Second Opinion for Caregivers

As the population ages, families, friends and loved ones of the sick and elderly find themselves in changing roles. Caregivers struggle with the complexity of the medical system, financial issues and family tension. Yet many caregivers refer to their experience as powerful, positive and uplifting. To support caregivers, the PBS health series Second Opinion has created a national public education campaign on caregiving.

Second Opinion for Caregivers is funded through a generous grant from The Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation.

Second Opinion Episodes on Caregiving


	Alzheimer’s Disease: A Caregiver’s Journey A diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease can be devastating for a person and their loved ones. Caregiving issues surrounding a person with a cognitive disease are unique, and planning for decline in health is critical for the caregiver.
	Kidney Disease: Caring for a Chronic Illness While chronic kidney disease continues to rise in the U.S., Second Opinion explores the many issues faced when caring for a loved one with a chronic disease.
	Caregiver Burnout While family caregivers give of themselves out of love, there are real physical, emotional and financial costs associated with caregiving. As we live longer and caregiving becomes a bigger issue in the U.S., learn what can be done to help our caregiving community.
	Multiple Sclerosis Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can be a debilitating disease of the nervous system in which the protective sheath around nerve cells becomes damaged. Symptoms vary widely and cannot be predicted, but research and clinical experience are incrementally making treatments for MS more successful, giving individuals a better quality of life.
	Heart Replacement Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood throughout the body. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working.
	Spinal Cord Injury Spinal cord injuries usually begin with a blow that fractures or dislocates your vertebrae, the bone disks that make up your spine. Most injuries don't sever your spinal cord. Instead, they cause damage when pieces of vertebrae tear into cord tissue or press down on the nerve parts that carry signals. In a complete spinal cord injury, the cord can't relay messages below the level of the injury. As a result, you are paralyzed below the level of injury. In an incomplete injury, you have some movement and sensation below the injury. A spinal cord injury is a medical emergency.
	Living With Alzheimer's According to a recent study released by the Alzheimer’s Association, five million people in the US have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Approximately one-half are at the early stages of the disease, struggling to pass for normal.
	Cardiac Spouses When we talk about heart disease, we mainly speak in terms of prevention, treatment and rehab for the patient. This is in part because there is no medical structure in place to address the spousal issues. Research shows that outcomes of the cardiac patient are not only determined by their physical attributes, treatment, and their own outlook, but by the people around them and caring for them—specifically the spouse. The recovery from a cardiac event often involves the whole family. The well-being of the caregiver is as important to the patient’s outcome as ev