AFTD Ambassador Melissa Fisher shared the realities of being a long-distance care partner in an interview published by GoodRx Health. Fisher joined two other long-distance care partners who have loved ones with chronic or progressive illnesses to discuss their challenges.

“I feel like caregiving remotely is still kind of an unknown place,” Fisher says. “There are a lot more of us out there in this role than people even realize because we don’t talk about it as much.”

Fisher, who lives in Oregon, is the long-distance care partner for her parents, who live in Hawaii; her father was diagnosed with FTD, and her mother with Parkinson’s disease. Fisher shares that as a long-distance care partner, she doesn’t have much control over many decisions, including obtaining extra support or moving locations. When things go wrong and long-distance solutions are insufficient, Fisher always makes time to support her parents.

During her trips to her parent’s home in Maui, Fisher does all she can to help, such as providing emotional support, coordinating with members of their care teams, helping research treatment options, and providing respite for her mother. Making the time to provide this support is a stiff challenge for Fisher, a full-time healthcare communications professional and mother of two grown children she wants to also be there for.

“I don’t know how to manage it all. As it is, I don’t take my PTO; I don’t take any sick leave. I feel like I’m always trying to pad my time off,” Fisher said. “In the case that something really awful happens, I’ll have at least a little bit of money set aside that I can use.”

In addition to the challenges of trying to provide support to her parents, Fisher also faces emotional challenges from the distance between them.

“I just feel very torn and tattered,” Fisher added. “And as a remote caregiver, you’re already feeling like you’re not enough. There’s a lot of guilt and inadequacy.”

Are you a long-distance care partner? AFTD’s HelpLine answered some common questions regarding long-distance care in a recent Dear HelpLine article.

As an Ambassador, Melissa Fisher raises awareness and educates others about FTD in her home state of Oregon and Maui, where her parents live. Visit the AFTD Ambassadors page to meet Fisher and her colleagues and to learn more about their work towards an FTD-free future.