Heart of the Home Series

Dr. Karolynn Echols is an Associate Professor and Section Chief of Urogynecology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital — and her mother's caregiver. As a "double-duty caregiver," she navigates the emotional and clinical realities of vascular dementia while holding down one of medicine's most demanding careers. This is her story.

Kait and Tamrin Giordano are raising a toddler while caring for both of Kait's parents, who are living with dementia — all under one roof in Georgia. In this Heart of the Home Series interview, they share how they chose to build the family they wanted, how radical acceptance keeps them present, and what they hope their son carries forward from a life where first words and forgotten words collide.

Wendy Gail cared for a parent with dementia while navigating a painful family history rooted in narcissistic trauma. In this Heart of the Home Series conversation, she shares the unfiltered truth about caregiver guilt, breaking points, family abandonment, and what it really takes to survive — and keep showing up.