Working Caregivers: The Invisible Employees

Care with Dignity: Fighting for Change with Filmmaker Susie Singer Carter

• Selma Archer & Zack Demopoulos • Season 1 • Episode 22

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In this episode, we sit down with our brilliant friend and caregiving champion, Susie Singer Carter. Susie doesn’t just tell stories—she lives them with heart, humor, and relentless honesty. We talk about the raw truths of caregiving, especially for those dealing with Alzheimer’s and long-term care systems. Susie shares how caring for her mother, Norma, transformed her life and ignited her mission to advocate for others through storytelling.

We also dive into her new docu-series No Country for Old People, a bold exposé on the failures in nursing home care and the urgent need for reform. Susie also discusses the impact of her Oscar-qualified short film My Mom and the Girl and how it’s educating employers and caregivers alike.

Susie is an award-winning writer, director, producer, and Alzheimer’s advocate. Her credits include Bratz: The Movie, Soul Surfer, the acclaimed podcasts Love Conquers Alz and I Love Lucifer, and her upcoming screenplay RUN. Inspired by personal tragedy, No Country for Old People received the 2024 Gold Anthem Award and is sparking a national movement for care reform. Susie is also the proud host of WGAW’s 3rd & Fairfax Podcast.

 

Episode Highlights:

[4:39] - Susie begins sharing her personal caregiving journey and lessons learned through trial and error while juggling caregiving, parenting, work, and a divorce
[10:37] - How AI and technology can transform the caregiving experience
[12:05] - Behind the making of My Mom and the Girl and why humor matters in the caregiving narrative
[16:08] - Turning the film into an educational tool for caregivers and employers
[18:40] - Unveiling her new documentary No Country for Old People and the systemic issues in long-term care
[26:44] - Why self-advocacy at work matters and how to speak up
[30:26] - Bringing humanity back into caregiving and employer flexibility
[32:17] - Introducing the ROAR movement: Respect, Oversight, Advocacy, Reform
[34:22] - Where to find Susie’s films, join the ROAR movement, and help push change
[35:52] - Zack’s challenge to employers: Watch the docu-series and lead the way in workplace change

 

Links & Resources:

·         Susie’s Podcast “Love Conquers Alz” with Don Priess:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-conquers-alz/id1492023291 

·         Episode with Breana Patel:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breana-patel-can-ai-transform-long-term-care/id1492023291?i=1000711955899 

·         Watch the trailer for My Mom and the Girl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlTRldVFw74 

·         No Country for Old People Docu-Series (available on Amazon August 1): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21954988/ 

·         Dopesick:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopesick_(miniseries) 

·         Challenge: Zack challenges Employers to watch the docuseries and support Suzie Singer Carter and her movement. 

 

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the podcast and leave a review. Remember to check out our website at invisibleemployeeadvocates.com for more resources, and subscribe to our newsletter for updates! We’ll catch you in the next episode.

Susie Singer Carter:

Nobody escapes this. It's like it's equal opportunity, not my mom's story. That's what I keep trying to tell everybody. This is all of our stories, none of us right now, none of you know you two beautiful people. You don't want to end up in a nursing home where you are just seen as a commodity. That is the worst fate after having an incredible life, you should be diminished with no dignity and and no respect and no quality of life. It's very slow creep towards apathy, and then we're we have a ride.

Unknown:

Did you know that in 2020 there were 53 million caregivers in the United States? And by 2025, this number is expected to grow to 62, point 5,000,073% of these caregivers also have a job. They are called Working caregivers, and they are invisible because they don't talk about their caregiving challenges. Working caregivers, the invisible employees is a podcast that will show you how to support working caregivers. Join Selma Archer and Zach demopoulos on the working caregivers the invisible employees podcast, as they show you how to support working caregivers.

Zack Demopoulos:

Good morning, good evening, good afternoon. Welcome and thank you for checking in on our podcast, working caregivers, the invisible employees. I'm Zach demopoulos. I'm Selma Archer. Hey, Selma Archer, my partner. Has it cooled down on the West Coast yet?

