The Dementia Collective

What happens to joy when dementia enters the picture? When routines change, roles shift, and caregiving becomes heavier than anyone expected, is joy still possible, or does it quietly disappear? In this episode of The Dementia Collective, Andrew Karesa sits down with  Carrie Aalberts , gerontologist, dementia educator, and founder of Dementia Darling , to explore why joy still matters in dementia...

What if The Notebook was never really a love story? Most people remember it that way. But underneath the romance, the film is doing something much more unsettling. It’s exploring what happens when memory fades… to the point that identity itself begins to break apart. In this video, we look at why The Notebook might actually be one of the most revealing films about dementia, caregiving, and the way...

What does it mean when a former governor says caregiving was harder than public office? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with former Wisconsin Governor Martin J. Schreiber, author of  My Two Elaines , for a deeply personal conversation about loving, caring for, and slowly losing his wife Elaine after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Marty brings a perspective few people can offer. He has lived i...

What happens to faith when memory fades, words disappear, and the person we knew begins to change in ways that feel unfamiliar, or even unsettling? In this episode of  The Dementia Collective , Andrew Karesa sits down with Elisa Bosley , chaplain and founder of SpiritualElderCare.com , to explore how faith, music, and presence continue to matter in dementia care, especially near the end of life. E...

What if good dementia care was not about getting everything right, but about understanding the person in front of you? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Dr. Natali Edmonds , board certified geropsychologist and founder of Dementia Careblazers , to explore what caregivers are rarely told about dementia care, and why striving for perfection often makes the journey harder, not better. Nat...

What if Inside Out accidentally explained how memory really works? Pixar created a world where memories form as glowing spheres, fade over time, and are reshaped by emotion. It’s a beautiful storytelling device. But it’s also surprisingly close to what researchers understand about how human memory actually works. In this video, we explore why Inside Out might be one of the most accurate films abou...

What happens when families sense cognitive change years before dementia is ever named, and are left living in uncertainty while waiting for clarity that arrives too late? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Greg McGillis , engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of Brain Care Technologies , to explore why dementia is so often detected only after lives have already been disrupted, and what mi...

What if the most powerful story in Coco isn’t about music at all? In one quiet moment near the end of the film, Pixar reveals something deeply human about memory, aging, and the fear of being forgotten. When Miguel sings Remember Me to Coco, the song stops being about fame or performance and becomes something far more personal — a bridge back to memory. In this video, we explore the hidden story i...

What happens when a diagnosis doesn’t just change a life, but quietly changes the way a room responds to you? In this episode,  Andrew Karesa  sits down with  Phyllis Fehr , an international dementia advocate, registered nurse, author, and human rights leader who has been living with a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s since the age of 53. Phyllis’s relationship with dementia began long before...

What if dementia isn’t just something that happens to us, but something shaped over time by how we live? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Dr. Tommy Wood , neuroscientist, physician, and author of  The Stimulated Mind , to explore one of the most challenging ideas in brain health: that a significant portion of dementia may be preventable, and that everyday choices play a meaningful rol...

In this Ask the Experts conversation, Governor Martin Schreiber, Ron Beleno, Alfredo Botello, and Spencer Cline explore why so many male caregivers struggle to ask for help. The discussion examines the pressure men often feel to stay strong, handle everything alone, and suppress their own needs, while also unpacking the guilt, silence, and isolation that can come with caregiving. Disclaimer: The i...

What if dementia care isn’t about having the right answers, but about responding to the moment you’re in? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Teepa Snow , one of the most respected voices in dementia care, to explore what it really means to support someone living with brain change when memory, language, and recognition come and go. Drawing on more than four decades of experience as an oc...

What if supporting people living with dementia was not only about care, but about activity, connection, and purpose? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with  Haidong Liang , gerontologist and CEO of WE Seniors and the Westend Seniors Activity Centre, to explore why meaningful activity is critical in dementia care and healthy aging. Haidong shares how his work bridging research, policy, and r...

