Aging Today Podcast

This week, our guest is Emily-Rose Wiitala, the Special Events Director of the ALS Association of Oregon and SW Washington. There are many ways to defeat one's enemy. In this case the enemy happens to be a disease... ALS. And to fight the good fight, the ALS Association is asking everyone to arm themselves with skis and snowboards. Then congregate at Mt. Hood Meadows on Saturday, March 7, from 8 A...

This week on Aging in Portland, I interviewed Dr. Cyrus Khambatta, co-founder of Mastering Diabetes. Dr. Khambatta, with a Ph. D. in Nutritional Biochemistry, and his partner, Robby Barbaro, with an MPH, are the co-founders of Mastering Diabetes, @masteringdiabetes.com. They have teamed up to make sure people living with all forms of diabetes can optimize their diet and exercise habits to feel gre...

This week, our guests are Dave and Marilyn Turnbull, lovers who share their story for Valentine’s Day. It’s the February chapter in our Your Story Matters series. Happy Valentine’s to all of you who make love an action word! Dave and Marilyn Turnbull join us on today's show to share their love story – and this story is in the language of the heart. Through 68 years of marriage, together they have...

This week, my guest is John Shickich, an attorney from the Pixton Law Group, who explains the big new changes affecting retirement accounts. The SECURE Act is the most sweeping retirement security legislation to move through Congress in more than a decade. It marks a significant step toward modernizing America’s retirement system for workers. John Schickich joins us on today's show to explain how...

This week, our guest is Bob Kuenzli, father, grandfather, and storyteller. Bob joins us for the January feature on our series, “Your Story Matters.” Bob was born in 1926 and has been a keen observer for over nine decades. He shares his life story with us – what it was like growing up in Salem, as a childhood prankster, then years later witnessing the burning of Oregon's state capital building. He...

This week, our guests are Seth Dickinson and Olivia Mathis of Oasis Senior Advisors. They explain the details and options for transitioning to senior care in the Portland area. Do you know what to look for when it comes time to consider transitioning from an independent lifestyle to senior care? Most people find it daunting. Seth and Olivia have an intimate knowledge of Portland’s choices for long...

Nancy McDonald is our guest this week. She’s the Director of the Lakewood Theatre Company’s current production of Wait Until Dark, and she brought lead actress Taylor Gene Grady with her to talk about the play and its suspenseful story. Continuing our theme of The Story Matters in 2020, this is the first of the plays we’ll feature from the Lakewood Center for The Arts, which is celebrating its 67t...

This week, our guests are Gricel Malstrom and Charity Fenley, Lead Caregivers from ComForCare Home Care of West Linn. We talk about why caregivers matter and the value they can bring to your home. For most seniors, remaining independent in their own homes on their terms is at the top of their priority list. However, bringing a caregiver into your home can be a big transition. That is why it is imp...

This week on Aging in Portland, I interviewed Tom Schiave, Lead Pastor at Gateway Church and a Professor at Multnomah Biblical Seminary. We discussed the power of your story because it matters! What is the storyline from your favorite book or movie? Great stories follow a pattern, and so do our personal lives. Pastor Schiave kicks off the new year with the foundation of our theme in 2020: Your Sto...

This week on Aging in Portland, I interviewed Tom Schiave, Lead Pastor at Gateway Church and a Professor at Multnomah Biblical Seminary. We discussed the Christmas Story and your story, too. Pastor Schiave reminds us that movies have scenes, and books have chapters. We can look at the Bible as four scenes in the story of God’s love and his pursuit of a personal relationship with his people. The Pa...

This week on Aging in Portland, I interviewed Carolyn Miller Parr, retired judge and author of the blog ToughConversations.net. We discussed her book, Grandma's Secrets: Peace around the Christmas Tree. As everyone knows, we live in an increasingly divided nation. Extended families are divided along political lines, and even being politically correct can become controversial. As a result, conversa...

This week on Aging in Portland, I interviewed Dr. Rosie Kuhn, a transformational life coach, author, and speaker from The Paradigm Shifts Coaching Group. She reminds us that being around fascinating, driven people who love living their lives on a large scale is contagious. Catch the fever as she coaches us about how important it is to acknowledge the “being” inside the human being. So much focus i...

