
Balancing Life as a Young Carer with Ashley Bendiksen - Caregiver Spotlight
- S6E161
- 49:39
- June 14th 2023
Ashley Bendiksen cared for her mom who developed early onset Alzheimer’s. She chronicled her 8 year caregiving journey in her memoir The Language of Time which originated from her personal journals. Ashley served as Chairwoman of her local Walk to End Alzheimer's where nearly $500K was raised for Alzheimer's research. She also testified for the successful passage of a law in her home state of Massachusetts. Ashley is also passionate about additional topics. She is a national speaker on domestic and sexual violence prevention, resilience, and mental health.
In this episode we talk about how Ashley balanced caregiving while still living her life as a young person in her twenties, we learn why Ashley is grateful for the time caring for her mom, the respect she gained from invisible labor that moms do, why dating herself and traveling solo recharges her, and how she is using her experiences to help others.
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Happy Healthy Caregiver
Caring for aging parents or other loved ones while working, raising children, and trying to live your own life? Wondering how to find the time for your personal health & happiness? Welcome to the Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast. The show where real family caregivers share how to be happy and healthy while caring for others.
Host and Certified Caregiving Consultant, Elizabeth Miller shares her stories and content and also talks with others who are either current or former family caregivers. Real people who are figuring out how to integrate caregiving with their lives and ready to share what they have learned with you.
For more information about Happy Healthy Caregiver visit https://happyhealthycaregiver.com/
Meet the Hosts

Host and Certified Caregiving Consultant, Elizabeth Miller shares her stories and content and also talks with others who are either current or former family caregivers. Real people who are figuring out how to integrate caregiving with their lives and ready to share what they have learned with you.
Elizabeth Miller is a family caregiver and a Certified Caregiving Consultant (CCC). Her personal experiences caring for aging parents with chronic and terminal illnesses as well as caring for a sibling with developmental disabilities (while working full-time and raising teenagers) inspired her to create Happy Healthy Caregiver.
Elizabeth is a national speaker, workshop leader, and global advocate for family caregivers. Through her consulting services and free resources, Elizabeth helps family caregivers integrate caregiving with their busy lives. She also leads the Atlanta Daughterhood Circle – a social support group for family caregivers.
Elizabeth and her husband Jason live in Marietta, GA with their two teenagers and Shih Tzu Shadow. For more information visit http://happyhealthycaregiver.com/about/.