Selma:

What are you kidding? The thermostat here is past. Heat is on hell.

Zack Demopoulos:

Oh, my goodness. I think, I think we got to stop talking about temperature, talking about something else. I got something else talking about we got any most incredible, incredible guest today who I am proud to say I'm a fan of, but even more proud to say I'm a friend of, She's incredible. She's all over LinkedIn. She's all over everything, movies and documentaries and advocacy. We're going to hear from her. Susie singer Carter is in the house. Hello, Susie. Oh

Susie Singer Carter:

my gosh. I love you so much. I love you and I love you, Selma, because I don't, haven't met you. But if you're working with Zach, you gotta be good. You good

Zack Demopoulos:

that she wants to stay. So if you could tolerate Zach. She really loves me, that's what she's trying to say. We're gonna have some fun here, but this is some serious topics we're going to talk about, and we really appreciate everybody checking in. And by the way, don't, don't worry about writing notes down. We are going to put everything into show notes, because we will be referring to some things, because we know people run, exercise or drive while they're listening to our podcast. So first of all, though, this, have a little fun because you are in celebrityville and won yourself. Susie, come on. Give us a really good, funny celebrity story.

Susie Singer Carter:

Oh, my God, I tell you the one about my mom with the with Arnold Schwarzenegger, if it's got

Zack Demopoulos:

something to do with your mom, I want to hear it, because I love, love, love your mom. Let's go, Oh my

Susie Singer Carter:

God, I know you do. My mom, all of five feet tall, was to you know, after her singing career, got into art, dealing with fine art, and we were at a really high end Art Gallery, and in saunters who aren't of Schwarzenegger. And I wish I could do a good accent, but I can't. I can't do it. But he was like, he looked at my mom and he was smitten. And he said, he said, Oh my God. And he picked up my mom in her in his arms, like she's five foot tall, and she's looking at him like, what the hell you do? And he said, Oh my god, I just love you, and you are the most beautiful boobies. And my mother said, turn me down, you big.

Zack Demopoulos:

I love that story that is, Oh man, we're off to a great starter. I love it.

Susie Singer Carter:

Wow. I'm like, Melissa, it's our whole, you know, short sneaker. She's like, What do I care? She could care less. Yeah,

Zack Demopoulos:

yeah. Susie, you and I have always said, I wish, I wish I could have met your mom. Sounds like she and I would hang out. And great, great. But now she's up there, what? And hopefully she's running to my dad, because I think the two of them will be having a great time as well. Selma, his mom too. I'm sure someone's mom would be partying with him. So party time. I'm glad you told the story about your mom, because that's kind of why we're here. We want to talk about the caregiver role and the caregiver journey you've been on. So can you share with us and for our audience to tell us a little bit about your caregiver

Susie Singer Carter:

