"I'm a new mom. I have a 77 and an 84-year-old."
This is the joke I started telling on-stage (I'm a standup comedian) when I was blindsided by the whole role reversal/aging parents thing. It seemed like my parents were fine until one day they weren't.
My Mom was diagnosed with alzheimer's. (I know it's supposed to be capitalized, but passive-aggressively, I refuse to give it that power.) A few months later My Dad had a mild heart attack followed by a cascading set of medical issues. And then suddenly, they needed me. A lot. I wasn't prepared. It was a constant juggle struggle to look after them, maintain a comedy career, and still live my own life. That's how the People with Parents podcast was born. From heartache comes art.
People with Parents is a personal storytelling podcast. In micro-episodes I talk about, laugh about, and try to figure out the ever-changing relationship that can happen between adult children and their aging parents. How do you keep their dignity and your sanity? With comedy and candor. (And bourbon. So much bourbon.)