Caregiver Crossing

Closing a person’s estate after they die can be long and complicated process. It is not a single task, but many individuals, often unfamiliar tasks that must be done. Many families navigate this process with no outside support, but there are resources available that can help make closing your loved one’s estate more manageable. Today we are joined by Sarah Kendrick – founder of RHEA Services – a c...

In this week’s episode, Tina McIntosh and Terri Stacy entertain listeners with rollicking banter about the personal sleep habits along with some important statistics about a topic of universal human importance: sleep.   Do you have a question for Tina? Email her at tina@joyshouse.org   Want to learn more about Joy's House? Visit us at  www.joyshouse.org See Privacy Policy at https:/...

Everyone deserves quality end of life care, but finding services can be challenging, especially if the individual and/or their family has limited means. Fortunately, there are options available. Today we are joined by Madison Gonzalez, Executive Director at Morning Light, Inc., a local nonprofit that fosters nonprofit community services and programs in central Indiana for the terminally ill, senio...

In today’s episode, Tina and Terri are joined by Dr. Janetta Brown with the Indiana University School of Medicine here to speak with us about Care. Coach, an innovative digital platform that is designed to support people with dementia and their caregivers.   Care. Coach platform, and interactive avatars – we’ll talk more about those in a minute - combine human intelligence and compassion with...

Six years ago, Angie Matthews mother experienced a health event that changed their lives forever. Join us we speak with Angie about her journey into becoming a full time caregiver, the lessons she learned, strategies she developed, and advice she gives to others. Do you have a question for Tina? Email her at tina@joyshouse.org Want to learn more about Joy’s House? Visit us at www.joyshouse.org See...

Jessie Hillock is a licensed speech and language pathologist and dementia care consultant. Throughout her early career Jessie noticed gaps in the services that were available to dementia patients and their families through the medical system alone. She spoke with countless families and loved ones who expressed that no one had ever taken the time to thoroughly explain to them the stages of the prog...

Today, we are joined by Certified End-of-Life Doula and Elder Care Consultant, Barbara Marshall. Barb’s professional journey would be considered non-traditional by many. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Communication Systems Management during her mid-30s. While raising her children Barb returned to school in her mid-40s to earn her Master of Arts in Healthcare Communication. From there she sp...

Did you know that there is nearly a 70% that you will need some for of long-term care if you live past the age of 65? Given the high likelihood that you’ll need long-term care, and the high – and rising – cost of that care should you need it, it is best to plan ahead. In this episode, Tina and Teri are joined by financial planner, Eric Baker from Horizon Planning Group to discuss some common quest...

Research shows that one in ten adults over the age of 60 have experienced some form of elder abuse, that is some form of physical, emotional, or financial abuse. There are approximately 5 million cases reported annually in the USA, and that number has been increasing over time. In today's episode, Tina and Terri tackle the troubling topic of elder abuse. What is it? How do you spot it? And what do...

Today we are joined by Jennifer Reeder, LCSW, Director of Education and Social Services at the Alzheimers Foundation of America to discuss The Apartment, a model created by AFA to showcase how practical design and technology can be used to modify a home for an individual living with dementia. Dementia-related illnesses impact the mind and affect virtually every aspect of a person’s life, including...

Mary Tutterow is a wife, mom, caregiver, author, speaker, and teacher. As a caregiver for her husband’s mother, and their adult daughter who has chronic seizure disorder, Mary has learned gifts that will last a lifetime. She wrote  The Heart of the Caregiver during some of her most difficult years. She talks about her lessons learned and the joy she gets in helping other frazzled caregiv...

There are between 3.7 million and 5.8 million people living with dementia in the U.S., and that number is likely to grow as the population ages. Research Scientist and IU School of Medicine Professor of Medicine, Christopher Callahan, M.D. joins Caregiver Crossing to discuss the research and report that details the state of dementia care and research in America. He talks about how the report provi...

Patricia is the Director of Kinship Care Services for Duet AZ and is a leading expert on issues surrounding grandparents raising grandchildren. She talks about the challenges and rewards that grandparents face while raising their grandchildren. Patricia also provides key insights and tips for caregivers, along with information about the kinship care programs she’s created over the years. See Priva...

Rick Lauber is a former co-caregiver for his aging parents, where he assumed new – and unexpected – responsibilities, struggled with loss and balancing his time, advocated for his parents (including making key life and financial decisions for his father due to Alzheimer’s disease), and learned many joys of caregiving along the way. Rick is the author of two published caregiver guidebooks and a con...

Kara Shipman is the Director of Community Engagement of CarDon & Associates. With 20 communities owned, operated, or managed in the Midwest and more than 40 years of senior living experience, CarDon & Associates continued its personalized care during the pandemic. Kara talked about how they kept residents and families safe and lessons learned over the past 14 months. She also shared s...

Is it possible to predict who will develop Alzheimer’s disease simply by looking at writing patterns years before there are symptoms? We asked that question to Guillermo Cecchi, principal researcher at IBM Research and lead scientist on their Alzheimer's prediction research. You’ll have to listen to the episode for the answer, but it’s worth the listen. Guillermo discusses how IBM researchers trai...

In addition to 48 million adults who are family caregivers, 3.4 million children under the age of 18 are serving as a caregiver to a family member, while attending middle or high school. Dr. Connie Siskowski is the Founder and President of American Association Caregiving Youth, where she and her team serve as a national resource for children and adolescents who are caring for ill, injured, aging,...

Stacia Lozer is the Chief Operating Officer at Sherish Connect. She joined Caregiver Crossing to talk about an easy-to-use platform that allows families to connect in a meaningful way through easy to install technology. Sherish lets every family member share their special photos into a single Family Album. When older family members are living in a senior community or at home alone, they can enjoy...

Anna Howard is a partner and managing attorney for Severns & Howard. She’s a VA Accredited attorney specializing in VA and Medicaid planning, as well as basic Asset Protection Planning. She talks about her family, her career path, and how she fell in love with elder law. She provides important insight into legal challenges and the most common elder law issues families face and what they c...

Vickie Greenough is the Memory Care Business Development Specialist for American Senior Communities. In this episode, she talks about the aging population they serve and the ASC Dining Red program – a program that helps people living with Alzheimer’s, or related forms of dementia, have more successful dining experiences. Vickie also provides some tips to help caregivers nourish themselves and thos...

As a Music Therapist, Jennifer knows all the right notes to hit with elderly individuals and their caregivers. She knows the benefits music has for people struggling with cognitive decline and helps individuals increase their levels of physical, mental, social, and emotional functioning. The information and tips she shares in this episode is music to our ears! Caregivers: Turn up the tunes and enj...

Jodi Patsiner is a longtime caregiver and has more than 25 years of experience partnering with our Elders and Youth creating interdependent communities. She is a Certified Facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie, practitioner of Multidimensional energy work, and a certified Reiki Master. She also holds an M.A. in Gerontology. She specializes in specialize in Elder Communities, Caregiver Support and...

It’s ok to let out a good laugh, but we don’t always give ourselves permission to laugh during difficult times. Dr. Lynne Shaw is a Certified Laughter Leader and a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader (among other credentials). She joined Caregiver Crossing to talk about the importance of laughter and how laughter can reduce caregiver stress. Find the funny! Dr. Lynne Shaw is also an Associate Professor...

Co-hosts Tina McIntosh and Terri Stacy talk about CARE Kits, a resource designed to help caregivers keep important information in one place, along with templates to track medications, sleep patterns, behavior changes, and more. CARE = Consistency, Advocacy, Reassurance & Education. Tina and Terri talk about how to think through different situations and who can help you care for your loved...