journey? I will. And, you know, I think, and thank you for letting me tell that story, because I think it's really important as caregivers that we tell stories, and that we tell stories that humanize the people that we care for, because our society has gotten to almost a very apathetic level of, you know, of attention when it comes to people who. Are infirm or have a disability or are just elderly, and so, you know, and be, and we're able to other them, you know, as as Ashton Applewhite, who is incredible person and talks about ageism all the time. We do that. So it's really important for us to humanize the people that we care for. So my journey started when my mom had Alzheimer's, which she had for 16 years. And you know, you entered this and I was going through a divorce when she was diagnosed. And my mom, I had, you know, children. So I had a young teen in Atlanta, a child just leaving her teens. So it was, it was quite jaunting. I didn't know a thing about Alzheimer's. And there we go. We're on this journey. I didn't even know that I was a caregiver. I didn't, I didn't even know that term, I think we said caretaker at the time, right? So, and it was really a learn on your feet experience. And I think that that that that was unfortunate, but, but in the same sense it was I was forced to learn by Roach, and I had to learn by my mistakes, which I made a hell of a lot of mistakes with Alzheimer's. I just did, you know I look back at videos where I'm testing my mom, because I thought that that was going to keep her in the present. Yeah, Mom, where do you live? What's What's your middle name, Mom, do you know what date is you don't I just want to, like smack. I want to smack me, but I didn't know. My mom was so adorable. She'd go, I just, I don't know. I and I was like, yeah. And then you learned, Oh, you gotta lean into their world. That's what's important. You gotta be where they're at. And then, you know, you're otherwise, you're just fighting this, this demon called Alzheimer's, or dementia, or whatever, Parkinson's, whatever the case may be. So you know, my journey was long, but very empowering and tactical and and I, if you asked me, you know, 16 years ago, what would you want to be a caregiver for your mom? I'd go, are you What planet are you from? Because no, the answer is no. And I wouldn't, I wouldn't exchange that. What I learned from it, what I gained from it, the depth of feeling that I have felt from this journey that is incomparable. And I don't think anybody that goes through this will feel if you allow yourself to feel like the best of you, the best you you can be if you give into it, because that's you at your best when you're caring for someone you love.

Zack Demopoulos:

But how can you be your best? Susie, when you're also you're being a mother. Obviously, you said you were going through a divorce. You got work, you got income to worry about. You've got people that are relying on you, and how did you juggle all that? If that's the word,

Susie Singer Carter:

yeah, well, I didn't. Okay, let's say this. I didn't say it was easy. It was easy, but like I say in my my film, my mom and the girl, I didn't say it's not it is easy, but it's worth it. Okay? So I think that we don't have to weigh that. Okay? It's not going to be easy. It's freaking hard as hell. And and, you know, you're right. I remember staying up all night because when my mom lived with me for a year, and right after my divorce and I was and literally, the boundaries are gone. She's opening the door. She's there. It's four in the morning. I had to, like, Wait till she slept so I can get work done. So I was, like, sleep deprived and trying to navigate my career, like you said, and, and, you know, and then also my children, and also my own broken heart, and also, you know, every change in the world and and also be my mother's mother, you know? And so when I finally just decided I'm going to, I'm just going to surrender to this new role and not fight it, because it is what it is. And then once you surrender, everything else is cherry on top for me, anyway, that's the way it was everything else, you know. And I was fighting a brother who was not a teammate. He was not team Norma. And so it was, you know, there was, it was, it was hell, it was hell. And I thought, if I survive this, which I will, you know, I will live to tell and that's the gift, that's the gift. That's what you that's your purpose. You find out, oh, oh, Julia, sitcom isn't my purpose. Do talking about caregiving is a great purpose. You know,

Zack Demopoulos:

well, the paternal side is going to come out of me. Now not not only have you survived, I'm really proud of you. You've, uh, you've, you've gone from 16 years of doing this not knowing it's. About Alzheimer's to now hosting a podcast called love conquers all with Don priests. You've become kind of an not an expert, but you've brought experts that have had expert conversations. We'll put a link into your podcast. And also, folks, check out the last episode where she bring Susie and Don bring Brianna Patel on to talk about AI and technology. That was an incredible episode. I mean, look at you, talking tech, talking talking AI. I'm really proud of you. You've really you've done more than survive.

Susie Singer Carter:

I love it. I love it. I think AI is going to help us so much. You know, in caregiving in so many different ways, it has to because, you know, we just, we need to help. We don't have the manpower for all of the things that need to be done. So it's going to be a great tool, if we use it right. It's going to be fantastic for everybody. It

Zack Demopoulos:

was a fascinating conversation. I really encourage everyone to check it out. And the one that really hit me hard was the part about where she's going to be able to help prevent things like bed sores. I cannot tell you how many times after my mother had her first bed sore, I'll be in meetings or having conversations at work, and I'm worrying about her, because I'm like, did they rotate her ankle? Did they do and she, she, she's going to have platforms working with rehabs and nursing homes, where you'll be able to monitor that and quickly notify folks as I, we don't we, that's check out Susie's and Don's podcast for the for that whole discussion.

