Caregiver Challenges with Shelagh and Doug Winkler

Falling Through the Cracks: Feel alive and thrive

Caregiver Challenges » Listen Now

Episode Description

An unspoken challenge in illness is the stress it has on families and those who are caregivers. We are speaking with Doug and Shelagh Winkler, who have struggled with a family illness. They will tell us the struggles they faced. Anna Mann is with the Alberta Caregivers association and she will help us define this roll, and learn what we can do if we are in this situation.

Dr. Risk’s Thoughts

When I was sick it was a huge burden on my ex-husband, and eventually our marriage ended.  I see this every day.  It is very difficult to be sick, but it is also very difficult to care for someone who is ill.  Not only does my own experience make this dear to my heart, the stories I hear from my patients have told me over the years that this is an important topic.  With an illness that takes years to diagnosis, then years to treat, there is always a huge burden on any relationship.  If you know someone going through this, please take them a (gluten free) casserole and ask how you can help.  They need it.

Guest Information

Shelagh and Doug Winkler

Shelagh and Doug have 3 children, John and Greg 17 year old twins, and Lauren who is 12 and a small Dachshund named Sonny. They currently live in the small town of Langdon, which is east of Calgary. Doug has been farming alongside his Dad, Mom and brother Steve for the past 25 years. The family operates a grain farm east of Calgary where Doug takes an active role the farm. Shelagh is a resource teacher/literacy specialist at the local K-9 school in Langdon. Her passion is supporting the young students to become readers! The past few years have been met with some health challenges within their family and we are here to talk about that today.

Anna Mann

Anna Mann is the Executive Director of the Alberta Caregivers Association. In this role, she has lead the development and expansion of caregiver supports throughout Alberta. Anna regularly speaks on topics related to caregiving and has been involved in the development and evaluation of a number of programs including COMPASS, which has been identified as a best practice, and Caregiver Navigator. She has an interest in research and the policy implications of caregiving, and sits on a number of related advisory boards.