On this episode of The Aging Untold Podcast, Dugan Meredith, who documents caring for his mother-in-law online through the “Taking Care of Granny” social media feeds, joins us to talk about what it’s really like to become a caregiver and how his family found their way through it. 
Caring for an aging loved one can reshape a family, and it’s a responsibility more men are shouldering than ever before. 

Today, an estimated 21 million men are in caregiving roles, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. They are navigating the daily challenges of aging and illness alongside their own jobs and children.

Meredith’s mother-in-law, known online as Granny, was originally living with her oldest daughter in the Charleston, South Carolina, area. Meredith described the signs that led the family to seek a diagnosis. 

“She was experiencing symptoms, showing signs, forgetting how to go pick up the grandchildren from school, getting lost,” Meredith said. “Talking to random strangers and inviting them back to the house.” 

The turning point came when Granny tried to cook soup by putting it in a baking pan in the oven instead of putting it in a pot and placing it on the stove. Granny was later diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, also known as FTD.