{"id":12228,"date":"2025-10-23T17:02:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T17:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazines.uthscsa.edu\/mission\/?p=12228"},"modified":"2025-10-23T17:02:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T17:02:17","slug":"through-the-eyes-of-a-caregiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazines.uthscsa.edu\/mission\/through-the-eyes-of-a-caregiver\/","title":{"rendered":"Through the eyes of a caregiver"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Antonio is becoming a national model for caregiver care, and it started with one family\u2019s journey.<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

Before becoming a tenured professor and director of UT San Antonio School of Nursing\u2019s Caring for the Caregiver<\/a> program, Roxana Delgado, PhD, MS<\/a>, was a researcher and military spouse who found herself standing in a neurorehabilitation medical room, watching her husband relearn how to tie his shoes.<\/p>\n

\"Professional
Roxana Delgado, PhD, MS, professor and director of Caring for the Caregiver<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Army Sgt. 1st Class Victor Medina<\/a>, an active-duty soldier, had just survived a traumatic brain injury after being wounded by an improvised explosive device in Iraq. He would spend three years in intensive rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

Delgado, then a doctoral student and U.S. Department of Defense research contractor, quickly became his advocate, his support system and, unbeknownst to her, his caregiver.<\/p>\n

But like many spouses, parents, siblings and friends thrust into the role, she didn\u2019t identify as one. Not right away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just a loving wife doing what I promised to do,\u201d she said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t until a friend told me, \u2018You\u2019re a caregiver,\u2019 that I began to understand the full weight of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That revelation would change the course of her life and, eventually, the lives of thousands of caregiving families across South Texas and beyond.<\/p>\n

Reborn through a personal mission<\/span><\/h4>\n

When Delgado was appointed director of the Caring for the Caregiver Program in 2023, she brought with her a prolific research background and national policy expertise. She also brought the valuable lived experience of someone who had walked the caregiver road.<\/p>\n

The program was initially founded in 2017 with a focus on dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s disease caregivers, supported heavily by research<\/a> and pilot studies. But in 2023, under Delgado\u2019s leadership, it expanded with intention.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first question when I came on board was, \u2018Can I expand it?\u2019\u201d Delgado recalled asking School of Nursing Dean Sonya Hardin, PhD, RN, APRN, FAAN<\/a>. \u201cI wanted to make it inclusive of all caregivers \u2014 regardless of condition, age or relationship \u2014 and to build more than a research enterprise; one also established in service and advocacy.\u201d Hardin was extremely supportive, said Delgado.<\/p>\n

Today, the program stands on three pillars: evidence-based research, innovative services and policy advocacy. Its reach has grown to support caregivers navigating a wide range of diagnoses from traumatic brain injuries and mental health conditions to Parkinson\u2019s disease, cancer and chronic illness.<\/p>\n

Services that heal, connect and empower<\/span><\/h4>\n

At the heart of the program is a growing menu of offerings designed to address caregiver burnout, loneliness, health digital literacy and emotional well-being.<\/p>\n

The Gardening Rooted in Occupational Wellness, or GROW, formally called the Dementia-Friendly Gardening Workshop, is a unique collaboration between UT Health San Antonio and the San Antonio Botanical Garden<\/a> that blends horticulture, respite care and community connection.<\/p>\n

\"A
Mable Goldsmith and her husband are participants in the Gardening Rooted in Occupational Wellness program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Mable Goldsmith, who joined GROW after her husband was diagnosed with dementia, the garden became more than a therapeutic activity. It became a lifeline.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband loved to garden, and so did I,\u201d Goldsmith said. \u201cBeing out there brought us both so much joy again. In joining this community of fellow caregivers, we miss each other when we don\u2019t have a session. It\u2019s given us life after isolation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another standout initiative is the health digital literacy program, supported by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and in collaboration with Older Adults Technology Services<\/a> by AARP, which equips caregivers with skills to navigate modern health systems. Through hands-on instruction, participants learn how to use patient portals like MyChart, communicate with health providers and access telemedicine, which are skills that are increasingly essential, but guidance in developing them is often overlooked.<\/p>\n

