Episodes

Conflicts are a natural part of human interaction. However, natural conflicts can turn into outright wars when we're stressed and trying to make tough decisions. When a parent has a medical emergency or is in obvious need of more support, it's important for everyone to agree on the next steps. Unfortunately, that's not usually what happens. Calling in an elder care mediator can be transformative. A mediator is a neutral party who takes into consideration everyone's needs and feelings. Utilizing ...

The loved one you're caring for is still around yet you feel their loss. Some think this is depression but it's actually a form of caregiver grief. It's commonly referred to as anticipatory grief and it's very common when caring for someone with an incurable disease. This kind of grief can hurt as much as what you feel when your loved one dies. Sometimes, it's more. You can't ignore what you're feeling and hope it goes away. Allow yourself the time to process what you're feeling and appreciate t...

Raising an Aging Parent At what point did we become the parent to our parents? For some of us, this transition happened slowly over time. Others have been thrust into the role because of a crisis. Regardless of how the role-reversal happened, it comes with a host of challenges we may not be ready for. How could this transition be easier? By learning how to raise an aging parent! In his book, Dr. Ken Druck outlines the many ways we can improve our conversations to better help us live the second h...

Research has linked social isolation to higher risks of physical & mental conditions; Alzheimer's & death are just two of them. Becoming isolated frequently happens "naturally" and there are many ways to combat this issue. Discussing senior isolation came naturally with my guest, Rebecca Graulich. She's a past guest who started a foundation to cope with senior issues. Recording this episode of the podcast was originally intended to be an update but turned in to much more. During our conversation...

When it comes to eldercare we frequently need a partner. Even for those who plan ahead, making decisions for our loved one is a huge challenge. For those living with memory loss, it's nearly impossible to know what they'll need, when they'll need it and how we'll provide the care. Enter and eldercare consultant. What does an eldercare consultant do? They provide a professional assessment of the needs and strengths of seniors and their families. They also provide immediate solution option so you ...

"You're too good looking to have Alzheimer's." Imagine hearing this from your doctor. The disbelief that someone could actually look vibrant, strong and healthy yet have Alzheimer's makes diagnosis more difficult. Early-onset Alzheimer's is an uncommon form of dementia that strikes people younger than age 65. Of all the people who have Alzheimer'sdisease, about 5 percent develop symptoms before age 65. If 4 million Americans have Alzheimer's, at least 200,000 people have the early-onset form of ...

When should we consider in-home care for my loved one? How do we find the right help and where do we start? First, if your loved one is struggling to perform basic activities of daily living it's probably time to get help. Part-time help to start might be the best way to go in the beginning. Basic ADLs consist of self-care tasks that include, but are not limited to: * Bathing & showering * Personal hygiene & grooming (including brushing/combing/styling hair) * Dressing * Toilet hygiene (getting ...

Providing caregiver help isn't easy. Asking for help is just one more task in a long list of tasks. Learning how we can provide help is the topic of this podcast. Because of their ever-increasing workload, 65% of caregivers are hospitalized or die before their loved one. For that reason, finding ways to provide help that works for them is crucial. Many caregivers don't ask for help for lots of reasons. Certainly, we can offer assistance without robbing them of their sense of self-reliance. Help ...

When is it Time to Take Away the Car Keys? Driver safety is important. When to take away the car keys is a difficult yet important decisions. It's not to do and should not be made lightly. Most seniors see giving up their cars as the total loss of their independence. Solving this concern will go a long way in aiding them in maintaining driver safety. The ability to drive helps older adults stay active and independent. However, the risk of being hurt or hurting someone else in an accident increas...

Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. The walk is held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, In talking to Ginny Roth, walk coordinator for a Northern California walk, I learned about the importance of the fundraising in helping find a cure. In the United States, someone develops Alzheimer's every 65 seconds. Currently, there are more than 5 million people living with the disease. Additionally, th...

Lewy-Body dementia is very different than Alzheimer's. While physical changes are similar, cognitive changes can be vastly different. Equally challenging, Lewy-Body dementia can present with a range of symptoms. These include problems with thinking, memory, moving, sleep and/or changes in behavior. To better understand the unique challenges of LBD I spoke to Nance Tobar. Nance is caring for her father who has LBD. A misdiagnosis caused severe changes in his cognitive abilities due to the unique ...

Not only have 200+ trials looking for a cure for Alzheimer's failed, a cure in my life doesn't look likely. What if we have had one all along? According to Dementia Care Central the dementia-related conditions that can be helped by CBD include; Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular Dementia, Lewy bodies dementia, Parkinson’s, Frontotemporal dementia and Huntington’s. Additionally, according to researchers at California’s Salk Institute, their 2017 study has found evidence that cannabinoids such as CBD c...