In this short bonus episode of The Dementia Collective, Andrew Karesa turns to the DC universe and one of Batman’s most fascinating ideas: the Lazarus Pit. Within the mythology of DC Comics, the Lazarus Pit offers an extraordinary promise. When the body begins to fail, the pit restores it. Age recedes. Strength returns. Life begins again. But beneath that supernatural premise lies a deeper cultura...

What happens when childhood unfolds alongside loss — not all at once, but slowly, quietly, and long before anyone knows how to name it? In this episode,  Andrew Karesa  sits down with  Spencer Cline  — FTD advocate, former college basketball player, endurance athlete, and AFTD Ambassador — to talk about what it means to grow up while a parent is living with dementia. Spencer’s father began showing...

What happens when a system built to protect people becomes the very thing that limits their freedom — and the people inside it are left to carry the emotional weight? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Dr. Sharon Kaasalainen — nurse, researcher , and co-lead of the ⁠S PA-LTC palliative care initiative ⁠ — to explore what long-term care looks like from the inside, why caregivers often fe...

In this short bonus episode of  The Dementia Collective , Andrew Karesa turns to Star Trek: The Next Generation and the episode “Sarek” to examine a deeper cultural question: What happens when a society built on logic confronts cognitive decline? Through the allegory of Bendii Syndrome, this five minute reflection moves beyond disease comparison and into structural critique. Vulcan culture equates...

What happens when dementia enters a home where achievement is expected, aging is denied, and illness isn’t talked about until it can’t be ignored? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with  Anoushka Fernandes  — caregiver, consultant, and founder of  The Soggy Sandwich  — to explore how dementia shows up inside South Asian families and why silence still surrounds it. After leaving a senior gov...

In this short bonus episode of The Dementia Collective, Andrew Karesa challenges one of the most common assumptions in dementia care: that a person living with dementia is simply “confused.” What if that word is masking something more specific? Through an unexpected comparison using characters from Pokémon, this five minute reflection explores the difference between slowed cognitive processing and...

What if better dementia communication didn’t start with correcting someone — but by stepping into their world? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Rachael Wonderlin , internationally recognized dementia care expert and founder of Dementia By Day , to explore a transformative idea reshaping how caregivers connect with loved ones: their reality comes first. Rachael shares how her early exp...

In this  Ask the Experts  conversation, Teepa Snow ( Positive Approach to Care ), Carrie Aalberts ( Dementia Darling ), Dr. Natali Edmonds ( Dementia Careblazers ), and Rachael Wonderlin ( Dementia by Day ) explore the ethics of disguising exits in dementia care. The discussion includes real-world examples such as bookshelf-painted doors, waterfall murals, and other environmental design strategies...

What if the future of dementia care wasn’t in a hospital, but on a farm? In this episode,  Andrew Karesa  sits down with  Rebekah Churchyard , Founder and CEO of  Green Care Farms , to explore how one granddaughter’s love for her grandparents sparked a new model of dementia care rooted in nature, purpose, and community. After witnessing the gaps her grandparents faced in rural dementia care, Rebek...

What if one man’s run could change the course of dementia research? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with  Jason Boschan , founder of  Run4Papa , to explore how one grandson’s promise to his “Papa” became a global movement for hope, awareness, and change. Inspired by his grandfather, Dr. Louis “Papa” Heyman — a lifelong pediatrician who dedicated his life to caring for others — Jason has r...

What if dementia care wasn’t about managing decline — but about nurturing connection, learning, and joy? In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with  James Lee , co-founder and CEO of Bella Groves, a dementia care community in Bulverde, Texas, that’s redefining what person-centered care can look like. For nearly 20 years, James has been reshaping senior living from the inside out — from his earl...

What does trust look like when you’re caring for someone with dementia — and how do families rebuild it when systems, stress, and exhaustion get in the way? In this episode, Andrew sits down with Lance A. Slatton — known to millions as The Senior Care Influencer and host of the award-winning podcast All Home Care Matters. For more than 20 years, Lance has walked alongside families through the hard...