Susie Singer Carter:

Thank you. Yeah, no, it's exciting that that's exciting, and those are things that are gonna really, you know, make us just be exponentially better for everybody. So, yeah, so Susie,

Selma:

you've been, you've been involved in a couple of really amazing films, and we just touched base on those for a minute. One of the first one is my mom and the girl, can you talk about the inspiration for that? Whether that's just amazing?

Susie Singer Carter:

Thank you.

Unknown:

That's my mom the year she lived with me, the year I call my best and my worst. But either way, she's the love of my life, bitch. I know you're in there. I knew she was getting worse. It's sport and Marc, where are you? But I was not sending her to one of those places you have to put me in a home and live your life. Oh, you're going not yet. You're not ready, baby. Worry about me. Okay, I wasn't ready. What could be better than living with people you know and love? Who's your friend? Nanny? Does this look like

Susie Singer Carter:

a nanny? I'm very proud of my mom and the girl just, it's just, it's a day in the life, a moment in life of my mom when she lived with me, which I called the best and worst year of my life, after what said divorce, said everything. And I had this fantastic caregiver that lived with us, my air Londa, who was my daughter's nanny, and then she had become my mom's housekeeper and was just a natural caregiver and became my mom's best friend. They were best friends my my Jewish mom from New Jersey and Orlando from Guatemala, and they loved each other dearly. And she had a, she was stirred, and she's was is sturdy. Orlando was very sturdy with my mom. They had a they had a thing. So she would regal me with all these my mom was very un shy, the opposite of shy. You know, she spent an afternoon with Snoop Dogg. That's a whole nother story. That's a whole nother movie. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. My mom would sing to anybody. My mom would sing. And he was like, they were at Starbucks and they're gone for like, four hours. I'm like, finally, get a hold of her, London. Say, where are you? Oh, we were talking to Snoop Dogg, like, whoa, what he was like? He was like, little mom, I'm taking you on the road. I actually wrote a movie about it because he fell in love with my mom. So that was my mom. So this story in particular, that's my mom and the girl, which I won't go into it, because we have so much to talk about, but you, I'll give you the link, and your your your listeners and viewers will will get to watch it. It's really wonderful. Valerie Harper plays my mom. Valerie Harper, who played Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It was her last performance. She embodied my mother. She embodied this experience, and she gives her all to it. It is gorgeous. It is beautiful. Is funny. It is everything that my mom was, and I can't, I can't feel more blessed that I had her in this project. So, you know, I remember telling people this story in particular. About this that the movie was based on. And people would say, Oh, my God, you need to do a short film about that, or a film. And I said, Oh, please. That's the last thing people need, is another Alzheimer's film, right? And and then I ruminated ruminator. I thought, Okay, well maybe, maybe it is different enough. Maybe it's, maybe it's what I would call a joyous look, a a real but joyous look at Alzheimer's, because in 2017 there wasn't a lot of, you know, positive perspectives, where there was a lot of stigma and a lot of ableism attached to and misunderstanding. I wanted to maybe take a chance and and, you know, give it, give it the best light I could. And, you know, I'll be an honest light. So we did and and just watch it. It's very unique and different and real. And we were Oscar qualified. We went to can we won the PBS award there. And we, I'm very, very, very proud of it. And, yeah,

Selma:

how do you think a caregiver or an employer would benefit from watching the movie?

