March Roundup: "Shifts, cracks of light and networking empathy together."
New projects and collaborations about specific types of caregiving.
Hello! If you’re new to Carer Mentor, welcome! Thank you for being here! You can read why I’m publishing Carer Mentor here: Who Started Carer Mentor and Why?
The Carer Mentor website is a hub of tools, resources & insights, as well as a community support network. A portal of hope ❤️ Start exploring here.
Shifts, cracks of light and networking empathy together.
For the last couple of years, maybe three, December to February first, has always felt like a denser cocoon. Steeped in memories, losses, grief, and that frustrated feeling of knowing you chose one path but still envy others on the other. Heavy and melancholic, the seed husk is hard to crack from the inside.
Yet, from February into March, something shifts. Not one big thing. But a tiny speck. Like a dust mote dancing to catch my attention. So I pause. My perspective changes. From the dark mote to the surrounding light, I can relax into a broader frame.
Lighter notes have found a way in. So there must’ve been some melancholic relief along the way. Because here we are near the end of March, and things feel clearer and brighter.
Shifts and movement signal that new growth or change is afoot. The lumens of light are amped up, and you can almost hear nature’s cheer! There are small spurts of ideas. The potential to build and network more empathy, together.
I’ve curated a new anthology, ‘Eldercare/Caring for Parents’—a deeper dive into this type of caregiving.
At its core, Carer Mentor offers heartfelt empathy for Caregivers. The anthologies help us recognise the very human paradox of caregiving: the individuality of our personal situation and, at the same time, our universal common humanity. On the one hand, our individual circumstances, struggles, cultures, values, and backgrounds make our experiences unique. On the other hand, we’re united by universal life experiences: birth, death, emotions, and vulnerabilities; our humanity.
Another dimension we don’t often discuss is the relational dynamics. I focus on eldercare/caring for my parents, but many friends care for their spouse, child, or sibling. Plus, caregiving stretches beyond blood ties these days. Various forms of kinship care, care communities, or caring amongst chosen family are being formed. Phew! For those of us who are single and childless, I recommend reading Marianne Power’s article, “Who will look after me when I’m older?” Her last words keep lingering in my mind:
The question isn’t: “Who will look after me when I’m older?” anymore. It’s “How do we look after each other?”
How do we look after each other, at any age?
As I connect with various caregivers, I’m exploring how we can delve deeper into the different types of caregiving to better understand specific experiences.
Caregiving for someone who has health issues or a disability is different when they’re your parent or older, compared to when it’s your child. I’m not familiar with caregiving for a child, but I’d like to hold more space for those experiences and other types of caregiving.
So, I’m introducing a new Carer Mentor collaboration project to facilitate more community connections and discussion. The Carer Mentor Community Hub will host a discussion thread:
“Caregiving as a parent” on Friday, April 3rd.
Meet eleven caregivers who are part of this collaboration. Join in the “Ask us anything” about caring for a child with special needs, a disability, rare disease, autism, cancer or another health condition.
‘Caregiving as a Parent’ will be on the first Friday of every month.
It’s in the form of a discussion thread for easy reference.
I’ll start other collaborations for other types of caregiving soon-ish. Curiously exploring, sharing and networking empathy together.
Whether things feel heavy or light for you right now, I hope something in the ComfortZone section of Carer Mentor gives you some mental respite and soulful resonance.
Don’t forget that UK clocks move forward this coming Sunday, 29 March 2026. At 01:00 GMT, the clocks will move to 02:00 British Summer Time (BST).
An appropriate period to pause, recalibrate and exhale into a broader frame of reference, together.
A short poem of pause: Holding space to hear the music
Holding space. The rests between ....the notes of doing holding breath and mind pause. Uncertainty may tip to angst But still. I hold space gently without expectation or fear. Letting go. Heal the space... ... exhale the moment Move through... the phrase to hear the music.
‘The Letters from a Caregiver’ Spring Season collaboration continues.
“Letters from a Caregiver” is a weekly article where a caregiver offers wisdom, compassion, and hope to their younger self. No one knows us as well as we know ourselves, and even then, we may second-guess ourselves. The choices, challenges and tragedies we’ve faced have forged us in more ways than anyone can understand; in ways we’re still trying to decipher!
There are two previous seasons of Twenty-One Letters.
This Spring Season so far
“Misunderstood, and everyone has an opinion,” By Victoria
“What It Takes To Embrace the Life He Has “ By Chris B. Writes
“The Long Road Home for a Different Kind of Future” By Haley Haddow
“Grace, belatedly..…Becoming the daughter she needed” By Sarah Bain
“Caring to Love.” A Letter to My Younger Self By Kirbie Earley
Apologies, there was no letter on Thursday, 19th March or today, 26th March. Life happens. The next letter will be published on April 2nd.
Growing Anthologies of Diverse Experiences
I’ve built a new anthology focusing on caring for your parents, or older family or friends who have chronic health issues or an increased need for care support due to declining health, mental capacity, or physical frailty.
Explore the anthology: Eldercare / Caring For Parents.
A few of the articles included in the anthology:
Priming for an emergency: What You Need to Know Before an Unexpected Hospital Trip includes a free download of checklists. by Victoria
Is it time your parents took a back seat? It’s hard for our parents to stop driving but a bit of planning and some support can help. by Wendy Frew I highly recommend watching the videos. Put yourself in the shoes of the 80-year-old lady.
A Home That Still Fits. “Why adapting the home isn’t about removing risk — it’s about preserving independence, confidence, and the life someone still wants to live.” By Adrian Chung
3 Ways Hospice and Palliative Care Are Different When we talk about hospice and palliative care, the two terms often exist within the same breath. (includes information on Community-based palliative care) by Sue Montgomery, RN, BSN, MA
Explore more articles in the anthology.
Other Anthologies updated over the last month:
The Dementia Anthology Articles By Dementia Caregivers and those Diagnosed with Dementia.
The Caregiving Hacks and Tips - practical ideas you can adapt into the routine
ComfortZone article
#12, This Caregiver’s March Watchlist: “Connections, grief and love”
I share some gems I discovered:
March 20th, I found “The Curiosity Shop”, a new podcast with Brené Brown and Adam Grant
“In the inaugural episode, Brené and Adam discuss how a public disagreement about authenticity almost ended their relationship before it began.”
March 22nd, I found the new episode of ‘All There Is’ where Sara Bareilles debuts ‘Home,’ a new song about grief inspired by Anderson Cooper and Stephen Colbert. This episode aired March 20, 2026. Tissues required.
I recommend exploring “All There Is” with Anderson Cooper, “Talking Grief. Building Community” on YouTube, and the other recommendations in the March ComfortZone watchlist.
Don’t forget to join the discussion thread: “Caregiving as a parent” on Friday, April 3rd.
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