Island Treasures

Sarah Merriman joins this episode straight from the United Kingdom.  Sarah was the primary caregiver for her Nana for seven years.  Her grandmother experienced cognitive deficits and despite Sarah's attempts to have her assessed, her grandma was resistant. Sarah was a sandwich-generation caregiver, feeling torn by being pulled in so many different directions.  Sarah now recognizes how that im...

Loretta Veney is a LEGO Serious Play Instructor and she was able to find effective ways to incorporate LEGO into caregiving for her mom who was living with dementia.  You can hear all about Loretta's journey as a caregiver in the full podcast episode titled " Building the Unbreakable Caregiver " from Season 3 of the Island Treasures Podcast. In this Treasure Chest segment you will h...

Have you heard a caregiver referred to as an angel? This mini episode features a clip from the Caregiver Warrior, Susanne White describing how when she's in the company of caregivers she feels the space is sacred.  Susanne paints great word pictures and this one certainly conveys the respect, and appreciation she has for caregivers. We also hear a clip about caregiver warriors!  We talk about...

Susanne White is the founder of Caregiver Warrior. She was faced with the opportunity to care for her parents and embarked on a caregiving journey that would change her life. She ventured into this journey with a true cargiver warrior spirit and uses that same spirit to empower other caregivers through their caregiving opportunities.    This episode is filled with observations that Susanne made of...

Another 'Island Treasures Treasure Chest' bonus episode.  In this episode we revisit "A Musician's Daughter" Season 2 Episode 2, featuring Betsy Haddad.   At the time of the original episode Betsy's caregiving experience was a supportive role to her mom who was her dad's primary caregiver.  Sadly, her dad passed away in 2022 from Alzheimer's Disease.  Betsy...

This mini episode highlights a few key points that Amy Friesen made in the full podcast episode "The Must Have Talk for Caregivers".  What is 'the talk'?  Amy describes how important it is for caregivers not to bury their head in the sand - but to address difficult issues before they reach crisis stage.  While caregivers in the sandwich generation of caregiving may be faced wit...

Today's guest, Amy Friesen, is a best-selling author and expert in the senior living industry and she has worked with seniors and their families throughout the world.  She shares how she and her family used 'the talk' to open the door for her father-in-law to come and live with them.  Amy founded Tea & Toast in 2014 to help seniors and their families gain access to better choice...

When Dennis Dulniak joined me as a guest on the Island Treasures podcast in the episode called " Life Does Not End With a Diagnosis of Alzheimer's " I knew we had valuable information to share with caregivers relating to Alzheimer's Disease.   In this 'Treasure Chest' episode we visit some of the key points that Dennis shared from his journey as the primary caregiver...

In this mini episode we feature clips from the full episode called 'Music is a Bridge for Caregivers and Their Loved Ones' with Alexis Baker. Alexis is a board-certified music therapist who works with caregivers and their loved ones living with dementia.  We start with Alexis describing music therapy.  We then visit the chapter Alexis wrote in the newly released resource for caregivers c...

Alexis Baker is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC), certified dementia practitioner (CDP), and founder of Bridgetown Music Therapy. Her mission as a music therapist is to spark joy and improve quality of life through meaningful music engagement.  In this episode you'll hear how connections can be made through music - as Alexis uses music to make a difference in the lives of older adult...

Island Treasures is introducing its Treasure Chest where treasures from a previous episode will be shared.  Today's treasures come from Season 2 Episode 6 which featured Lisa Kendall in the episode titled "Growth in Caregiving: Healing through Trauma."  We look at the meaning of care, caregiver, and care partnership, and Lisa talks about the inequity in some caregiving partnerships....

Debbie Compton returns to the podcast in this episode.  Debbie is a three-time caregiver for loved ones who were living with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and vascular dementia. She’s a Certified Caregiving Consultant, Certified Caregiver Advocate, keynote speaker, and author of several books geared toward caregivers and seniors, including her newly released book “The Caregiver’s Advocate: A Complete...

