Answers For Elders Radio Network

Michelle Cornelius , VP of Memory Care at Cogir Senior Living , joins Suzanne to talk about helping those with dementia adjust socially and find their fit in their senior living community. Michelle says, "Their nonverbal communication skills increase, and they do a really good job of picking up on how others around them feel. And so if they walk into a dining room and they feel like they're being...

If you have a loved one experiencing some Alzheimer's or dementia, and you're wondering how to help them find purpose and meaning each day, this show focuses on ways to help. Michelle Cornelius , VP of Memory Care at Cogir Senior Living , joins Suzanne from Phoenix to talk about providing a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and motivation for getting up each day for those with dementia. Michelle s...

Michelle Cornelius joins Suzanne from Phoenix to talk about occupational and social wellness for those with dementia. Michelle is VP of Memory Care at Cogir Senior Living . Michelle talks about ways that occupational wellness — having a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and reason for getting up each day — can be incorporated in the social calendars of people with dementia at senior living communi...

Lori Hutson joins Suzanne to talk about writing memoirs, an intriguing aspect of finding purpose and connection. Lori says, "we all have it in us, in some way or another. The first step is reflecting on our lives, just thinking about as journaling. But also, coming up with a theme to help you focus: what do you want to accomplish with it? I think about my family members — I would have loved it if...

Lori Hutson joins Suzanne on behalf of  Vitality Revolution podcast series gold sponsor Humana . Lori talks about seniors traveling and relocating to places like Mexico, Costa Rica, and Portugal, which have a lower cost of living and nice climates. Lower health care costs are an important consideration. The choice to live abroad is affected by health care options, access to providers, affordable p...

Many baby boomers are starting new careers, redefining retirement, doing things they always wanted to do. Flexibility is important to many baby boomers, whether they are looking for a new job or to launch their own business in order to make a difference. Lori discusses getting over barriers to move forward. During caregiving downtime, while you're not able to leave the house, you could to take onl...

Family caregivers, caring for a spouse or a senior loved one, are often floundering in the world. A study said 40% of family caregivers leave or lose their jobs due to caregiving. They spend 70% more time on social media than non-family caregivers. Having left careers behind in their late 40s to mid-50s, they lose pensions and long-term-care benefits. This segment focuses on how to redefine our li...

Courtesy of Era Living , Julia Goldie shares success stories as new residents settle into their new circumstances. Julia and Suzanne are discussing Social and Occupational Wellness , part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana . Seth is a social wellness expert, a licensed mental health. Julia Goldie is Life Enrichment Director at Era Living's Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattl...

Courtesy of Era Living , Julia Goldie and Seth Hutchins join Suzanne to talk about Social and Occupational Wellness , part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana . Seth is a social wellness expert, a licensed mental health therapist in the state of Washington, and Julia is Life Enrichment Director at Era Living's Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattle. In this segment, Julia and S...

Courtesy of Era Living , Julia Goldie joins Suzanne to talk about Social and Occupational Wellness , part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana . Julia Goldie is Life Enrichment Director at Era Living's  Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattle, Washington. Julia helps new residents find purpose and passions by crafting an exciting calendar of activities. Julia says, "90% of what w...

Courtesy of Era Living , Seth Hutchins joins Suzanne to talk about Social Wellness , part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana . Seth is a social wellness expert, a licensed mental health therapist in the state of Washington working in community mental health, private practice, and senior residents at Era Living retirement communities. Seth defines social wellness holistic...

Get the inside scoop with senior living communities. In this segment, resident Lynn Coulibaly joins Suzanne. She is a retired nurse administrator who resides at Era Living's Aljoya Thornton Place community. She worked at the general hospital in Everett, Washington, and took early retirement when two hospitals merged. For people considering senior living, Lynn advises, "I imagine that most people h...

Connie Olstad, a resident of Era Living's Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattle, Washington, joins Suzanne to provide a resident's perspective of what a typical day is like at an Era Living retirement community. Connie's lived there for ten years. "It's not an easy move. I tell people don't wait till you're ready, because you're never ready to do it. It's difficult. I asked my husband what he missed mo...

