Listen and hit ≡ in the player to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform! Or if you'd rather see our faces 👩🏽⚕️🧑🏼⚕️watch it here on YouTube.
Summary
In this episode of the CareLab podcast, hosts Emilia Bourland and Brandy Archie are joined by Christopher MacLellan, founder of the Whole Care Network. They dive into a light-hearted debate about being dog or cat people, share personal pet stories, and discuss the broader implications of caregiving and advocacy. Christopher also shares his journey into caregiving and the creation of his network.
Key Takeaways
- Pet Preferences: The hosts and guest share their preferences and experiences with dogs and cats, highlighting the joys and challenges of each.
- Caregiving Journey: Christopher MacLellan discusses his personal caregiving story and how it led to the founding of the Whole Care Network.
- Whole Care Network: Introduction to the Whole Care Network and its purpose of supporting family caregivers.
- Podcasting: The significance of podcasting in sharing information and personal stories, making connections within the caregiving community.
- Story Sharing: Emphasis on the power of sharing personal caregiving stories to create a collaborative support system.
Transcript
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS Hey everyone, welcome to Care Lab.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Care lab time, I love it.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS I love it. Yay. This is always one of the most fun parts of my days when we get to just like sit around and talk and talk about Care Lab issues, check in with each other. How's everyone doing? We have a very special guest with us here today, Chris.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP We do
Christopher MacLellan I'm a guest on a podcast. Oh my gosh.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS I've just never done that before.
Christopher MacLellan Well, I, I thought I'm going to follow your lead. So this is great to be on your new show. Congratulations.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS Thank you, thank you so much for being here. So we'll, listen, so here's the deal, Chris. We'll like actually introduce you and stuff in a little bit and tell people why you're important and why you're here.
Christopher MacLellan Well, uh.
Christopher MacLellan I'm in comfortable company. I have four sisters, so I was trained well. I'll follow instructions.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS Okay, great. So, but first, we're gonna chat about the really important stuff. I have a very, very important question for both of you. Are you ready? Okay, well buckle up Buttercup. Are you dogs or cats? Are you a dog person or okay. All right. Chris?
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP I'm not ready, but I'll do it anyway.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Duds.
Christopher MacLellan to your pet.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP I was not expecting that answer.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS No, no, not at all. Okay, why?
Christopher MacLellan I don't want to take care of any more heartbeats.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS That's fair. I don't really want to care for anything else. My sister-in-law has four kids, two dogs, and they just got a hamster. And I'm like, dude.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Mm-hmm.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP That's a lot. Listen, I have three kids and a dog and some fish, which we can hardly keep the fish alive. Yet the kids keep asking for more pets. I'm like, I can't take care of no more things. I'm barely take care of these things here. You included, kid.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS I can't. That's a lot.
Christopher MacLellan Oh, the fish though, they're so calming. I had an aquarium when I was a kid and I love sitting at the edge of my bed and watching the fish just kind of swim around freely. But then they started jumping out of the aquarium. I said, oh, I guess it's too hot.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS Oh, okay, that's the story. That's the story I was gonna tell. We had fish for like a hot second when I was a like really little kid. I think I was probably maybe like three or four, but I remember these fish, but they kept jumping out of the bowl in the middle of the night. And like somehow I think my dad heard them the first couple of nights and like went and scooped. I know, who is this? Who is this person?
My dad can apparently hear anything. Actually, my dad definitely, he's pretty deaf now. He needs hearing aids. It was all the fish jumping.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Hehehehe
Christopher MacLellan The fish whisperer.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS Yeah. But he, so he would like go scoop them up and put them back in the bowl. This is my three or four year old memory, so it may or may not be accurate. Um, but then one night, one night either he didn't hear it or he was like, I don't, I mean, these fish, they have chosen their fate. So, we, we had fish for about five days. That's my fish experience. Okay.
Christopher MacLellan Amelia, I'm going to give you a quick tip. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Hehehe
There.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS So Brandy, why dogs? Why are you a dog person?
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP So dogs are active and they can do stuff. They like your attention and they want to be around. And I think dogs are fun. Cats on the other hand, are sheddy all the time. I'm allergic to their hair. I'm actually allergic to dog hair too, but cats shed so much more hair and makes way bigger difference. And they don't want to be around and I don't like stuff sneaking up on me.
