355 Laurel Baer: Caregiving Offers a Deep Sense of Purpose

355 Laurel Baer: Caregiving Offers a Deep Sense of Purpose

Author: Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau November 19, 2025 Duration: 29:00

When Laurel married in her late 50s, she never imagined she’d become her husband’s full-time caregiver just five years later. Now, twenty years into that journey, she calls it a blessing: “He is so easy to care for…. I have released early feelings of resentment, realizing that I’ve been training my whole life to do this.”

As Director of Strategic Initiatives for The Village Chicago, Laurel works mainly from home, crafting a monthly newsletter that shines a light on aging and ageism. Reflecting on life in her late-80s, she says, “I feel more myself than ever before in my life.”

“I consider myself a solo ager because I am primary caregiver for my husband and am making all decisions and doing all tasks by myself.” - Laurel Baer

Connect with Laurel:

Email lbaer938@aol.com

The Village Chicago https://thevillagechicago.org

Thanks to our Sponsor—Plymouth Place, LaGrange Park, IL

Discover the extraordinary at Plymouth Place—a vibrant community designed for active adults. Elevate your retirement living experience with tailored independent options, premier amenities, and a full continuum of care. https://plymouthplace.org

Recognizing the AGE-WISE COLLECTIVE

Women Over 70 is a proud member of the Age-Wise Collective, comprised of women-led podcasts that feature stories from women 50+ and topics that promote the pro-aging movement.

MEET: Yvonne Marchese, founder and host of Late Bloomer Living https://www.latebloomerliving.com a podcast for women in midlife, inspiring and cheering each other on, sharing stories and taking bold action, in order to define and rock the next chapter of life and achieve new life goals


Hosted by Gail Zelitzky and Catherine Marienau, Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined turns the page on a well-worn cultural script. This is not a series about decline, but a collection of dialogues focused squarely on expansion. You’ll hear from women who are starting businesses, deepening their creative practices, forging new relationships, and confronting societal expectations with a refreshing blend of honesty and humor. These conversations, rooted in personal journals and lived expertise, delve into the practical and the profound-from the science of longevity to the personal journeys of resilience that define this chapter. The podcast moves beyond inspiration to offer tangible insight, framing the later decades as a time of active reinvention. Tune in for stories that replace stereotypes with specificity, and discover a community redefining what it means to grow older with purpose and curiosity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined
Podcast Episodes
369 Arlene Bomer: Living a Life of Adventure with Purpose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:48
At 75, Arlene Borner may not be running marathons, but she is still running—and skiing on snow and water and playing pickleball. She may no longer be teaching children how to swim or speak English in places like Sweden o…
367 Patricia Koko: Turning Ideas into Services with Lasting Impact [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:58
When Patricia (Pat) Koko, age 82, reflects on her life’s work as a young homemaker turned consummate volunteer and community change-maker, she often says things like, “that was kind of fun,” or “there just was a need”—-s…
366 Suzi K Edwards: A Chaotic Life Reignited by Yoga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:03
Living high throughout the 1960s and early ‘70s filled Suzi’s life with glitter, dazzle, and celebrities who sadly, broke her heart. As a luxury designer of women’s clothing in New York, Suzi was sought after by big name…
365 Reedy Gibbs: Broken Pieces Can Be Mended [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:55
n writing her memoir, BROKEN PIECES (and the fun things you can do with them), Reedy is hopeful that her life's missteps might help others. When she began studying Method Writing with a brilliant teacher, “her life's sto…
360 Deb Krier: Trying Not to Die [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:08
Like most people, when Deb Krier was told she had metastatic breast cancer in 2015, she went into a tailspin. She previously worked for an oncologist and later, the American Cancer society and still was not prepared. Wha…