Hi everyone, I'm Susie Weiss, and I've noticed there's just simply not enough podcasts in the world. So I'm launching my own. Let's go. Let's go, baby. Second Thought is a weekly show about pop culture. The stuff everyone's been binging, arguing about, obsessing over. Here's the thing about heated rivalry. I mean, even the most devoted swifties, I think we can agree, not our best work. We'll be hosting thoughtful conversations with culture's most important figures. Talk about genius.

Talk about generational talent.

Coming to headphones near you

on April 17th with a first guest you won't want to miss. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to how to. I'm Carvel Wallace. This week, our question comes from a familiar voice.

Someone you and I know pretty well. It's my co-host,

Courtney Martin. Dear how to, me and my big brother, Chris, have started taking care of our dad,

who has pretty advanced dementia. Alongside our mom, we've been close our whole lives, which is

really helping in this moment of such heightened emotions and logistical challenges. We also have super supportive partners, which we know is rare and lucky, and the financial

resource is not to be freaked out about the future. But even with all that support and privilege,

it's not easy. I'm living with my parents, so while the proximity makes caretaking easier,

it also means my nervous system sort of never has a chance to rest fully. How can I take care of my parents and live alongside them while learning how to turn

off the vigilance? You know, as your how-to hosts, Courtney and I often help you find answers,

but sometimes we have questions of our own. And this week, Courtney comes to us with a situation that many of us have faced or will face in our lifetime.

How to care for our aging parents.

Or really, how to care for any adult who suddenly goes from being independent to being much, much less independent.

Whether that's occasional help with basic things or constant care. It's a complicated experience, one that's filled with

emotions and logistics and fatigue and doctors and insurance and medications and helplessness.

And underneath it all, quite often there's grief.

Grief about what is being lost and maybe even guilt about how much you alone can't just fix things,

about your limits as a human being.

I've been there, and it's not easy.

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