In honor of National Family Caregiver Month in November, the Social Health Network hosted a panel discussion to hear from community members Richard Faust, Aldean Matthews, and Frances McInerney about their experiences caring for loved ones. If you are a healthcare executive who has been a caregiver, or is currently caring for a loved one, we encourage you to check out this dashboard.
Fixed assets
Protection is one of the most important aspects of being a caregiver. In this panel, panelists dive into self-care topics, advocating for their loved ones’ medications and treatments, engaging research as a caregiver, and more. Aldean and Francis add their unique perspectives on what it means to be a “young” caregiver and to have to sacrifice certain aspects of their lives to care for their loved one. Whether you’re caring for a spouse, parent, or loved one, these panelists cover topics relevant to your journey.
About the participants of the discussion
Richard Faust
In addition to being part of the ProstateCancer.net contributor team, Richard is also a site moderator. His father-in-law was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the spring of 2019.
Richard is a Senior Intersite Moderator for Health Union (parent company of ProstateCancer.net) and an accomplished communicator, writer, and researcher in the fields of health, science and technology, and policy. He was introduced to Health Union by his wife, Kelly Mack, who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis and is a contributor to RheumatoidArthritis.net.
Aldean Matthews
Aldean is a caregiver for her husband Keegan, who was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis in 2014. Aldean has always known Keegan by heart, even when they started dating more than 10 years ago. Over the years, they have turned to doctors, surgeries and treatments to establish a new normal for their family.
After the birth of their daughter in 2018, Keegan was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis in both hips and underwent a double hip replacement. Throughout his career as a caregiver, Aldean has conducted extensive research on AS, osteoarthritis in young patients, and pain management to support Keegan’s disease.
Francis McInerney
As the primary caregiver for her father, John, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2017, Frances works alongside her mother to navigate the ups and downs of the disease. While living with and caring for her father, Frances was able to use her experience as a speech-language pathologist to facilitate verbal and non-verbal communication, foster interpersonal relationships, and support her independence with daily living skills.
Francis’ passion for advocating for people with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, combined with his extensive experience in speech and language intervention, brings a unique perspective to the panel.
