Episodes

Why take an Alzheimer's cruise? First of all, you learn to make positive shifts in your life while creating beautiful memories with your family. Taking the "Connecting Circles of Care & Building Bridges of Hope" cruise that's what you'll get. Sharing their stories with the cruisers is a huge line up of speakers speaking from all aspects of living with dementia. Joining the inaugural sailing was past guest, Marianne Sciucco author of Blue Hydrangeas. (You can check out her episode here). She jump...

Has Mom forgotten I'm her daughter? Or, has she lost the language skills to define our relationship? Certainly, people with Alzheimer's do tend to forget us. Even more interesting, I've never had an encounter where they are afraid of or indifferent to me. This would seem to indicate that they haven't truly forgotten me but that they can no longer communicate the same way. Author & guest Elaine C. Pereira joined me on the podcast to talk about this theory. In preparation for our talk, I asked my ...

Needing to have Medicare demystified wasn't something I thought possible. I am not eligible for Medicare for 13.5 years but needed to learn what I could to care for Mom. After my Dad died Mom had doctor bills that weren't being paid. With her high coverage health insurance plus Medicare I was confused. The good folks at Medicare won't talk to me without adding another layer of paperwork and bureaucracy to Moms trust . It's called a Representative Payee; another person and bank account just to de...

Caregiver Pathways is a non-profit foundation that aims to give people living with dementia more purpose in their lives. Most importantly, it's a community immersion program for people with early memory loss. During the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer's people find their worlds shrinking rapidly. They stop working, driving, participating in hobbies they love, and they withdraw socially. It doesn't take long for them to lose their sense of purpose. Enter the Caregiver Pathways program which...

It's our anniversary! One year ago I held my breath and released Fading Memories into the internet. It was my hope that I would reach other caregivers like myself. Wanting to provide great information, guests and inspiration was my goal but more has come from this endeavor. First, podcasting is a lot more fun than I expected. I've "met" a lot of fantastic people even if most of them are only on the other side of a computer monitor. When I started the podcast I didn't realize how large the caregi...

Caregivers need to take care of themselves, also known as respite care. Easier said than done I'm afraid. Are you aware that 65% of caregivers are hospitalized or dead before the person they're caring for is gone? That's a scary statistic but it's not hard to believe. Caregiving is hard and if you're caring for someone with memory loss it's even harder. Lack of sleep because your loved one's sense of time is gone, the constant stress of having to think for two people. It can become too much. Wit...

As we age we know it's likely that we'll need some sort of external care. Most seniors I speak to are adamant that they don't want to become a burden to their children. That's admirable but it's not always an option. Finding ways to make that desire a reality isn't always easy either. I know my Dad looked into and then rejected Long Term Care Insurance because it was too expensive. Fortunately for my sister and me, Mom most likely has enough money to live the rest of her life in the community sh...

Being a successful caregiver is a challenge that many of us think we're failing at becoming. When caring for someone with memory loss we're faced with ever increasing challenges. As our loved one declines we have to take on more responsibilities that very few of us are ready for. Fewer have had no training on how to be a good caregiver. Becoming successful at caregiving isn't impossible. Following the advice of the many people who have been on this journey is the first step. On this episode of t...

The Story of the I'm Up App Independence, security and peace of mind have never been easier to achieve for someone living alone. Using the simple check in app on your phone, your loved ones are notified that you're up and you're doing just fine. This episode of Fading Memories tells the story behind the creation of the app. In 2012, David’s wife, Paula moved out of their home to a memory care facility. His children lived in different parts of the country and he had never felt more alone in his l...

Do you feel like you're grasping for something in the dark? Stumbling around trying to determine which way is up? Is caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia making you crazy? Would an online support group be the answer to your prayers? Pray no more. Support groups was the focus of my conversation with Simone of the Global Senior Care Institute. They offer a lot of different types of support of which you may want to take advantage. Perhaps you'd prefer to have an alternative when you'...

Brain stuff isn't really the main focus of my podcast. However, sometimes with the right guest it's hard to avoid some of the more scientific parts of Alzheimer's. Before we even started talking about Canine Caregivers the host of Dogs In The News podcast, Ben Brooks wanted 2 minutes to "nerd out" about what I call, "brain stuff". Ben teaches bio chemistry and he frequently asks his students how Alzheimer's effects his students. Discussing Alzheimer's with Ben in depth might be an upcoming episo...

I've had dogs all my life. However, I was not aware of canine caregivers until Ben & Michele of "Dogs in the News" podcast approached me. The idea was to create a shared episode to educate people about these dogs. After my conversation with Ben & Michele, I now want to get and train a dog to be a memory impaired communities caregiver! How can a dog help someone with memory loss? That was my question as well. Surprisingly, there are lots of things a dog can do to help someone living with memory l...

