Running Toward Connection: Rebecca Barry on Caregiving, Spirituality & Tenderness

In this episode of Talking Dementia, Dr. Emily Silverman sits down with bestselling author and live storyteller Rebecca Barry to explore the sacred, complicated, and unexpectedly beautiful work of caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s.

Rebecca shares vivid stories of her father, a practical, literal, adventurous man whose essence has both softened and clarified since his diagnosis. She speaks openly about the early struggles after her father’s diagnosis, the financial challenges of caregiving, and the profound shift that occurred as she learned to “run toward the openings for connection” this disease sometimes reveals.

Rebecca’s stories illuminate what can emerge in the space memory leaves behind: gentleness, clarity, unexpected joy, and deep human connection. Her reflections offer empathy and encouragement to anyone walking t ...