Susie Singer Carter:

I such a great question, because I was my fiscal sponsor at the time, was us against Alzheimer's for that film. And also I was very, very connected to Alzheimer's Los Angeles, and I am, I actually started to create an educational tool using the film, because every scene has a part has something that is kind of universal about the way caregivers and people with dementia interact. And you can you. And I really wanted to show that, you know where my mother forgets who my daughter is, right at the door and she goes, Who's this woman? And I'm like, and the way I would have said mom before, I would have said, Mom, that's your granddaughter. Now I go, Oh, this girl, this gorgeous, beautiful woman that used to be a baby. You mean baby Maddie, that's now grown up and can never stay home, and it gives her time to go, Oh, my granddaughter, I remember, because she doesn't feel shamed, right? Because you don't, you're not shaming her so. And she goes, Ah, of course, I love you. Get over here. Give me kisses, right? And so that. So every scene shows something of a, you know, a solution in a way. You know, it may not be an elegant getting into it, but life isn't elegant, but, but nevertheless, this is what hap This is a better way. This is the mistake I made. And then this is, let me show you what I could do, you know, or you can do when my mother's screaming and yelling at me at four in the morning because she thinks I've stolen her baby, which is a very calm thing that happens. And I was like, oh my god, it's four in the morning, Mom, Mom, stop. And she just turns and looks at me and goes, Oh, you're my baby. You're my baby. Wow. And you know. And so, you know. And then we go to humor, like we always did. And she goes, You got to put me in a home. You got to live your life. I go, Mom, you're going, Are you kidding me? Like? And I go, you're not ready yet. But oh, oh, well, when you know so that that's the tone of the film.

Zack Demopoulos:

Yeah, they say the olive doesn't fall far from the olive tree. Just, you know, Like mother, like daughter.

Selma:

Thank you. You have a documentary coming out on August 1, right? I do, uh huh. I do No Country for for old people. Tell us about that and, and why do you think it would be beneficial for employers and caregivers

Susie Singer Carter:

to Whoa, it's it's it. The world needs to watch this film. It's a documentary based on our broken, systemic crisis in our long term care system in the industry, really, and I, and I again, inspired by my mother and and the care that she was receiving three years ago in a five star facility here in Los Angeles. And, you know, because of covid, and we were kept away from our loved ones for far too long, we were able to see the, you know, as caregivers, we go and you know, they're on their best behavior at these, these institutions, these facilities, but during a crisis, you could really see where all the crafts in the business model were and and things you didn't want to believe. You want to believe that your parents being taken care of, or your loved one, your husband, or whatever, and, and all, all of the bad things were exposed during that time, because they are, they are chronically understaffed. That's a fact that goes, you know, and they are, for the most part, owned by corporate ownership and people that are just interested in the bottom line and looking at these places as commodities. And they've learned to game the system and and. Things that you would never imagine in this kind of world of peer interview, where you're talking about people's lives, you're talking about the most tender parts of people's lives, and and, and yet, the they're, they're in essence, being warehoused or profit. And I and, and I'm not. I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I'm a practical girl, and I certainly didn't want to be doing research and finding out all this stuff. But, you know, I had on my podcast, I I, I had just watched Hulu's mini series called dope. Sit right. I don't know if anyone has seen it. Go see like watch it. It's free. It's who on Google. It's Michael Keaton, Peter stars guard plays this amazing man, Rick moncastle, who was went up, who was the main prosecutor against Purdue pharma, who are responsible for manufacturing OxyContin and creating the oxycontin crisis. Well, he, he, this is he and his partners, the whole, the whole journey of it, taking them to court and prosecuting them. At the last episode, they talk about their next case, which is also a pharmaceutical which is against Abbott Labs for off marketing depot to nursing homes to to chemically restrain. I remember that, right, and I was like, that happened to my mom. My mom was on Depakote, and I didn't know it. It took her from a vibrant singing, walking, talking woman with Alzheimer's to a zombie in a chair, and I didn't know it. I didn't know she was on it. So until her her, her primary doctor saw her for a regular checkup and said, Your mom's on this this drug, it's a it's black box label for someone with of her age and with dementia. Can I take her off? I said, can you take her off? Of course. Well, yeah. So long story short, I had Rick on my show to talk about chemical restraint, and then I was going through what was going through with my mother and and he said, You know, I prosecuted nursing homes for and for fraud and neglect for over 20 years, and even though I would win my cases nationally, he said, I never have seen any change. If anything's getting worse, it's the first I ever heard of this. He said, This isn't unique to you. This is a systemic crisis. He threw his hat in the ring because he was, he happened to be like he says, there's no coincidences, you know, retiring three years ago, and said, If you do a you're a filmmaker, if you do a documentary or anything, almost, I'd like to throw my hat in the ring. I said, Okay, you just, they just opened the door. I'm gonna do a documentary. And that was it. We're off to the races. That's amazing. Yeah, so it's very important. And then and having Rick be being an expert on the legal side, and understanding the business model, along with over 70 other experts who have been, you know, dealing with these issues, and nothing has helped and and the reason why nothing has helped is there's a very, very powerful nursing home lobby that uses our money to make sure everything stays status quo, because that's how they make money. And we all know how lobbyists work all our all of our politicians where they're at. They're at for their campaigns. They get into our legislature. They they invent themselves. They have chairs there they make decisions. So that's why traditional advocacy very rarely works. There's no enforcement, there's no oversight, and there's hardly any penalties. And if they are, they're the they're considered the cost of doing business.