Christopher MacLellan Mm-hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS Hmm.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP I hear lots of little sounds and I'm always like at alert. And if it's like a cat, like just prowling through my house, I just don't like it. Don't like it.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS They do. They are kind of tacky. So I used to be 100% team dog and then my kids always wanted a cat. So a couple years ago we like surprised them for Christmas and we got a kitten. And you know what? I love this cat. He's so great. He is everything that like you say cats are. Like he is...
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP I'm sorry.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS Although he's very, he's very sweet. He doesn't always want to be with you, but when he wants to be with people, like he really wants to be with people and he's not mean to any people. He is, he is mean to other cats. He doesn't like, he doesn't like other cats. But like, oh my gosh. So, so he's indoor outdoor for all the cat people out there. Please don't judge me for having an indoor outdoor cat. Listen, we're all doing the best we can. Uh, he's indoor outdoor. People have strong feelings about this. I found out.
Christopher MacLellan making the other cat.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Okay, that's good. Get on him.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS after we got a cat. Very strong feelings.
Christopher MacLellan Mm-hmm.
I mean, you did say that y'all leave stuff outside and apparently includes your cat.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Thanks for watching!
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS That's true. I did say that on a previous episode that we have a tendency to leave things outside that are not meant to be outside. Well, the cat chooses to be outside. We actually try to keep him in, but he can't be contained. But he will... he's not a big cat, but he's scrappy. And he will chase other cats down the street. I heard him once chase a cat down the street, yowling like a siren.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP See?
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS and it had like full Doppler effect on it was like
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Hehehehe
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS going away down the street and it was just the funniest thing I've ever heard. So I don't know. So I'm team, team both.
Christopher MacLellan Well, I'm just thinking, you know, you know, your cat's got a little independence and sounds like a New Yorker.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS He is definitely independent. Yes. And he's not a big cat, but he likes to throw his weight around.
Christopher MacLellan Ah.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS So that's fun. So, okay, well now that we got all the important things out of the way, um, Chris, welcome again. We are so glad that you're here. And you know, we do have a little bit of a more formal introduction for you. Chris McClellan is known as the bow tie guy. I think I would love to know how you got that nickname. First of all, um, he is the founder and podcast host of the whole care network and a podcast called healing ties. Chris, why don't you tell us a little bit about, you know, your story and what led you to the whole care network?
Christopher MacLellan Well, I guess the story kind of starts back in 2011. I'm from St. Louis, Missouri, originally living in South Florida. My partner, Richard Schiffer was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. And it was a pretty, uh, as you know, as most cancer diagnosis is, it was pretty devastating. But we kind of made it through that first year, uh, kind of lickety split. We thought that, uh, we had it under control, but unfortunately, uh, he was rushed to the emergency room in December of 2012. Uh, found out that the cancer had come back. So from that point forward, I was his primary caregiver. And, uh, but to the end of March of 2013, you know, there's a point where you, you know, that things are not going to get any better. And you try to do everything that you possibly can to make that loved one as comfortable as possible.
And, uh, fortunately we were in South Florida and I was able to bring him home for his last days and we could enjoy, um, what was going to be our final time together. He transitioned, uh, March 9th, 2014. And, um, a little bit after that, I wrote a story about our experience that was published on a caregiving.com. It was titled the purple jacket. And I always say, when you know, you're in good company, when you can name the exact date that you're right, something that changes your life. And for me, that was May 7th, 2014. And the story was about our caregiving experience and how Richard taught me what it's like to be a caregiver. So that kind of set my course. I, I had been a family caregiver, you know, I was caregiver for both my parents and two of my siblings. I didn't have any professional background in caregiving, but all the experience, uh, I gained, you know, firsthand, I think that's what most family caregivers do.
They get it firsthand. So I decided to start the whole care network as a place for caregivers to come and share their stories. Um, because, you know, I really feel that it's through story sharing where diversity meets the road to collaborate on a common cause and we can help each other on the road. And then when we share our stories, we have an opportunity to have our voices heard. We have an opportunity to tell our stories in our own words. And when you tell your story, especially as a caregiver, it's, it's very therapeutic. You know, everybody comes into caregiving at a different point in time. And, uh, you don't realize that it's a, it's a role that's kind of thrust upon you. And it's, it's very different from a parental role, even though some of the similarities are there. You, you learn a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about the person you're caring for. And, um, and when you're doing it, you don't realize all the important work that you're doing.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Chris, I can relate to so many parts of what you're saying. So many parts. I mean, I was a caregiver for my grandmother while I was in occupational therapy school, and it was the same type of thing. You don't realize how much it's going to impact your life and how much you're going to be able to impact the other person's life and the types of stories that come from those things.
