Answers For Elders Radio Network

Courtesy of Era Living, Suzanne is joined by Stefanie Starkovich, Executive Director of the UW Retirement Association. The association is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, powered by dues-paying members and member-volunteers, and supported by the University of Washington. Stefanie talks about what's available in this organization to enrich retired seniors. Stefanie says, "We really serve the...

Courtesy of Era Living, Suzanne is joined by Professor Basia Belza from the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging, part of the University of Washington School of Nursing. Dr. Belza says, "The mission of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging is to advance the science and the practice of healthy aging through the support of innovations and research, education and practice. And the center was initial...

June Sekiguchi, one of three art curators for Era Living, joins Suzanne to talk about art and how it plays into seniors and senior living. June is an arts organizer, practicing studio artist, and independent curator for Era Living. As a founding member of the artEAST Art Center, a visual arts non-profit organization and currently is collaborating with three artists to open an exhibition space for...

Courtesy of Era Living, Emily Jones, executive director of NEST – North East Seattle Together, joins Suzanne to talk about connections. NEST is a virtual community connecting members with each other and with resources to age successfully in the place they call home. It's a 501(c)(3) non-profit grassroots community founded in 2009. NEST makes it easier for people to connect in the ways that they wa...

Flanna says, "A lot of people don't know really what home care services are, and sometimes they get kind of mixed up with home health. Home care services are non-medical services that we provide to people in their home, and we call them activities of daily living. So that's like hygiene dressing, taking a shower, moving around your home, maybe bed mobility, repositioning, things like that. And hom...

Flanna Perkins, CEO of Fedelta Home Care in Seattle & Portland, Oregon, joins Suzanne to talk about caregivers getting extra assistance from home care, a wonderful way to improve the lives of both the caregiver and the senior. Suzanne says, "A caregiver isn't supposed to be a sacrificial lamb. They are supposed to be an advocate, and I think that's a mind shift. It's an ability to understand t...

Flanna Perkins, CEO of Fedelta Home Care in Seattle & Portland, Oregon, joins Suzanne to talk about caregivers getting extra assistance. Fedelta provides companionship care, respite care, post hospital care, daily living assistance, long-term care, end of life comfort & care, and personal care. Flanna says, "There are two types of caregivers. There's what we would call the informal caregiv...

Kitty Norton, creator and producer of ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne to talk more about her caregivers documentary. She describes where you can watch the movie, shares feedback she's gotten from various screenings, and updates us on the status of the film. Kitty says, "We're finishing up the last of our film festivals this weekend. But because this is National Family Caregiver Month...

Kitty Norton, creator and producer of ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne to share three tips for caring for a loved one. Kitty says, "Number one is community. And if people are disappearing on you in this dementia journey, on you and your dementia person, then go elsewhere, find them elsewhere. Get on the forums. Alzheimer's Association has a great forum, Alz Connect, our society in Engl...

Kitty Norton, creator and producer of ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne to talk more about the origins of her caregivers documentary. Kitty says, "I started a blog in 2018 and mom died in 2021. And during that time, we had kind of built this community around people who also were using humor to try and get through that, and acknowledging all the feels, not allowing the stigma and the gui...

Kitty Norton, creator and producer of the caregivers documentary feature '' Wine, Women, and Dementia ,'' joins Suzanne. Kitty shared, "I am the eldest daughter of Gloria and Gary Norton. I have a younger sister. My family always had a very wry, self-deprecating sense of humor. It's always been my saving grace in really difficult situations. When my mother was first diagnosed with vascular dementi...

As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to continue the discussion about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years...

As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to continue the discussion about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years...

As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to talk about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years of health ahead of...

As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to continue the discussion about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years...

Lori La Bey, Alzheimer's Speaks host, joins Suzanne to talk about the Noble Swan, an Answers for Elders initiative to help support family caregivers. Suzanne explains the metaphor of the noble swan for caregivers. "The most noble thing you can do is care for someone else. I thought about it a long time, and I thought we need some sort of an icon, that every time you see that icon, it would honor t...

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about what caregivers need most. Lori says they need to be understood, appreciated, supported, not feel alone, and have choice and a voice in how we move forward. Suzanne described a welcome experience. "I had friends that would ask, how can we help, Suzanne? And I was so overwhelmed, I'd say, 'oh, I'm fine,' or I would do this and I didn't...

Lori La Bey, Alzheimer's Speaks host, joins Suzanne. In this segment, Lori asks Suzanne about her experiences as a caregiver and founder of Answers for Elders. Suzanne says, "I was a family caregiver, taking care of my mother for the last six years of her life. I don't consider myself a stupid human being, but I had no clue what I was dealing with. There was terminology being used. I didn't even k...

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about family caregivers and how we can help support them. There are about 70 million adult family caregivers in the USA, and they spend an average of 20 hours caring for someone else each week. Many of them spend more than 40 hours a week. They allow the rest of the family to go on with their everyday lives. They make sacrifices, they hit r...

Florence Klein, author of "Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer," joins Suzanne to talk about how she's been able throughout her life to overcome fear and intimidation, lead an inspirational life, and be courageous. Florence says, "I've been blessed with good health and that's a blessing. So I appreciate that and I'm very thankful for that. Also, I'm always looking forward and...

Octogenarian Florence Klein, author of "Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer," joins Suzanne, talking about ageism and about being "old." Florence says, “What is the meaning of old? "Oh, you're old." I have always felt that the word old when referring to someone who is of a certain age, starts very young. I never considered my grand mom Ida old. Yes, I was aware that she was o...

Octogenarian Florence Klein, author of " Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer ," joins Suzanne. Florence was one of Philadelphia's first women stockbrokers, and the first woman real estate developer in America to renovate old factory buildings into historic condos. She volunteered in one of America's highest-security prisons, and started one of the first websites to help senio...

Florence Klein, author of "Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer," joins Suzanne to talk about loneliness as a big concern for seniors. Florence says the solution is for seniors to live in inter-generational homes with young and old people living together. She also talks about social workers needing to be paid more and for seniors to make sure they go to the doctor. Florence sa...

Alzheimer's and dementia expert Forrest Stepnowski joins Suzanne to talk about dementia, particularly when someone with dementia has gone through a traumatic event. Forrest is CarePartners Living's Executive Director of The Cottages at Renton, in Seattle. Forrest says, "Whether people choose to admit it, trauma — like we used to treat dementia — is an invisible diagnosis that no one wants to talk...

Alzheimer's and dementia expert Forrest Stepnowski joins Suzanne to talk about learning to communicate better with those who have dementia. Forrest is CarePartners Living's Executive Director of The Cottages at Renton, in Seattle. Forrest says, “One thing I try to teach caregivers I work with at CarePartners — and at the Cottages of Renton specifically, as well as family members, as well as people...