Zack Demopoulos:

And I can't tell you, I mean, at least you know your mom, and by way, her mom's name is Norma, so we keep saying, Mom and Norma, God, God, bless Norman. I know she's beaming down at you right now, Susie, but you know, you know you were there for Norma. I'm sure while you were going into this place. And when I go into my mother's place, there are so many that have no visitors, there's nobody there advocating for him. So can I just Just to follow up on your documentary? I mean, this is a little frustrating. I mean, this isn't a new issue. What's new is the shortage of caregivers, that is new and and scary, but these issues in nurse zones are not new. Why are we still dealing with this stuff? Why do you have to go and make a documentary to get the world to wake up?

Susie Singer Carter:

Well, unfortunately, we living in a very individualistic kind of of time in our society that should get, like, all preachy about it, but it's true. You know, we lost community. We've lost a sense of community. And so, you know, without community, and that's very evident during covid, without community to oversee. These things happen. They're not no longer in our purview. We are apathetic towards that. We're taught to be apathetic. We had taught all these isms, like, it's okay, at least they lived that long. They were sick anyway. They're oh gosh, it doesn't matter. They're. Don't really bring anything to society, you know, they're not really here. I had the chaplain tell me, my Mom, don't worry about her. She has Alzheimer's. She has holes in her head. She doesn't know what's going on. And I said, I'm sorry. With all due respect, you have holes in your head. You don't know a thing about Alzheimer's good for you, you know? Yeah. And so that this is what you're dealing with. You're dealing with doctors that don't know. And the truth is, is that I, in the documentary, we talk about the fact that our frontline providers are suffering as much as as our residents and our, you know, yeah, all of all of our elders and people that are the most vulnerable because they're not given the tools to do what they know they have to do and need to do and want to do so they they experience moral injury. They go home at night and go, I can't like I just let Norma in her urine, not to be gross. But that's what happens. Because they don't have time. They don't have the time. They're not because there's they're chronically understaffed because staff can cost money. Yeah, that's the that's the biggest nut. Yeah.

Zack Demopoulos:

God bless you, Susie, for your for your advocacy, your advocacy work that you're doing. We all need caregiver advocates, and we actually someone, I've had conversations with a guest where advocacy should be a skill set you should put on LinkedIn profile, because a lot of caregivers are really good at it, right? But unfortunately, sometimes we're not so good at it at work, and for many reasons you do you have any insight into that, or any tips for anyone listening in here, whether you're a manager or a caregiver, that you know, we could try to do a little bit more advocating for ourselves at work.

