In this Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast episode, meet family caregiver and author Ann Campanella. For almost fifteen years, Ann cared for her mom, who had Alzheimer’s and also cared for her daughter, who had Celiac disease. In this episode, we talk about Ann’s takeaways from her caregiving years which were sadly also comprised of chronic miscarriages. Ann also shares about her horses being a huge part of her emotional and physical self-care, her gluten-free household, keeping the romance in her marriage, the message from above to write her Alzheimer’s memoir, and her new book about caring for a daughter with Celiac, an autoimmune disease.
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Listen to the show: Ann Campanella – Caregiver Spotlight
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Words of Encouragement
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Links & Resources Mentioned
- Ann’s caregiving memoir, Motherhood: Lost and Found: a Memoir, was named “one of the best Alzheimer’s books of all time” two years in a row.
- Ann found a lot of support through her writing groups. To find a writing group near you check with your local community center or library. Here are some other ideas to locate a writing group.
- Elizabeth talks about how her family’s trip to Italy was a big ray of light in a dark year. Go back in time on their trip by reading her travel blog: la nostra vacanza in italia.
- Ann is a managing director of AlzAuthors – a nonprofit organization showcasing the work of over 250 dementia and caregiving authors. AlzAuthors also has a podcast, Untangling Alzheimer’s and Dementia, which is also a part of the Whole Care Network.
- Ann recommends a few other dementia books that have stuck with her:
- Follow Elizabeth on Goodreads.
- More information on Celiac disease from the Mayo Clinic.
- Elizabeth’s father and brother have an autoimmune disease called Psoriasis and her sister has Vitiligo.
- Related article: Effect of Gluten on Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
- Ann’s latest book is Celiac Mom: One family’s gluten-free journey after a daughter’s diagnosis
- For tips and suggestions on living a gluten-free life visit Ann’s Instagram account: @glutenfreeforgood. A few of the dining-out options that they trust are Mellow Mushroom, Chipotle, and Chick-fil-A. G-Free Spot in Hilton Head is a fantastic bakery! Ann has a full list of options in the back of her Celiac Mom book.
- Ann’s go-to gluten treat is a Good Eats Chocolate Chip bar:
- Elizabeth’s mom lost her first husband and had four children under ten years old. She wrote a series of young adult books to help children understand grief and learn to move forward. The first book in the Waddodles series is Law of the Woodland:
- Elizabeth’s sister Susie is an oil painter. Learn about her work and see her gallery here.
- To put some fun in your relationship consider a datebox subscription from Happily.
- All of the prompts from the lightning round segment of the show are borrowed from Elizabeth’s book Just For You: a Daily Self-Care Journal.
- Connect with Ann Campanella on her website anncampanella.com and her books are also found on AlzAuthors.com.
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Favorite moments & quotes from the episode
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