About Barbara
Barbara McVicker was a caregiver to her parents for 10 years while raising two children and struggling to maintain her career as a high-level development director. Overwhelmed and feeling isolated, she eventually quit her job to care for her parents full-time.
After her parents were gone, Barbara began searching for a way to help others deal with their own challenging caregiving circumstances. She interviewed hundreds of caregivers and healthcare professionals, gathering their stories and compiling information and common themes essential for all caregivers. This data, including numerous poignant stories, became the basis for her presentations, as well as her book, Stuck in the Middle: Shared Stories and Tips for Caregiving Your Elderly Parents. The book and presentations are Barbara's opportunity to provide a lifeline for caregivers through highly emotional times - a lifeline Barbara wishes she would have had while she was a caregiver.
As a speaker and consultant, Barbara offers information and educational support to adult children caregivers across the country. This specific group of caregivers - "stuck in the middle" of their children, aging parents, and careers — is widely recognized as "the Sandwich Generation." Of these caregivers, estimated at 75 million individuals, approximately half are currently in the workforce.
Barbara's talks are tailored to each specific audience, including adult children caregivers, retirement communities, elder care associations, and corporations interested in supporting their caregiver employees. An educator as well as a storyteller, she provides highly interactive, inspirational, and entertaining presentations. Audiences not only gain practical insight, they also laugh and cry together.
Prior to her career as a professional speaker, Barbara was a medical researcher and grant writer for an acclaimed medical school, founder of a partnership for Habitat for Humanity, and a consultant in hospital management. She was employed as a development director managing million-dollar fundraising campaigns when she resigned from her job to care for her parents full-time. Her vast experience in the healthcare and non-profit arenas, combined with her own individual experiences as a caregiver, provide Barbara with a unique view from both the professional and personal perspectives.
"With the growing elderly population and rising medical costs, it is important to have a plan in place to look after our parents and loved ones. Stuck in the Middle not only examines the problems with current care giving, but also provides solutions and tips for caregivers and those seeking to help friends and relatives."
- Millard Fuller, Founder
Habitat for Humanity International