Susie Singer Carter:

I think so. I think one of the things that I always bring up is the comparison between, you know, caring for a child and I don't, not to infant, infantilize our our elders, but, but the but the truth is, you know, there's, there's similar skill sets if you have to care for a child and or or a parent or a husband, you should be afforded the same, you know, respect and advantages that you would get as being a parent. In other words, you know, if there's, you know, days off that you need, if there's time that you need to take someone to a doctor, they I think that we need to frame it so that your employees understand why it's important what that you are no different than a parent that has to care for a child. You're now the parent hearing for your parent. And we need to frame it so people understand we've lost touch with with our humanity. And so I don't know what the actual you know, step by step is, but I think as it, you know, as as an individual going into top two, if you're playing your case, frame it so that they understand and that you know this is as important as as take caring for your your child. You know, these are people that need help, and you are their designated like I was, I petitioned to be legally my mother's conservator person I can legally. I am the legal caregiver. I must be there, or I can get fined like I must care for her. And so these are, you know, they, I think, our employees and our you know, need to, need to take that information seriously and compassionately and and understand that this is a human issue. It's this is a human rights issue to take care

Zack Demopoulos:

of, and I like your comparison to children, but it is a little bit easier said than done, right? I mean, at the end of the day, a newborn is a happy time, and employees are bringing pictures, and they're doing showers at work. I don't think I've ever shown anybody my mom's bed sore or or the things that you're going to be revealing in your Docu series. We just aren't that comfortable to do that at work, right? So I maybe we just got to try to get more comfortable with it

Susie Singer Carter:

somehow showing we're not showing dirty diapers, either to to our employees, with our children, either or scrape knees, we need to show them the love and the love like love is our greatest tool in our arsenal is love. It's it's powerful. You know it is it is it is the one thing that you cannot deny that is so powerful. I loved my mom, and, you know, I loved her as much as I love my children, like she's one of my favorite people in the whole world. And you know, I think if you lead with that and say, you know, you don't have to show the pictures of the bad things, but you say, you show pictures of the good life, of the good times, like, you know, and how much it's helping her, and that maybe you're going in like I've used to, and, you know, entertain the troops, because, you know what there, you cannot feel any better than going and visiting someone at a, you know, a long term facility or or assisted living. You know, first of all, everyone there is so grateful, so lovely, so wonderful. Powerful, you know, and it's important. These things are important. They're not not important. They're the opposite of that. This is so important that we learn to to be there, to to be a community we have lost, that we it is all about bottom line, you know? It's, it's like, they don't even call people by their names, it's like Bed number one and bed number two. I'm sorry, where is our humanity?

Selma:

I was going to ask you what what employers could do, but you mentioned the flexibility piece, that they could be more flexible. That's what caregivers are needing. You know, when they walk through the door to talk to that manager, they need some ways to work around the rigidness of getting the work done. That's one of the Exactly. And you also mentioned about bring bringing it back to humanity, about these are all human issues that, as Rosalyn Carter said, we have either gone through, we're going to go through, we're going through them now, or we're going to need someone to help us through.

Susie Singer Carter:

Nobody escapes this. It's like it's equal opportunity. It's equal opportunity for all of us, all of us, not my mom's story. That's what I keep trying to tell everybody. This is all of our stories, and it's not none of us right now none of you know you two beautiful people you don't want to be end up in a nursing home where you are just seen as a commodity. That is the worst fate. After having an incredible life, you should be diminished with no dignity and and no respect and no quality of life. That's that's just inhumane and and, and yet we're looking. No one's looking. And I'm not blaming people. It's the way that we it's very slow creep towards apathy, and then we're we have arrived. Yeah. So we need to use our voices. We need to roar. How's that for my transition into advocacy, we need to roar very loud for the people that can't roar, which is why we're starting a movement to coincide with No Country for Old people, which is called roar, and it stands for respect, oversight, advocacy and reform, for employee long term care. And I invite everyone to be a roar with me and use your voices for those who don't have voices.

Zack Demopoulos:

And advocacy takes a lot of time, a lot of energy, a lot of resources, a lot of money. What maybe can employers do in that respect is there ways that they can support what you're doing to your efforts, because then employees can look up and say, hey, wow, my company really does carry and listen up, everybody.

