Becoming a caregiving partner
![A family of four poses for a photo. Two girls are holding small dogs.](https://img.apmcdn.org/d493088c74cdee06a5eeb967d42bb49a5a1c0d94/square/514f64-20210913-lamb02-600.jpg)
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Lynette Lamb’s husband was only 45 when he had a stroke that left him unable to speak fluently, use his left arm or work again. Overnight, the Minneapolis writer went from an equal partner in her marriage to a caregiver and the primary parent to the couple’s two young daughters.
![A book cover reading 'Strokeland'](https://img.apmcdn.org/89013d1ad5dfc1988841ef2843106196d8d7d83a/uncropped/a3a8e3-20210913-strokeland-246.png)
Taking care of a partner after a serious health crisis profoundly changes a relationship. There is before and there is after. The caregiver often loses the companionship they took for granted and acquires a host of new and sometimes crushingly lonely responsibilities.
Lamb writes about the 15 years of marriage following her husband’s stroke in her memoir “Strokeland: My Husband's Midlife Brainstorm and its Ambivalent Aftermath.”
MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Lamb and a caregiver coach about the challenges of becoming a caregiver to a partner.
![A woman smiles for a portrait.](https://img.apmcdn.org/6c1de9410a736c247787864fbfba278c15f77a03/uncropped/e9acaf-20210913-lamb01-600.jpg)
Guests:
Lynette Lamb is Minneapolis writer and author of “Strokeland: My Husband's Midlife Brainstorm and its Ambivalent Aftermath.”
Sarah Gavin is a licensed social worker with Family Means in Stillwater where she facilitates caregiver support groups and is a caregiver coach and consultant.
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