Cameron University will continue its12th Academic Festival, “Care and Health: A Generational Approach,” with comedian Leighann Lord. The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place on Tuesday, February 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the University Theatre. Tickets are required for admission and can be reserved online at https://www.cameron.edu/festival.
During Lord’s entertaining and enlightening presentation, “People with Parents: When the Roles Reverse,” the standup comedian will talk about ways to handle a life-changing experience. Her perspective is a direct result of her role as the sole caregiver to her aging parents, which she has referred to as “scary, exhausting, enlightening and funny.”
“Ms. Lord’s experiences as a caregiver for her parents allows her to bring a realistic and relatable perspective to providing mental health support for caregivers and those they support,” says CU President John McArthur. “She will call on her personal knowledge of this unique ‘role reversal’ to provide a humorous and no doubt moving and informative presentation.”
“What do you do when your parents need parenting?” Lord says. “We're living longer. Adult children, still deep in their careers or just living their lives, are finding themselves in a Freaky Friday role reversal they may not be prepared for. Maybe your parents are fine right now, but there may (will) come a time when they’re not. Then what?”
Facing the situation with humor and heart, she first shared the experience in real time with her podcast, “People with Parents,” which the Wall Street Journal called “one of the 10 Podcasts for Older Adults That Promise to Entertain – and Enlighten.”
Lord is the final keynote speaker for “Care and Health: A Generational Approach.” Previous keynote presentations focused on child and adolescent mental health in September 2023 and adult mental health in November 2023.
Lord also co-hosts “Point of Inquiry,” the podcast for the Center for Inquiry. She is the creator of “Hanging In There with Leighann Lord” on YouTube and has a daily social media post called #LightheartedHistory, which takes a humorous, tongue and cheek approach to random events in history.
With a beautiful blend of grace, charm, humor and intellect, Lord has become one of the hottest public speakers working today. Whether discussing caregiver survival tips or describing the sights and sounds encountered as a caregiver, Lord is known as an intuitive and engaging speaker who leaves her audiences enlightened and entertained.
The McCasland Foundation of Duncan is the primary sponsor for CU’s academic festival series. Additional funding is provided by the Cameron University Foundation and through the CU Lectures and Concerts Series.
For more information, contact the Cameron University Office of Public Affairs at 580-581-2211 or via e-mail at publicaffairs@cameron.edu.
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