Jean Lees parents were both diagnosed with Alzheimer’s on the same day. She was the hometown daughter, working full time. Her sister lived 1,000 miles away. What could have been a recipe for disaster became AlzAuthors. Jeans sister suggested keeping a journal as part of caring for their parents . The result of this journal keeping was not to eventually write a book. Quite the contrary. The journal clearly described the health issues of their parents. But keeping the journal, written words descri...

Staggering numbers of hospital readmissions are due to medication management errors made by the patient or caregiver. Taking the right pill, at the right time, in the right amount sounds simple, right? Not so much. Speaking with Kimber Westmore introduced me Pill Map. Pill Map is a medication management solution. What it's not is a pill box. Pill Map takes the worry and confusion of managing your loved ones medications. For example, when my Dad was released from the hospital my sister and I had ...

Participating in a Connected Horse workshop provides unique opportunities for people living with early-stage dementia and their care partners. It's time to be together and experience non-riding activities with horses. By experiencing the power of the human-horse connection participants feel relaxed, confident, and happy. Learning self-compassion, stress reduction strategies, communication and awareness practices is the goal. Connected Horse was founded in 2015 by Nancy Schier Anzelmo and Paula H...

These days there’s a lot more knowledge about Alzheimer's and I am truly grateful for that. I’m grateful to be part of the knowledge space. By learning more we are better able to handle challenging situations and keep our stress as low as possible. This episode is about how I use knowledge as a coping technique. When I started my podcast I wanted to share what I had already learned. Fearing that that knowledge wouldn’t provide too many episodes I started staking out other people and their knowle...

Sometimes the simple act of breathing, deep breath in and out can mentally give a caregiver space to solve a problem. Understanding the roller coaster of emotions caregivers go through is our guest, Cyndi. Living with and taking care of her Mom and brother was overwhelming. Cyndi was a stressed-out family caregiver not taking care of herself. (Sound familiar?) Self-care is a vital component in the overall caregiving journey. I am very reluctant to miss my regular exercise classes or bike rides b...

Choosing to embark on an Alzheimer's journey is not one most of us take. Generally, Alzheimer's chooses us and generally later in life. That is not the case for today's guest, Zach Smith. Zach volunteered at our local Alzheimer's Associations chapter as a way to fulfill a graduation requirement. At the time his grandmother was already living with Alzheimer's. Therefore, it was a natural place for him to want to volunteer. During his volunteer time, Zach met his future supervisor. She was in char...

Becoming someones full time care provider has many emotional challengesh. Dealing with unresolved past hurts makes caregiving even tougher. Therefore learning to forgive the person you're caring can go a long way in reducing stress. Easing emotional challenges is important when you're providing care for someone. This is especially important for an adult child who is caring for a parent to master. It is common for the person you're caring for to say or do things that are unpleasant. When their be...

Carlen's story is about a path that emerged in the darkest of hours. In other words, a path that was neither planned nor foreseen. It’s a story about the inner struggles and insights that emerged when he leads Martha and their children through a life-altering quandary. Diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at 50 was never part of anyone's plan. Suggested by a Protestant minister and friend, a search began. Martha and Carlen visited a Catholic nun and a monk in the hills and back roads of Kentuc...

Can caregiving be less frustrating, less stressful? Working with the skills our loved one retains we could achieve that goal. Judy Cornish, author of Dementia With Dignity talks to us about how to preserve skills in our loved ones. For example, expecting our person to use rational thought long after it's gone is common. As a result, we cause stress and frustration. To clarify this, think about how often you've explained what you need doing only to have to explain it again. It's absolutely frustr...

Alive Inside is a program that brings music to people living in the late stages of Alzheimer's. Music reminds us that we are vibratory beings. Music can bring out memories long thought forgotten because of Alzheimer's. Hearing familiar tunes can reawaken the mind & allow someone to engage again. When someone you love struggles with Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s or another form of cognitive or physical impairment, it can be a tremendous challenge to communicate and find ways to help them red...

Author Sandy Seville and I talk about being clueless in our caregiving roles & how to get a clue. Sandys' family has seen a lot of Alzheimer's so it wasn't a surprise to her when it also afflicted her Mom. Her Mom was a bartender and had worked in the same bar forever. Sandy begged her not to retire because she knew retirement was the beginning of the end for her aunt. Being social is important for good brain health and for many people retirement shrinks their life. Loners are losers is a phrase...

Participating in art therapy gives people of every age many benefits. They're able to become more self-aware, improve their social skills, decrease anxiety and boost their self-esteem. Utilizing art can enable nonverbal and minimally verbal seniors to communicate. Most importantly, art projects can create a sense of accomplishment and purpose. Art can provide the person with dementia — as well as caregivers — an opportunity for self-expression and enjoyment. To clarify, art is fun and easy there...