Learning How to Let Go:
Care Givers

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, May 21 and July 9, 2006
Show 313

Leeza Gibbons and Dr. Jamie Huysman share the poignant story of caregiver Larry Kallas and his wife Shirly. Five years ago, Shirly became depressed. Her daughter, Laura Weidensee, noticed, "Everything got tough for Dad. Mom got more forgetful and wouldn't eat anymore." Janet Krahn at the Colonial Manor nursing home admits, "By the time Shirly came to us, she was in the later stages of Alzheimer's." "You think you're ready, but when it comes, it's heartbreaking, because it's your Mom," says Laura. "Often we have guilt, sadness and a feeling of loss when we can't care for a loved one ourselves," says Dr. Jamie Huysman. "But you need to let go. Everyone goes through the grieving process." Letting go doesn't mean you are less consistent in the person's life.