Gary Barg
CEO/ Editor-in-Chief
Gary has dedicated the last 18 years of his
life to being the caregiver of caregivers. In 1995, Gary moved
from Atlanta, GA back home to Miami, FL to help his mother care
for his grandparents. He was overwhelmed by nursing home,
insurance, and state brochures, all of which lacked proper
direction. Gary realized there needed to be a single source of
information, advice, and support for caregivers. In 1995, he
established
Today’s Caregiver magazine as that source. In addition to the
magazine, Caregiver.com was launched on the Internet in 1995. He
also began hosting a series of conferences around the nation called Fearless Caregiver Conferences.
Caregivers can also request a free on-line newsletter at
Caregiver.com. Until his grandfather passed away in 2000, Gary
enjoyed the simple but special moments with him. He liked to sit
and hold his hand or watch him respond with a smile to a kiss on
the cheek. Gary has made meeting the needs of caregivers his
life work. He has created a community for the nation’s 65.7 million caregivers
to learn, exchange ideas, and receive support.
gary@caregiver.com
Steven became a
long-distance caregiver for both his father and
grandfather, who lived in Miami, FL, while living in
Charlotte, NC. His father developed 4 kinds of
cancer and his grandfather developed Alzheimer’s
Disease. He clearly defined the role of being a
long-distance caregiver when he said, “The secondary
caregiver is one step away so it is important to be
supportive of the patient as well as the primary
caregiver.” Steven was appreciative when his mother,
who was the primary caregiver, would allow him to
play a part in the caregiving even if it was for
just a week. Steven’s role even prompted his
brother, Gary -CMG’s Chief Executive Officer, to do
a series on long-distance caregiving in the
magazine. Through his experience, Steven decided to
make a career change and join Gary in taking care of
caregivers. Steven’s unique visions and philosophies
will prove to be an integral part of the future of
Caregiver Media Group.
Nancy Schonwalter
Managing Editor
Nancy’s career
and passion for animals sent her to live and work in
Laos, a small country between Vietnam and Thailand.
She worked for The Carnivore Preservation Trust, a
non-profit organization that rescues injured and
hunted carnivores. A New Jersey native, Nancy spent
five years of her life in Laos caring for carnivores
such as: tigers, sun bears, leopards, and golden
cats. On a temporary return trip to the United
States in 1996, she learned the director of the
organization, Dr. Michael Bleyman, was diagnosed
with kidney cancer. Nancy relocated to the U.S. to
become one of his primary caregivers. Dr. Bleyman
requested not to go into hospice care so Nancy
became his 24-hour a day caregiver. Nancy said, “He
and the organization enriched my life; caring for
him was the least I could do after all he did for
me.” Nancy became the Executive Director of the
organization after Dr. Bleyman’s passing. She felt
fortunate being able to give such a wonderful gift
to her mentor. Nancy understands the stress
caregivers can feel. She said, “Things can get very
intense but it would be a disservice to the person
you are caring for to not give yourself distance
when you need it.” Over the past three years, Nancy
has spearheaded a complete redesign of Today’s Caregiver magazine, which has garnered multiple national
awards for the organization.
