Answers For Elders Radio Network

When considering home safety, we tend to think about physical areas like bathrooms. How old is your house, when was the last time you had your air ducts cleaned? Poor air quality contributes to illness. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about healthy indoor air quality, toxins, and allergens — environmental wellness, one of the eight foundational pri...

Ninety percent of senior falls happen in the bathroom. So many debilitating falls can be avoided with some forethought and planning. Fall prevention specialist Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about environmental wellness, one of the eight foundational principles of senior wellness featured this summer in the Vitality Revolution podcast series. This...

Does your home support you as you age? Don't wait till you get into an urgent situation to start thinking about the adaptability of your surroundings. Does your home support you? Is it hard to climb stairs,  or have you slipped and fallen on a throw rug? To live in safer surroundings, fall prevention specialist Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about...

If you find yourself stuck in a rut, and are interested in starting to exercise your mind, or have a parent in a stagnant phase, Dr. Shawn Weiss shares some ways to get started and how to set realistic expectations. Dr. Shawn joins Suzanne on the Answers for Elders Radio Show this hour to talk about Intellectual Wellness, one of the eight foundational principles of senior wellness featured in this...

The pillars of health are all connected. Nutrition, stress, sleep and other factors affect our ability to maintain mental capacity. Our nutritional needs change as we age. Consider whether you are eating a balanced diet and getting the right nutrients such as calcium and iron. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about Intellectual Wellness, one of the eight f...

One should always be learning to keep our minds intellectually stimulated. Older people with mobility challenges might not think about making intellectual wellness a priority, but even those living in a senior living community have all sorts of ways to keep the healthy mind. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about Intellectual Wellness, one of the eight fou...

Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about Intellectual Wellness, one of the eight fundamental principles of senior wellness featured in this summer's Vitality Revolution podcast series. We want to stimulate our brains and be life-long learners. You can make small changes, but having a sharp mind takes more than just exercising our brains. As defined by the Un...

Hospice chaplain John Wenderlein joins Dr. Shawn Weiss to talk about love and spiritual health, part of the Vitality Revolution summer podcast series on Answers for Elders. It is such an uplifting message to learn how to live a glorious life, to make it as fulfilling and joyous as possible. * More podcasts with John Wenderlein * Visit remembermejw.com or Amazon to find John's books * Dr. Shawn Wei...

Paula Sikes, Director of Resident Engagement at Cogir Senior Living, joins Suzanne to talk about social wellness. She recommends some tips to help people connect with community. Social wellness is a focus in this summer's Vitality Revolution podcast series. For professional caregivers, Paula says, "Get to know your clientele. You're gonna know them better than anybody honestly, especially if you'r...

How does a family help facilitate senior wellness? Why is it important for caregivers not to isolate themselves with their loved one, but to engage with their friends and peers? Paula Sikes, Director of Resident Engagement at Cogir Senior Living, joins Suzanne to talk about social wellness, a focus in this summer's Vitality Revolution podcast series. Paula says, "We encourage our lifestyle directo...

Why is social engagement good for our health? Paula Sikes at Cogir Senior Living joins Suzanne to talk about the benefits of community for seniors. Social wellness is a focus in this summer's Vitality Revolution podcast series. Paula says, "We find that social engagement is so important and makes a difference in the residents' life, not just in their social aspect, but even in their health. I've h...

Paula Sikes, Director of Resident Engagement at Cogir Senior Living, joins Suzanne to talk about the benefits of community to our health. Social wellness is a focus in this summer's Vitality Revolution podcast series. Cogir's senior living program is called Cadence senior living, the acronym CADENCE standing for C (cognitive) A (active) D (dementia) E (expressive) N (nourishing) C (community) E (e...

Retirement coach Larry Jacobson joins Dr. Shawn Weiss to talk about how to find and experience your ideal retirement. Larry's new book, Your Ideal Retirement Workbook, walks you through the process to build a fulfilling retirement plan, one that provides both pleasure and purpose. Listeners who buy Larry's new book can enroll for free in his online video course Sail Into Retirement, which you’ll f...

