Answers For Elders Radio Network

Socialization and relationships are important for our mental health, and it's a core part of memory care at senior living communities. Mom or dad wants to be with peers as well as with family. Home care agencies are available to come in and provide assistance to seniors with activities of daily living. Tracy Helling at CarePartners Living joins Suzanne to talk about these factors for those with de...

Tracy Helling at CarePartners Living joins Suzanne to talk about memory care. CarePartners has senior living communities in Washington and Arizona. She talks about the warning signs of dementia, comparing them with natural signs of aging. For instance, forgetting something in the microwave is common, but forgetting that microwaves aren't a good place to keep your keys is not. Forgetting someone's...

Probate is a court process to retitle assets. Probate is designed to create a “final accounting” upon death. It is the legal process of “proving up” a Will, or verifying that a Will is valid, takes place in one of two instances. First, if a person dies leaving behind a Will, or second, if the deceased has died intestate, that is, has not left behind a Will or estate plan of any type or the Will ca...

Although Joint Tenancy offers some short-term conveniences, in the long run it poses a host of problems that can cost you and your loved ones many times the expense and headaches you thought you were avoiding. Estate planning attorney Steve Waltar with Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about the difficulties of using joint tenancy while trying to plan your estate. Steve shares an exampl...

If you don't file estate planning documents, your state will do it for you, perhaps not the way you expect. Estate planning attorney Steve Waltar with Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about various options available when planning your estate, what happens when you list beneficiaries, generally how wills work, living wills, living trusts, and Medicaid planning. Steve says, "There's lots...

Estate planning attorney Steve Waltar with Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about having an estate plan. Families run into gotcha moments where they discover a loved one hasn't files certain documents, or haven't made plans, and are left to second guess what they want. In this segment, Steve introduces the concept of estate planning and different types. Most people don't want it to be...

Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about holistic care, why those over 55 should incorporate some of these practices, and share some of the most popular ones that can be done at home. Weiss provides balanced functional wellness education and coaching based on the the six pillars of health: exercise, stress, sleep, nutrition, gut health, and emotional health. Dr. Weiss starts by defining holisti...

Diagnoses of depression and anxiety have risen 25% since the pandemic. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about ways depression and anxiety can be reduced holistically. One of the best things to do for depression and anxiety is to exercise. If you are over 50 and are feeling a bit lost and want to make changes, check out Shawn Weiss's Fit Over 50 30 day Coaching Program that will address the 6...

Joan Rettmann from Transforming Age joins Suzanne to talk about the definition of a life plan community and what it offers residents. Joan says, "A lot of different terms are used in the industry, and this is a classic example of where things get confusing. A life plan community is really an umbrella term that covers independent communities that have additional care levels available, such as assis...

Somebody comes into independent living in a retirement community. What does it offer? Generally it takes care of housekeeping, provides meals, and lots of social activities. Joan Rettmann from Transforming Age joins Suzanne to summarize the various offerings. Joan says, "One of the things that a lot of people appreciate most is a release from some of the domestic responsibilities, like housekeepin...

The term 'retirement community' covers a lot of different types of options, some with care, some without care. Joan Rettmann from Transforming Age joins Suzanne to talk about what they all mean.  Joan says, "There are a lot of terms that are used out there in the industry. The first step may potentially be one that falls in the category of 55 plus, starting with a younger age group. A lot of times...

Joan Rettmann from Transforming Age joins Suzanne to talk about various independent living retirement options. People are starting to explore senior living options at an earlier age. We're seeing a shift to people in their 60s and early 70s, people looking to improve their quality of life. What seems like a forever home could get in the way of other priorities. Retirement communities can provide a...

Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about how to make your move as smooth and stress-free as possible. The better you prepare ahead of time, the smoother the move will be. Sean says, "If you want the move to be fast and smooth, we would like to see boxes and furniture. So the boxes will be all packed and taped on the top, nicely closed, flat, no items stick...

A lot of seniors get taken advantage of by moving companies. In this segment, Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about how to avoid moving scams. Sean says, "A lot of people think that everything on the Internet must be cheap, safe, and good. All those are wrong assumptions. Websites [can be] completely made up, the five star reviews that been posted on th...

Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about how to find trustworthy providers to help seniors with moving. This segment focuses on in-home estimates. Make sure items that are priceless to you are packed appropriately, and moving companies are there to provide these services. Sean says, "So when we go to the house, first of all we would like to see what we're...

If you're thinking about the next chapter of your life, and downsizing or senior living is on the horizon, this month Suzanne covers all aspects of the process, starting from the beginning. In this episode, Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about how to plan, what to take with you, and how to find trustworthy providers to help seniors with moving. It's a...

On this bonus episode of Answers for Elders, Suzanne introduces the new podcast of estate planning specialist David T. Phillips: Estate Planning Made Easy. Visit the podcast's YouTube channel to watch the show, or subscribe and listen to the podcast by following these links on Spotify or Apple Podcasts . By law every American can gift $18k annually, to anyone they want, completely gift, estate and...

Lindsay Friedman and Shannon Lyons join Suzanne to talk about peace of mind and other reasons for getting their innovative health monitoring system Care Bloom to help senior loved ones age in place in their homes. Listeners, sign up for free to win one year of Care Bloom! Care Bloom is holding drawings in June and September 2024. There's no obligation or commitment to purchase. Learn more at https...

Through the use of a watch, room sensors, and an app, Care Bloom provides 24/7 health monitoring services for caregivers. Lindsay Friedman and Shannon Lyons join Suzanne to talk more about the Care Bloom watch and app, an innovative new tool to assist senior loved ones with aging in place. Listeners, sign up for free to win one year of Care Bloom! Care Bloom is holding drawings in June and Septemb...

Lindsay Friedman and Shannon Lyons from Care Bloom join Suzanne to talk about an innovative new home-monitoring tool to assist senior loved ones with aging in place, living independently in their later years. Through the use of a watch and app, Care Bloom provides health monitoring services for caregivers. You'll be able to purchase Care Bloom beginning in June. Listeners, sign up for free to win...

If you or your relatives want to build a new structure, or get modifications done on your house, there are resources to make sure that the builders are doing it right. Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about aging in place constructions as part of this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place. A home assessment at silverspaces.com provides guidelines and recommendations to design an agin...

Silver Spaces is an online home safety assessment tool with a lot of research behind it. It works by taking you through each of your rooms, have you answer questions, and get educated along the way. For this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place, Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to talk about the benefits of Silver Spaces. Only 25% of people who suffer from a broken hip are able to return ho...

During our lighting round segment on the Answers for Elders radio show, expert Dr. Jill Bjerke joins Suzanne to answer three top questions about aging in place as part of this month's Specialist Spotlight. 1. When should anyone start thinking about remaining in their home? “Probably as soon as possible. At retirement, before retirement. When you feel unsafe in your home. Really, almost any time is...

This month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place features Dr. Jill Bjerke, the creator of Silver Spaces, an online assessment tool to help you identity safety risks and dangers in your home that you haven't noticed. If you want to remain in your home in your later years, Dr. Jill talks talks about many of the risks you can avoid. Dr. Jill says, "Every 20 minutes, according to the National Insti...

Dr. Jill Bjerke, CEO of Silver Spaces, joins Suzanne for this month's Specialist Spotlight on Aging in Place. People don't ask these questions enough. We get emotionally attached to a locale, and while our health and lifestyle changes, our home stays the same. Tasks that seem so simple can become complicated when we age. Dr. Jill says, "Aging in place is different than people think. It's not, "I'm...