Welcome to our 3rd May episode of “Caregiving Club On Air” podcast (S6, Ep 70) hosted by Sherri Snelling, corporate gerontologist, author and CEO of the Caregiving Club.

On this episode we are highlighting May’s Mental Health Awareness Month with Jerri Clark, Resource and Advocacy Manager for the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) helping those with severe mental illness (SMI) and their families.

Sherri talks to Jerri about the 23.4% of the U.S. adults living with mental illness – up from 3-5% prevalence from the 1960s. We may be better at diagnosing, and we may have removed some of the stigma of these brain diseases and neurodivergence, but the solutions and support for these individuals and their family caregivers is still woefully lacking. TAC takes on this support and advocacy role for those with severe mental illness (SMI) – such as the schizoid spectrum and bi-polar disorder – and Jerri explains how the challenges for these individuals and their families can be daunting. We discuss:
• What to do if a loved one has anosognosia
• How many physicians give family caregivers “HIPAA handcuffs” once a loved one with SMI becomes an adult – and where various states have different ages of health information consent
• The effect of cannabis on teens and mental health
• How a holistic treatment approach is needed – including a team of neurologists, psychologists or psychiatrists, nutritionists and other experts to explore different solutions that work better than our current state: incarceration, homelessness, 24/7 family caregiving duties
• We also discuss Jerri’s book, “Gone Before Gone – When Mental Illness Steals Someone You Love” – not just a personal memoir but a guide for other parents and family members of those with SMI

Thank you for making “Caregiving Club On Air” #3 on the list of top 80 caregiving podcasts!
Subscribe on your favorite listening channel or our YouTube channel. Learn more on our episode guide page on the Caregiving Club website: caregivingclub.com/podcast/

Take care and stay well!