Monthly Memory Caf\u00e9 gatherings are also offered to provide safe, joyful spaces where caregivers and care recipients can engage in meaningful experiences<\/a> together. Some of these offerings are now delivered asynchronously, ensuring caregivers can access them in their own free time, without the added pressure of coordinating to attend an in-person event.<\/p>\n

Behind each initiative is a strategy to extend dignity, knowledge and human connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything we do is about increasing the capacity of the caregiver,\u201d Delgado said. \u201cNot just in knowledge or skills but in hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I\u2019m a docent at the garden,\u201d Goldsmith added. \u201cI give tours, sell plants and stay connected. It helped fill the gap after I retired and became a full-time caregiver. The program didn\u2019t just help us; it gave me something of my own again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building the future of caregiving<\/span><\/h4>\n

Caring for the Caregiver is now a hub for capstone projects and graduate student internships across public health, occupational therapy and nursing. These students, under Delgado\u2019s mentorship, are helping create lasting caregiver programs, including GROW, which started as a graduate student\u2019s project.<\/p>\n

\"A
Graduates of the Health Digital Literacy Program celebrate at a ceremony marking their successful completion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These student-led initiatives are critical to the program\u2019s growth and sustainability, Delgado said. \u201cThey allow us to innovate and expand our reach through fresh perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, the graduate student who created the gardening program was later contracted by the botanical garden to continue the work, solidifying the program as a permanent partnership between the university and the community.<\/p>\n

Delgado\u2019s long-standing project with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation is about to unveil its newest milestone: the Caregiver Integrated Care Framework, which will work to include family caregivers in its Veterans\u2019 care team and treatment planning. The framework promotes the integration of caregivers as valuable members in the ecosystem of care, according to Delgado.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about making the caregiver a recognized part of the care team,\u201d said Delgado. \u201cThey know the patient\u2019s day-to-day better than anyone. Why wouldn\u2019t we tap into that? Caregivers often hold critical information about the patient\u2019s habits, pain levels, mood shifts and medication responses,\u201d she added. \u201cIncluding them doesn\u2019t just improve patient care it transforms it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018You are not alone\u2019<\/span><\/h4>\n

Led by Delgado and supported by a multidisciplinary team<\/a> of program managers, researchers, faculty and community partners, Caring for the Caregiver brings together their expertise to deliver on its mission.<\/p>\n

For Delgado, success isn\u2019t measured merely in metrics or journal citations. It\u2019s when a caregiver tells her team that they feel seen. When someone walks into a room weighed down by responsibility and walks out with connection, community and confidence.<\/p>\n

She sees it with her husband, too. Medina is now a certified rehabilitation counselor, founder of a nonprofit and living proof that recovery is possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always said we didn\u2019t want to ask, \u2018Why us?\u2019 but through faith, \u2018What for?\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cOur tragedy had to have purpose. And it did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delgado dreams of creating a physical caregiver lounge within San Antonio\u2019s South Texas Medical Center, a space with computers, coffee and comfort where caregivers can rest, learn and find community while their loved ones receive care.<\/p>\n

She also hopes to secure Medicare reimbursement and community partnerships to establish a Caregiver Academy, a national model for caregiver training and advocacy, all housed at UT Health San Antonio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be the place people think of when they think of caregiving,\u201d she said. \u201cNot just in San Antonio. Nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than anything, Delgado wants every caregiver to know they don\u2019t have to walk the journey alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo often, the entire focus is on the patient,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the moment a provider looks you in the eye and says, \u2018How are you doing?\u2019 That changes everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Nationally recognized for caregiver support<\/span><\/h2>\n

Caring for the Caregiver<\/a>, a flagship program of UT San Antonio\u2019s School of Nursing, earned a 2024 Maude\u2019s Award<\/a> for excellence in supporting family caregivers of individuals with dementia.<\/p>\n

Presented annually in Seattle, Maude\u2019s Awards celebrate innovations that improve quality of life for people living with Alzheimer\u2019s disease and their care partners. Only three organizations were selected nationwide in the \u201cSupporting Care Partners\u201d category.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis mission-driven, multiservice program provides education to support the transition into the caregiving role,\u201d said program director Roxana Delgado, PhD, MS<\/a>. \u201cOur approach enhances caregiver knowledge, confidence and capacity to perform complex care tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Award-winning services<\/a> include:<\/span><\/h4>\n