Denise Medved, creator of Ageless Grace brain-health program, joins Dr. Shawn Weiss to talk about how neuroplasticity works with your mind and body. It has numerous benefits, including physical, emotional, and social, all of which are part of this summer's Vitality Revolution podcast series. This year is the 13th annual Ageless Grace retreat. It's Sunday, July 21, from 12-5 p.m. EDT, with a host o...

We often don't think about our gut health, but there's a gut-brain connection that affects our physical health. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about improving gut health. Dr. Shawn says, "There's such a gut-brain connection, it all affects your physical health. Your gut has its own ecosystem, called the gut microbiome. Think about this: there's 100 trillion types of bacteria, viruses, fungi...

One of the more important parts of nutrition and physical wellness is hydration. How many of us don't drink enough water? Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about proper hydration.  Dr. Shawn says, "Winter is just as important as summer. We think summer of being outside and getting dehydrated. But winter is also a very bad time for hydration. It's one of the quickest things that will put you in...

Nutrition and vitality go hand in hand. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about nutrition, part of physical wellness, which is a pillar of the eight foundational principles of wellness, part of the summer Vitality Revolution podcast series. Dr. Shawn says, "We get set in our ways as we get older. 'Nobody's gonna tell me what to eat.' But there's such a connection with nutrition and vitality, a...

Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about physical wellness, a pillar of the eight foundational principles of wellness, part of the summer Vitality Revolution podcast series. Dr. Shawn says, "We kind of get set in our ways and routines. It's good to have routine, if it's serving you. But we get stuck in these routines and these habits that aren't serving us. It's really amazing the small things...

Why would you want to set up a living trust? Legacy Estate Planning attorney Steve Waltar joins Suzanne to talk about the basics and benefits of living trusts. Benefits include ease of management and they work in all 50 states. Steve says, "I think it was Oliver Wendell Holmes who said, 'Don't put your trust in money, put your money in trust.' What's behind that? Well, lots of reasons. I think, pr...

Trustees manage assets on a trust. Successor trustees do the same sorts of things that an executor of an estate does, but for a trust. Sometimes it's the same person. Legacy Estate Planning attorney Steve Waltar joins Suzanne to talk more about living trusts, and this segment focuses on trustees. Steve says, "A trustee is the manager. They're the ones that hold legal title and it's a fiduciary pos...

Legacy Estate Planning attorney Steve Waltar joins Suzanne to talk more about living trusts. This segment focuses on who does what when trusts are created and managed. Steve says, "We need to identify the three parties. The first is the trustor. Sometimes it's called grantor or settlor, but I like trustor. For a married couple, it's both husband and wife. Then there's the trustee or trustees, and...

You want to have documents to protect your wishes, making sure that you leave a legacy behind for your loved ones, and if you become incapacitated — if you need help in your later life, if you're unable to speak for yourself — there is legal proof that honors your wishes. Legacy Estate Planning attorney Steve Waltar joins Suzanne to talk about the value of trusts. Steve explains, "There's pros and...

Caregivers deserve some time for self-caring. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about some ways to help care partners from becoming overtaxed and burning out. Dr. Weiss says, "Emotional wellness affects every single foundational principle. It's very similar to the coaching I do with the pillars of health and emotional, mental health. It's at the top because... attitude is huge. You're not goin...

Are you where you want to be at your age? If not, what are some strategies to improve? Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to provide four key ways we can improve how we feel emotionally. 1) Move your body; 2) Have gratitude; 3) Journal positivity; and 4) Try new things. Dr. Shawn says, "Start our day with reflection. The best way to do that is get outside and get moving. Move your body in whatever way...

If we don't have our emotional or mental health in a good place, it will affect all of pillars of our health. We'll have a hard time making progress. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about emotional wellness, a pillar of the eight foundational principles of wellness, part of the summer Vitality Revolution podcast series. Dr. Weiss says, "Emotional wellness is your sense of self worth, your co...