Caregiver confession is something we all have but don't usually want to discuss. Wouldn’t it be nice to be a caregiver who never gets frustrated and is an eternal optimist? If that describes you, I applaud your emotional strength and resilience. However, many of us providing care for a cognitively impaired loved one, do not fall into that category; I know I don’t. Similarly, most caregivers struggle with negative emotions, frustrations and the uncertainty that comes from caring for someone with ...

Starting this podcast was all about sharing my knowledge with other caregivers. That was the plan with Francey, to have a conversation where we shared resources. As many of my recorded conversations go, we ended up talking about our shared journey. That's okay, because I feel that hearing other caregiver stories, them sharing their knowledge is helpful to all of us. Knowing we're not alone, that we have similar struggles can be truly beneficial. I like to think of episodes like this one as a way...

Understanding what living with dementia is like is beneficial for all of us. In this part 2 episode with Janice Swink, we continue our conversation about her life and struggles. Janice is living with frontal temporal dementia. At the time of our conversation it was thought that she may also have Lewy Body syndrome. Her recent MRI has proven that not to be the case. Having only one dementia is still a challenge however. Janice has scent and visual hallucinations along with good days and bad. Post...

Sitting in a state senators office is not where I would have thought I'd find myself 4 months ago. However, on Tuesday February 5th, 2019 that's exactly where I was. I was part of a team of 5 people asking our state government to support legislation that could save our state millions of dollars. There were 250 advocates at the capital that day, all asking for the same thing. Exactly what was this "thing" we were asking for? We were lobbying our representatives to support a bill that was being br...

Alzheimer’s disease creeps slowly into a person’s life but never retreats. Eventually, the individual’s memory fails in too many important areas, and someone must keep watch. Round-the-clock care is needed, and that invariably falls to the ones who care most—one’s partner or children. Becoming a caregiver to your partner of many decades is difficult. Speaking to the former governor of Wisconsin Marty Schreiber helped me be a better caregiver. Marty has seen his beloved wife, Elaine, gradually tr...

Caring for a family member with memory loss is hard enough. Hearing the question "what's wrong with Grandma" can make it even harder. How do we explain Alzheimer's to kids? Hearing my conversation with Kathryn Harrison, author of the children's book "Weeds in Nana's Garden" will help you navigate this challenge. Kathryn was your typical sandwiched caregiver with a young child and a newborn when her Mom was diagnosed with dementia. Spending time with Nana was normal for her kids and spending time...

Millennials are often accused of being a selfish generation focused on their own needs. However, this is not a complete picture. While trying to achieve their own goals, millennials play a much bigger role in caregiving for older adults than any other generation. Sadly, they don't get credit for this. One out of four family caregivers in the U.S. is a millennial. As Baby Boomers age and need more support, this young group is becoming an increasingly important part of the caregiving workforce One...

We've all had the experience of not remembering. As we age some of us dismiss this as part of aging and some of us fear it's the first sign of Alzheimer's. How do we know who is right? Experts say that mild memory loss is normal as we age. Occasional forgetfulness does not mean you're developing Alzheimer's. If we're concerned about developing the disease, have normal memory lapses we easily focus on what we're forgetting. Knowing the difference between normal memory issues and memory loss we sh...

A common caregiver struggle is the lack of support from family members. Author Irene Olsen and I discussed potential solutions during our conversation on this episode. Irene survived being an Alzheimer’s caregiver…twice. Her father, to whom her novel is dedicated, was the first family member. Then, Irenes' sister-in-law, diagnosed with mixed dementia a month after her father’s death, became the second. Why An Alzheimer's Novel? Feeling her experiences as a caregiver were meant to go further than...

Tech options for seniors may not be something you're aware of but no longer! I share two very different options for ways to preserve your legacy and maintain communication in this episode. I speak first with Aaron the founder of Legacysphere℠. We pass down material items with a Will, and take care of our loved ones' finances with Life Insurance. NOW you can take care of the whole person. Legacysphere℠ gives you the ability, while you are alive to compose personal messages for your survivors whic...

A listener told me she couldn't find the episode on the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's and since there wasn't one, I created it. You can get more information from the Alzheimer's Association. Their website is chock full of fantastic information. Memory loss that disrupts daily life Forgetting recently learned information is one of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s disease, especially in the early stage. Other signs include forgetting important dates or events, asking for the same information...

Finding the right gift ideas is a challenge, Finding gifts for caregivers who needs more assistance than stuff can really make your head explode. Well, I'm here to help. Today I get personal and offer up my list of gifts for caregivers and gifts for those living with Alzheimer's. I've had a lot of practice so you benefit from my experience. Gift Ideas for Caregivers Just for You - A Daily Self Care Journal “Just for You, a daily self-care journal” guides the writer on a journey of self-discovery...