Voices on Caregiving: John Poole

ASA is excited to announce a new series, Voices on Caregiving, as part of its commitment to uplifting the experiences of BIPOC community members. In this series, we hear from a diverse group of family caregivers about their caregiving journeys, how caregiving affects the rest of their lives and what happens when they are no longer caregivers. Some are from the Sandwich Generation, some are Millennials, some are older adults—but all of their stories are relevant to ASA members and beyond.

Millennials aren’t generally the first generation that comes to mind when we think about caregiving. In 2014, John Poole became his parents’ primary caregiver at age 30. He cared for his mother and father for six years. Through his story we learn about the isolation he felt from his peers, his struggle to maintain a personal identity while performing his caregiving role, and the challenges he faced in learning to navigate care systems.