How Boundaries Provided Freedom In Caregiving

Valerie Wiens, a nurse with a geriatric specialty and a 'sandwich generation' caregiver joins me in this episode. Valerie is a colleague of mine and when I heard her caregiving story, I invited her to be a guest on the podcast.

When caregiving, she found herself being pulled in all directions and through the observation of her husband, she learned the importance of boundary setting. By creating boundaries she not only could manage her roles better, but they provided a sense of freedom and gave her the ability to give fully within the boundaries she set.

Within her career as a nurse, Valerie is often asked questions of how to navigate challenges facing aging parents. Out of those questions, Valerie put her personal experience, professional knowledge of the healthcare system as well as creative problem-solving into a book called ‘What Do We Do About Mom?’

In addition to writing the book, Valerie is now the owner of Keystone Eldercare Solutions. Through her business she is able to provide care locally in the Comox Valley and remotely – helping guide families in their decision making and identifying problems to solve creatively. Valerie is also proudly certified as a Teepa Snow Care Consultant which is our foundational approach for dementia care.

On her days off, Valerie aims to get out in her kayak and stare at blue ocean with her husband Les or their 3+1 grown children if they come join.