Christopher MacLellan Mm-hmm.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP I love that you are creating a space for people to share their stories. So what types of stories do people typically share in your podcast?
Christopher MacLellan You know, it's interesting when, uh, when we started, when we started the Whole Care Network, we, you know, I'm really kind of about an education. I mean, I know everybody's got a different experience and a different story. And, you know, we kind of do different genres. You know, we have, we have the professionals that come on to share their expertise and help caregivers. We have, we have, uh, we have caregivers who share their personal stories. And then there's a couple of fun things. We, we have a, we have a podcast for family caregivers who just want to talk about different topics and, and really just kind of get to know each other. And so it's, it's really just an open platform. You know, we, you know, we want to cover the basics of caregiving. We, we want to cover the things that, um, you know, the people go through and understand that they're not alone, but, um, you know, the stories that you get, it's, they're all different, but they're all the same.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Mm-hmm.
Christopher MacLellan It's kind of interesting.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS Yeah, I mean, you know, we talked about this a little bit when we were talking about, you know, doing a podcast, you know, when we first started Care Lab, like one of the things that, that, you know, we, we talk about is, you know, we're here to share, you know, expert information. And you know, Brandy and I, and our, our other co-host, Melanie, who you guys will get to meet in another episode. You know, we're all occupational therapists and, you know, we work in the field and we have expertise, but, you know, we want to hear other people's stories too, because everybody's got that personal experience.
And, um, I just, I love that, you know, that you're creating space for that. And I think it's so valuable because caregivers, you know, as you say, I think a lot of us come into that role, you know, not necessarily, uh, I don't think we all plan for it. Right. And there's a lot of learning on the fly and, you know, having a space to go and hear what other people have been through. I think it's just tremendously valuable. And I just think that's awesome that you're creating that space. So we appreciate that, you know, you take the time to do that.
Christopher MacLellan Oh, well, thank you. It's been, it's been very rewarding and, uh, you know, it's a good feeling when you can, you know, connect, uh, connect people to resources and, and, and just knowing that, you know, caregivers know that they're not alone. I mean, that's, that's what I think the most important thing, you know, when, when you're caregiving for somebody, especially when, when, you know, they're not, um, I don't want to say, you know, nonverbal, but when they're not able to communicate back and you have to, you have to interpret everything. And, um, you know, that, that those are some of the most challenging times. And just knowing that, you know, just knowing that there's resources out there that you can talk to people, uh, it really does, it really does make a difference.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS Yeah. I think that's one of the things that I'm really passionate about too. And in this podcast and in our work as OTs is, you know, providing resources and access to resources. So I know that, you know, we'll definitely want to talk a little bit more about, you know, some of the work you're doing on the whole care network and where people can find it. And, you know, where, where can people, where's a good place for people to start if they want to know more about the whole care network.
Christopher MacLellan Yeah, well, they can, they can visit us online at the whole care network.com. Uh, we, we just recently started our membership site, which is a place where, you know, it's a, it's a place where caregivers can come together and share their story. We do a lot of interactive content. Um, you know, we have our, we have our, our YouTube channel where we do a lot of videos and we do a lot of webinars. Uh, it's a, it's a place where people can come together and, and, and really, um, you know, share their story. You know, when we, when we started the whole care network, one of the, one of the things we wanted to do is create a place where people can come and feel like they're not alone. And, um, you know, we wanted to, we wanted to make sure that people had access to resources and, and, and, and information that, you know, that they need.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Mm-hmm.
Christopher MacLellan Because, you know, one of the things that I realized when I was caregiving for Richard was, you know, there's a lot of information out there, but it's not always easy to find. And, you know, you can, you can spend hours, you know, searching the internet and not really, you know, finding the information that you need. And we wanted to create a place where, where people can come and, and really, you know, get the information that they need in a, in a, in a timely manner. And, um, you know, we, we have a lot of great resources on our site. We have a lot of great partners that we work with. And, um, you know, we, we really just wanted to create a place where people can come and feel like they're not alone.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS Well, that's fantastic. And we really appreciate you being here with us today and sharing all of this information. So thank you so much, Chris.
Christopher MacLellan Well, thank you for having me. It's been a pleasure.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS All right. Well, thanks everybody for tuning in to Care Lab and we will see you next time.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP Bye.
Do us a favor and subscribe to the CareLab podcast on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts! It will help others find our conversations and grow the community and you’ll stay updated with the latest insights and expert advice on elder care.
