Oct 1, 2026 · 53 min · 11 segments
What changes when dementia care becomes personal? In this bonus conversation, neuropsychologist Dr. Emma Rhodes sits down with Penn Memory Center Director of Social Work Alison Lynn to talk about…
Emma RhodesGuest
Alison LynnHost
So moving into our conversation about him and your role in it, this is a really personal story.
And I think people might be surprised to hear that it was actually you who approached me about having this conversation, not the other way around.
Well, you know, I think it's probably not surprising as a psychologist that I like to talk about things.
And I probably wouldn't be in this career or chosen this path if I didn't think it was helpful to talk about difficult things.
And certainly at times in my life where I've really been struggling with something, that is always my impulse is to talk about it.
I think that There is something to me about sort of there's suffering is a universal experience.
And when we bring our suffering to others and let them see it, I don't know, there's a sense of communion and I don't know, connection that is really helpful to me.
And so I think more often than not, it's better to talk about it than to keep it in.
I also felt like over the past few years, you know, had a growing sense that there must be other people in this situation too, and kind of was curious about that experience and what other people have done or confronted how they've been living this life or, you know, experiencing this like dual role situation.
And there were a lot of examples of people who were inspired to work in a given field or specialty because they
But I couldn't see a lot of stories of people who were not prepared to have it affect them personally and also be the thing that they spend their days at work
I think it feels taboo to show our personal selves at work to some degree or another.
And certainly when you work in a helping profession, there's a fear of like making this work of caring for others about yourself, which is never the goal, right? First and foremost at work, I'm here for my patients.
But at the same time to not acknowledge it, to feel in some sense like you're hiding it, It almost feels like you're contributing to a stigma, like this is something to be ashamed of.
And, you know, that wanting other people to see it or recognize the pain that it causes is wrong somehow, which I don't think it is.
And so I think I'm trying to get more comfortable now with speaking more openly about what's happening with my dad,
So moving into our conversation about him and your role in it, this is a really personal story.
And I think people might be surprised to hear that it was actually you who approached me about having this conversation, not the other way around.
Well, you know, I think it's probably not surprising as a psychologist that I like to talk about things.
And I probably wouldn't be in this career or chosen this path if I didn't think it was helpful to talk about difficult things.
And certainly at times in my life where I've really been struggling with something, that is always my impulse is to talk about it.
I think that There is something to me about sort of there's suffering is a universal experience.
And when we bring our suffering to others and let them see it, I don't know, there's a sense of communion and I don't know, connection that is really helpful to me.
And so I think more often than not, it's better to talk about it than to keep it in.
I also felt like over the past few years, you know, had a growing sense that there must be other people in this situation too, and kind of was curious about that experience and what other people have done or confronted how they've been living this life or, you know, experiencing this like dual role situation.
And there were a lot of examples of people who were inspired to work in a given field or specialty because they
But I couldn't see a lot of stories of people who were not prepared to have it affect them personally and also be the thing that they spend their days at work
I think it feels taboo to show our personal selves at work to some degree or another.
And certainly when you work in a helping profession, there's a fear of like making this work of caring for others about yourself, which is never the goal, right? First and foremost at work, I'm here for my patients.
But at the same time to not acknowledge it, to feel in some sense like you're hiding it, It almost feels like you're contributing to a stigma, like this is something to be ashamed of.
And, you know, that wanting other people to see it or recognize the pain that it causes is wrong somehow, which I don't think it is.
And so I think I'm trying to get more comfortable now with speaking more openly about what's happening with my dad,
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