Bridges of Care spotlight: Paurvi Bhatt, President, Chief Impact Officer, and interim CEO at Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers

Welcome to the series of Bridges of Care (#bridgesofcare), a place where healthcare leaders and our own CaringBridge employees and board members answer five consistent questions that highlight their own personal #caregiving / #healthjourney story and insights. Uncovering themes and universal truths. Giving people a hand to hold on any healthcare journey.

All in the name of de-stigmatizing caregiving.

My guest today is Paurvi Bhatt, President, Chief Impact Officer, and incoming interim CEO at Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. Paurvi is also a healthcare executive, caregiver advocate, family caregiver and CaringBridge board member.

Today also marks the one-year anniversary of Mrs. Carter’s passing. In honor of her visionary leadership, all donations given via this link will be matched and will support both RCI and CaringBridge - two organizations that focus on ensuring caregivers are seen and are not alone.

What does the word caregiver mean to you?

A family caregiver provides care to a member of the family, neighborhood, and/or community. Caregivers serve as the invisible frontline of many systems – providing compassionate care to hundreds of millions of people each year.

How has caregiving showed up in your life???? ?????????????????

Caregiving has been a constant thread throughout my life. My parents were both family caregivers and needed care sooner than most of their peers. As Mrs. Carter taught me, caregiving is generational.? My grandmothers and great aunts were caregivers, and my mom experienced both sides — caring for others and receiving care herself. My mom was married young and diagnosed with cervical cancer in her mid 20s, a couple of years after immigrating to the U.S. My father was a young male caregiver for her - while taking care of then three year old me.?At that time, we didn’t have any family in the U.S., so it was the "uncles and aunties" in our immigrant community who cared for all three of us.

Being a family caregiver has been a defining, though often unseen part of my life, as I tried to navigate my career, life choices, and the complexities of adulthood.?As a caregiver for both my parents - starting at age 28 when I cared for my father, the need to bifurcate life impacted many of my decisions. For example, I dropped out of my PhD program to ensure my family was taken care of. My father needed long-distance care, and my mother needed support. Caregiving is generational and cultural. I am not the only person in the U.S. with a story like this - giving care and, eventually, knowing you will need to receive care. Every day individuals are making trade-offs, just like I did to provide care out of love and necessity.

And now, it’s incredible that life has led me here.?I am the incoming interim CEO of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. Mrs. Carter was always at the leading edge of policy, as a First Lady and as a citizen. She truly “saw” caregivers due to an early experience providing care for her family. RCI’s work is to champion family caregivers. It’s a passion for me, but a great need for our nation. We bring a lens we know is critical - of generations, and of culture, thinking strategically about how care can look different depending on your culture and adapting to the caregiver - not the other way around.

What do you wish more people knew about being a caregiver/receiving care, especially while also being a leader in the workforce?

I wish people realized that being a “working daughter” is just as important and valuable to the fabric of our society as being a working parent. Providing care is so multi-faceted - all of our experiences are important and deserve a place at the table. I want to lead the “care community” and the nation into a conversation about all who provide care and what they need - daughters, sons, nieces, nephews, parents, grandparents - so many of us are providing care without being seen. We want to make all family caregivers seen in society, in policy, and in our communities.

Can you share a story with us or an insight that sticks in your mind that relates to a caregiving experience?

One recent reflection I’ve had now that I am experiencing being a griever is how my health suffered when caring for my parents. It has ignited a deeper understanding within me around how caregiving is a social determinant of health – impacting a decline in health for the caregiver and improving the health for the care recipient. While decades apart, I had a similar experience both times; deprioritized caring for myself to care for them. So many who provide care have this experience. It was enriching in a way words can’t describe to be with them, but it also had an impact on me - physically and emotionally. Family caregivers need support, and we need change to the systems that exist around them.

Please share a song you would add to a playlist for a caregiver.

Friendship - Norah Jones, Mavis Staples (whew, typing it even makes me cry!)

Since November is National Family Caregiver month, we have added three additional questions to get an expanded perspective on what being an unpaid caregiver means.         

What is your perspective on grief, and what have you learned from your experiences?

I am speaking as someone who is still actively processing grief, and it has been a singular experience for me; I am an only child, single, without kids. Processing this experience without siblings or a partner often feels challenging. I have noticed that the places where people acknowledge the "wisdom in the eyes" is actually grief. It’s a sobering experience. It’s fair to say that only those who have experienced this specific kind of grief for someone you deeply love —especially the loss of both parents—can fully understand the depth of another person’s similar grief. Your sense of safety is lost and you need to find a way to feel grounded again. It is a challenge to continue forward through grief. It refines your priorities and what you are willing to emphasize in your life. What’s been amazing is that kindness comes first for me now. I hope that continues to grow and returns tenfold. The edge and pressure to be seen, and “win” has softened. That’s wisdom for some, for me it's grief…

How has caregiving informed or influenced your leadership style?

Being a caregiver has made me more decisive with empathy. My focus has shifted to helping others bring their best selves forward with a clear focus on making the decision that needs to be made - together and every day. And I am more aware of what each of us may be going through, no matter our season of life.

What I realized more than anything, is that each of us has a unique opportunity to lead from where we are and find the courage to influence a key decision.?To take what we may be going through in caring for others and translate it into how we lead. We live in an outcomes-focused world, and RCI is an organization, driven by outcomes. However, we can’t achieve our goals without openness, connecting dots in what we may be experiencing when we care for those who need us and bringing that into how we influence key decisions. In the end communication around our needs and a strong sense of care for each other as human beings lead us to the changes we are all striving for together.

My mom used to say, "All of you in health care take care of so many - are you sure you take care of each other?"

That statement holds true across all industries, but especially in nonprofit work, where resources are limited and the drive for change is strong!

Any advice or reflections you would share from Mrs. Carter’s visionary leadership?

Take a moment to truly see those around you and consider what they’re carrying.?Offer something - a small gesture like a handwritten note can help ease someone’s sense of overwhelm. CaringBridge is an incredible platform for that! It’s why the platform is so meaningful and so needed. We are able to see people and easily share a wide range of support.

My reflection on her visionary leadership is to be proactive! Be bold in showing your awareness. Make the decision that needs to be made.

Her quote about leadership stays with me every day:

“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they ought to be.”

It’s more meaningful than many of us who have provided care could put into words. A handwritten note, a text, a meal, flowers, a funny video - it all helps. Do the unexpected.