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The Joan Lunden Interview (Page 1 of 3)
An
Interview with Joan Lunden
 Joan Lunden is a
journalist, author, television host,
motivational speaker and successful
entrepreneur. She was the co-host of
ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA) from
1980 through 1997 and is the longest
running host ever on early morning
television. One of the most visible
women in America, Lunden has graced the
covers of more than 40 magazines and
book covers. Her books include Chicken
Soup for the Soul: Family Caregivers;
Joan Lunden’s Healthy Living; Joan
Lunden’s Healthy Cooking; and Good
Morning, I’m Joan Lunden. Joan recently
sat down with Gary Barg,
Editor-in-Chief, to talk about topics of
importance to family caregivers,
including why you should know your
cholesterol numbers and partnering with
your loved one’s physician.
Gary Barg:
It’s a pleasure talking with you again.
You were on our cover a few years ago
and that was a lovely conversation, so I
appreciate your time today.
Joan Lunden:
Absolutely. Since that time, I have
gotten so embedded in the space of
caregiving and senior care, and
obviously health care, but this new
health campaign I’m working on is so
perfect for caregivers. They are so much
more at risk because of the stress and
strain. Not just the physical and
emotional strain of taking care of
others, but they’re just so overwhelmed
by it that they really tend to take
worse care of themselves. When you go to
the site, CholesterolConversations.com,
what I really was so impressed by was
that they basically built a tutorial
course for all of us to take to be
better patients and to make better use
of that little four to six minute time
period, if you’re lucky, that you get at
the doctor’s office.
Gary Barg:
The program is “It Takes 2,” but the
truth is you as a caregiver are caring
for at least two. When you go to the
doctor for your loved one, you’re right
to have your own tests done. You need to
care for you, you need to care for your
loved one and you need to partner with
your physician. I think the idea of
being able to have these conversations,
as a family caregiver and as a health
care professional on equal footing, is
extremely important.
Joan
Lunden: It’s interesting
because we all kind of feel the same
way, I think, about going to the doctor.
It’s like getting sent
to the principal’s office. There’s a
certain amount of unease to it. First of
all, you’re afraid sometimes of what you
might hear. You’re afraid that you
haven’t been taking that great a care of
yourself and, therefore, you’re not
going to look good to them. And then you
have to get in the paper gown and get up
on top of the table with your feet
dangling, so you’re not on top of your
game. Therefore, those incredibly
important conversations between patient
and doctor, which sometimes only happen
once a year, aren’t as productive as
they should be.
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