How I Learned to Manage My Own Caregivers | SMA & Independent Living

What’s it actually like hiring, managing, and depending on caregivers as a disabled adult? In this video, we talk honestly about Conor’s caregiving journey — from moving to Berkeley at 18 and learning independent living for the first time, to navigating agencies, caregiver conflict, autonomy, boundaries, and relationships while living with SMA. We discuss: • Learning to hire caregivers in college • Managing caregivers independently • Setting boundaries and maintaining autonomy • Why caregiver “fit” matters so much • Agency care vs self-hiring • How caregiving changed after moving in together This conversation came from a subscriber question. If you’re disabled, a caregiver, a family member, or just curious about what independent living actually looks like behind the scenes, we’d love to hear your experiences in the comments. ❤️ Thanks for watching and supporting our channel. #InterabledCouple #DisabilityAwareness #SMA #Caregiver #IndependentLiving #WheelchairLife #DisabilityCommunity #SpinalMuscularAtrophy #Accessibility #caregiving 01:22 – Conor’s caregiving journey begins 02:18 – Berkeley’s Disabled Students Residence Program 05:51 – Finding caregivers through IHSS & campus boards 07:02 – Why boundaries with caregivers matter 11:02 – Transitioning to independent caregiving 12:40 – Why using friends as caregivers became a mistake 15:15 – Agency model pros and cons 15:57 – What makes a “good” caregiver? 17:18 – How Conor handles letting caregivers go 18:34 – Dealing with caregiver conflict 20:14 – How relationships change caregiving dynamics 22:01 – Communicating as a couple about caregivers