I’m Aware That I’m Rare: Connie Siskowski, RN, PhD (296)

The phaware® interview

Connie Siskowski, RN, PhD from American Association of Caregiving Youth discusses youth caregivers who sacrifice their education, health, well-being and childhood to provide care for ill or disabled family members.

My name is Dr. Connie Siskowski. I am the president and founder of the American Association of Caregiving Youth.

I was one of those kids who cared for my grandfather between the ages of about 11 and 13 and never realized how much it impacted my life as an adult. My background is in health care through a broad spectrum; everything from teaching paramedics to hospice care. It was back in 1998, when I attended the first International Conference on Family Caregiving in London that I learned about the topic of quote unquote “young carers” and how much they aren’t being recognized and supported. So all my life, different seeds were planted and ultimately I remarried and my husband encouraged me to go back to school to get my doctorate.