Susie Singer Carter:

Support us right now. We're going to pave the way. We're going to get to CMS, which is the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare, and we their care Medicaid, and we're going to, you know, make sure that they, you know, with, with our collective voice, which is powerful, that's who, where we need to start is to really get oversight, regulations and and, you know, these that will benefit employers. You know, where, where CMS will say, Yes, you know, we need to pay for these days off for people or, you know, or time off to care give that should be worked into the system. It should be part of it. And that will never get done unless we, as a collective demand it. And so, you know, I just, I would say to to employers, I would say, support this movement. It's so important. There's nothing has been done that's, that's this big of a rock to push up the hill. Nothing has been done without the collective voice. You know, the LGBTQ movement, you know the ME TOO movement, the the Black Lives Matter movement. Everything takes voice, and voice takes money. Support us. Please support this movement. Support whatever you can, because it will benefit you and your company, and you will be more productive because you're gonna have productive people and you they're gonna feel cared for. They're gonna feel respected people that tear for people should get the most respect in the world, right?

Unknown:

You think, yeah. You would think, yeah, wow.

Selma:

What Susie, how can our audience learn more about all this wonderful work that you're doing? How can they reach you, your website, your link, your shows, links to your shows everything.

Susie Singer Carter:

Well, lace, I'm going to share a link to my mom and the girl. I want everyone to know that no country for old people, a nursing home expert say, will be available on Amazon on August 1, starting August 1, and I'm very, very excited about that. Please watch it. It's three parts. It's a three part jockey series. It's so important that you know what's going on, so that you can manage this, this system, because everybody will, like you said, Zach, somewhere in this system, and some as well. And you can go if you want to learn more about it beforehand, and watch trailers and. Everything else and join there are raw movement. You can go to low country for all people. Com, everything is there. You can watch videos. You can watch, you know, our some, you know, excerpts from our from our experts, experts, from our experts. And then, yeah, and, and, you know what? And if you, if you want to be a part of the lure, but you can sign up there you if you can, if you can't leave the house, that's fine too, because we're going to be virtual as well. We just need to use our big fat voices, and that's what we need to do. We just can't do it alone. It's daunting, right? I feel like Sisyphus. I call it Susie piss because I'm like, looking at this rock up the hill, and I can't do it alone. And, you know, we can't. We need, we need to be unified. What'd you call that? Susie, what specified, you know, sis with this the mythology of Sisyphus. I call

Zack Demopoulos:

it. You're like a whole new dictionary, warriors and all that stuff. I love it. I love it. Love it. Yeah. No. Selma, you know, on occasion, you know, I like to challenge our audiences, especially employers out there. So I'm going to do a challenge. You know, August 1 is when Susie. Susie's documentary series is coming out. I am like to challenge one of our employers out there to take the lead. Watch it for yourselves, and then bring it to your organization. Support Susie and her organization, because this is not easy to produce. It took her three years to do this work, and I know she's nowhere near paying the bills yet. So, so, and this is important, important, and I like what you said, Susie, if you do it with love, we don't need to shock people. We don't need to say, look what's going on. Yes, it's called an expose, but it's a it's for the reason so we can raise awareness and educate ourselves. So employer, who's going to be the first one out there? Watch it for yourselves. Bring it to your organization. Support Susie and her and her efforts, and we can all make a difference together. I know if I was an employee and my employer was doing that, I'd feel a heck a lot better working for him. I know that for a fact,

Susie Singer Carter:

that isn't that the truth, isn't that the truth? Yep, thank you, Zach, thank you so much.

Selma:

Thank you, Susie, for all the work you do is unbelievable.

Unknown:

Yeah. Thank you, Susie. Appreciate it. Thank you for tuning in. Be sure to catch new episodes of working caregivers the invisible employees podcast every other Tuesday. Please also visit our website, invisible employee advocates.com to subscribe to our newsletter, purchase our book and learn more about how we can help you strengthen your workplace to become more supportive of working caregivers you.