Caroline Conklin, a resident of Era Living's Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattle, Washington, joins Suzanne to provide a resident's perspective on living at an Era Living retirement community. It's rare to get the inside scoop from people who actually live in senior living communities. When she and her husband moved in, COVID had just shut down everything. They didn't meet their next door neighbors M...

Life coach Laurie Hardie talks about two podcasts that she hosts. One is called " Enough with Coach Laurie ," a coaching podcast, with lots of short coaching tips. The other is a new one called " Interrupted: Act 2 Reinventing Your Legacy ," which is focused on recreating and reinventing yourself after having a life challenge. Laurie says, "It's been so fun to see people who have had the carpet ri...

Life coach Laurie Hardie says of seniors who are lonely, "If you offer them a drink of water, read a chapter of a book, offer them a game of cards, that is so huge to somebody who is shut in, that we can really make a difference. If we open our hearts, and listen to their stories, they can make a difference in our lives. These are simple things that take 15 minutes or less." Suzanne adds, "Knowing...

Life coach Laurie Hardie talks about caregivers. "When they have to do it all themselves, then they do it badly and they do it resentfully, and it's not loving. I was a single mom, and I got people to help me because they had to, and it made me feel terrible, but I accepted the help because I needed it. "Then you have the caregiver who's willing to bring someone in to help, and the ill person says...

Personal success coacg, digital creator, and podcast host Laurie Hardie joins Suzanne as the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana introduces Occupational & Social Wellness. Laurie Hardie is a genius at making something out of nothing. In her 20 years of coaching, she has learned a lot about what people think of themselves, their smoke screens, desires, roadblocks that get in...

Elaine Berman, a resident of Era Living's Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattle, Washington, joins Suzanne to provide a resident's perspective of what a typical day is like at an Era Living retirement community. Regarding her thoughts on senior living, Elaine says, "I had a big house in New York, and I said I want to stay here until I'm 100, I don't want to ever move. Don't ever put me in the retiremen...

Cliff Warner is the Thrive Program Director at Era Living . The program was developed about seven years ago. Thrive is a comprehensive wellness program pioneered at Era Living designed to promote healthy aging. It is evidence-informed and based on research about activities that have been shown to produce optimal results for healthy aging. Developed in collaboration with the University of Washingto...

Internationally known Alzheimer’s disease and memory care expert David Troxel joins Suzanne. David coauthored The Best Friend's Approach to Dementia Care . David’s professional journey took a personal turn when he became a caregiver and best friend to his mother Dorothy, who passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2009. Through books, presentations, and consulting, David teaches family care partners and p...

Lori Hutson joins Suzanne on behalf of  Vitality Revolution podcast series gold sponsor Humana , talking about how to come together with your family in a non-confrontational way, a non-judgmental way. Lori, owner of L.J. Hudson Insurance LLC in Washington, talks about the wellness mindset promoted by Humana. They discussed forgiveness extensively in the podcasts How to Forgive, Part 1 and How to F...

This segment focuses on how we begin curing ourselves from harboring feelings of resentment or betrayal, sometimes for decades. Recognizing that we're holding onto these emotions is important, as is releasing our need to put our expectations onto other people are big things. Anger often comes from unmet expectations that build up and cause frustrations over time. Lori Hutson joins Suzanne on behal...

This segment focuses on is resentment: betrayal, perceived feelings kept sometimes since childhood.  Lori Hutson joins Suzanne on behalf of  Vitality Revolution podcast series gold sponsor Humana , talking about physical and emotional wellness. Lori, owner of L.J. Hudson Insurance LLC in Washington, talks about the wellness mindset promoted by Humana. Being in an angered state leads to increased s...

Today the topic is forgiveness: betrayal, perceived feelings kept sometimes since childhood. Learning to open up and talk about it is important, recognizing that you're feeling it and why.  Lori Hutson joins Suzanne on behalf of  Vitality Revolution podcast series gold sponsor Humana , talking about physical and emotional wellness. Lori, owner of L.J. Hudson Insurance LLC in Washington, talks abou...