Between work, parenting, and caregiving, there’s rarely room for much else in her life. Yet Anica considers caregiving an empowering, and deeply meaningful experience that’s created a new and unexpected connection with her mother. But that’s not to say that there haven’t been incredible hardships along the way.
“This has changed our lives in every conceivable way.”
Over the course of the past four years, Anica’s mother went from someone who was incredibly independent - working, exercising, socializing on her own, to being someone who progressively needed more and more care. Anica chose to move closer to her mother so she could provide support as needed.
The Sandwiched Caregiver
During this journey, Anica started an Instagram account, @the.sandwiched.caregiver, as a way to shine light on her experience and offer support to other caregivers. She documents the ups and downs of daily life, offering an honest look at what it takes to care for someone with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. She doesn’t shy away from sharing honest or vulnerable feelings, making her account all the more impactful.
Thank you Anica, for all that you do. Your family at Carewell is rooting for you, your mom, and your daughter!
Carewell’s Caregiver Spotlight: Share Your Story
We believe caregiver stories empower our community and highlight the selfless work that caregivers do day in and day out. Share your story with us for a chance to win a $250 cash prize. We’ll spotlight a new winner each month. Click here to enter.
Since day one, we’ve strived to build a community that supports and recognizes the millions of family caregivers who selflessly provide care for their friends, family, and community members. We launched the Carewell Caregiver Awards in 2023 to bolster these efforts, and to share some of the inspiring stories of love and commitment we so often hear about.
Read More >
Karen Yingling began caregiving more than 20 years ago when her mom was first diagnosed with dementia. What began as a mild cognitive impairment, quickly progressed to Alzheimer’s disease, inspiring Karen to selflessly step in and support both of her parents.
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