This mini episode visits some of the content of the full episode "A Caregiver's Vision" relating both to caregiving and assistive technology.  Victoria Essner brings her knowledge and experience to the podcast being legally blind and having a hearing impairment and caregiving for her husband 24/7.  Victoria has overcome challenges and is passionate about sharing her tips, techniques...

Today's guest, Victoria Essner, is all about breaking down barriers and turning challenges into opportunities.  When a childhood accident left her legally blind, she didn’t stop forging ahead and embracing what life had in store, including caregiving for her husband.  She shares her caregiving story with such gratitude and grace, having adopted the "can do" philosophy; and self-desc...

Island Treasures is delighted to welcome back Debbie Compton to the podcast. Debbie is a 3-time caregiver; a certified caregiving consultant and educator.  She joins us today to introduce her latest book, released in July 2024. This book is for caregivers and it is filled with caregiving resources.  Debbie is the lead author on this collaborative resource with 21 other authors. Caregiving comes in...

This Island Treasures Mini podcast features highlights from the full episode called "Her World Turned Upside Down", where Jenna Rumberger shares her caregiving story from the perspective of the one receiving care. Jenna is a licensed social worker who supports adults, older adults and their families with a specialization in dementia.    When a medical emergency turned her world upside do...

Today’s caregiving story is told from the perspective of one receiving care.  When Jenna Rumberger had a cardiac arrest at the age of 32, her world turned upside down.  She had been working as a social worker in the field of geriatrics since 2013 and was familiar with caregiving - but this medical emergency flipped the script for her - as she found herself on the receiving end of care. Jenna holds...

In this mini episode we focus on the first half of the full episode called "Tapping Into Communication and Positive Activity".  We hear how Lori Rogers has been a true champion for her son Craig.  Craig is now an adult who has autism and is non-verbal.  For example, when equipment in the Special Needs School program was lacking, Lori and her husband researched what was needed in Craig&ap...

This episode follows the compelling caregiving story of Lori Rogers.  Lori is a successful businesswoman with three adult children.  Her second child was diagnosed with autism at the age of two and he was a non-speaker. In 2011 her eldest child had a sports-related injury resulting in post-concussion symptoms which added a different aspect to Lori's already full caregiving life.  But, it was...

April is Parkinson's Awareness Month and the airing of the podcast featuring Dr. George Ackerman are timely as he is a huge voice in raising awareness for Parkinson's Disease. He and I spoke on February 1st, 2024 and the very next day he was able to meet his hero, Michael J. Fox. George shared how much this meant to him; given George’s passion as an advocate helping folks who are living...

Dr. George Ackerman is from Brooklyn, N.Y. Now residing in Florida, he works in the fields of law, police, and education. George lost his mother, Sharon Riff Ackerman on 1/1/2020 due to Parkinson’s Disease. George and his family started TogetherForSharon® to honour his mother by keeping her memory alive; and to share the message of Parkinson’s Awareness and hope for a cure for Parkinson's Dis...

Following the full podcast episode featuring Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, this mini episode captures the content of the GEMS® model which describes the stages of brain change for folks living with dementia. Each stage is represented by a gem to help describe the progression of dementia and how these stages impact the changes in our loved one's abilities. Like with jewels, all we need to do i...

Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, is an Occupational Therapist with over forty years of rich and varied clinical and academic experience. Her experiences led her to the development of the GEMS® States of Brain Change and the Positive Approach® training strategies. Her company, Positive Approach to Care® (PAC), provides online and in-person education and products to support those living with brain chan...

This mini episode visits a few excerpts from the full episode entitled "Caregiving Unveiled True Purpose for an Encore Career" featuring Bill Cohen of Cohen Caregiving Support Consultants LLC Throughout his experience, caregiving for his mother who had Alzheimer's disease, Bill found many helpful resources through the Alzheimer's Association. This included a support group which...

Bill Cohen recently received the “Male Caregiving Voice of the Year” award and when you listen to his caregiving story in this episode and how caregiving unveiled a new purpose which is now providing him with an encore career you may understand why he was selected.  Bill was his mother’s caregiver after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 and took away her home. First, he stepped in as her long-dista...