Maintaining your independence on your terms in your own home is a top-of-the-list concern for seniors. But at some point, staying at home often requires assistance from a caregiver. Inviting a caregiver into your home can also be a big transition. That’s why we invited Danielle Hoygaard and Caleb Cunningham of ComForCare Home Care of West Linn to join us on today's show to discuss how the caregive...

This week, Michelle Rahn, a motivational speaker, joined us to talk about how to defy the gravity of aging expectations. Meeting new experiences and challenges in life can easily lead to trepidation, especially as we journey on this unpredictable path called "aging." As Michelle says, “Aging deliberately is not passive. It lets us be the best that we can be and allows us to accomplish things that...

This week, Suzanne Rowe, a professional fiduciary from Summit Fiduciary Services, discusses protection in the event we can no longer speak for ourselves. She helps us face questions that may seem daunting: Who will be your representative if you can no longer speak for yourself? Who do you trust to carry out your medical and financial wishes? What if you don’t have a relative who can do this for yo...

This week, Adriana Gavozdea, Founder and CEO of Laria Care Finder, and Alyssa Elting McGuire, Consultant and Training Specialist from Oregon Care Home Consulting, discuss small adult care homes. When it comes to aging in the right place, there are many options. One that is often overlooked is smaller adult care homes, and they may be a better alternative for some people than living in larger adult...

Wally Reitz, Oregon’s own 97-year-old Veteran shares his first-hand accounts of WWII’s Battle of the Bulge. Wally’s insights on being a soldier, serving his country, and living through it to be a husband and father are priceless. It is always the Eleventh Hour on the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month that we all stop to remember the heroes who have made a difference serving their country. Wally R...

It’s the annual Medicare enrollment period, and Catherine Field, the Intermountain Region President of Humana, joins us to answer Medicare questions and explain the difference between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans. For example, how do you get prescription benefits? What does Medicare Advantage include? And when do I have to sign up? We discussed the choices people have during t...

Steve Toll, Director of Therapeutic Music programs for ComForCare Health Care Holdings, joins us on today's show. Steve transports us back to the 1940s, reminiscing and singing the popular tunes of America's greatest moment in history. Sing along with Steve as he reminds us of these beloved songs.

In Part 3 of Parkinson's Awareness month, JJ Flentke of Boomerang Therapy Works, shares how they are making a difference for those living with Parkinson's. Exercise is Medicine! They are the first and only wellness center in Vancouver and Portland Metro Area which is focused on specialized Parkinson's treatments. JJ's energy is contagious, motivating, and she will get you moving

This week, Dr. Warren Wolf talks about the challenges of caregivers and the attributes that make the most successful ones. It’s a demanding profession because it’s a life spent in two worlds simultaneously. That may be why only one percent of our population are professional caregivers. As our world ages around us, where are we going to find enough caregivers for our aging population? And who are t...

Don Fries and Bev Bow join us for the final chapter in our series, Building a Better Community through a whole-food, plant-based diet. We wrap it up by laying out a sustainable path to a healthy lifestyle. Check out the myriad resources, books, movies, and medical professional support at your fingertips as you travel down the path of eating for optimum well-being. As Don and Bev say, “Add years to...

This week, Don Fries and Bev Bow, co-founders of Healthy World Sedona, talk about how to make a healthy whole-food, plant-based diet works for you. Don and Bev discuss the benefits and challenges of adding a healthy, whole-food approach to your lifestyle. How does that work when much of our culture still eats a diet centered on meat, dairy, eggs, and processed food? And what about our deep cultura...

This week I talked with Georgena, a trauma specialist and grief guide with Beyond Your Loss. She tackled the difficult subject of how to move forward when a loved one dies by suicide. The pain of losing someone this way can be paralyzing. You always wonder if you could have done something different. What should you say or do if someone you know is showing the warning signs of suicide? Georgena joi...

This week on Aging in Portland, I interviewed Emily-Rose Wiitala, Special Events Director of the ALS Association of Oregon and SW Washington. We discussed the upcoming Walk to Strikeout ALS (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease). To help fight ALS (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease), the ALS Association has organized several walks across the state. Portland's walk is scheduled for Sunday, September 29th. Emily-R...