Island Treasures

This mini episode highlights two excerpts from the full episode "Expressions Of Love Through Caregiving" with my guest, Grace Block.  The excerpts are about the medication battle when caregiving - with Grace sharing her solution to take administration of medication from a war to a choice; and the second excerpt provides insights for new caregivers so they don't lose sight of their o...

Grace Block is a long-time friend of mine who is a caregiver. She has also been a care receiver. Her dad was diagnosed at the age of 50 with Parkinson’s Disease and Grace supported her mom who was his primary caregiver. Grace relocated to be closer to her parents, realizing they needed more support and after her father passed away 30 years after his diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease, Grace was...

2023 was indeed a remarkable year for the Island Treasures podcast. Throughout the year, Island Treasures podcast was fortunate to have amazing guests who generously shared their wisdom on each episode, providing invaluable insights to help other caregivers. We progress through the year chronologically: "Pharmacists: The Best Kept Secret" - Delon Canterbury "A Flood Amidst Caregivin...

This episode highlights clips from the full episode "How Boundaries Provided Freedom in Caregiving" with my guest, Valerie Wiens, telling why boundary-setting in caregiving was so freeing for her. Valerie was a true 'sandwich generation' caregiver, looking after her parents and her own family that included kids at home one with Asperger's and one with ADHD. She also was wo...

Valerie Wiens, a nurse with a geriatric specialty and a 'sandwich generation' caregiver joins me in this episode. Valerie is a colleague of mine and when I heard her caregiving story, I invited her to be a guest on the podcast so that her story could encourage caregivers. When caregiving, she found herself being pulled in all directions and through the observation of her husband, she lea...

From Season 2, Episode 2, this episode revisits the conversation with Betsy Haddad, the adult child and supportive caregiver of her father, Edward (who was living with Alzheimer's disease) with whom she shared a special bond through music. The take-aways from the full episode "The Musician's Daughter" are many. Betsy shares about the programs her dad participated in prior to Co...

In this episode you will hear how all about Breeda Miller's play, "Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home" and how Breeda was able to take the play to Ireland. Breeda had been a guest on the Island Treasures podcast in Season 3, on Episode 20; where she talked about her play and the tour that was planned for the Fall of 2023 in Ireland. This episode talks about the fruition of the tour and...

In the full podcast episode featuring Katrina Prescott, Katrina shared her caregiving story in which she spoke about the many projects she has been involved with and this mini episode introduces one more project planned to enhance the experience for caregivers. It is the introduction of a radio program designed to provide caregiving tips, information, support, and to offer a forum for caregivers&a...

This episode’s guest is Katrina Prescott. Katrina is both a caregiver and a producer.  As a caregiver she has been able to utilize her producer-skills to be a strong advocate for her mom who had dementia. Her mom passed away in 2022, but Katrina continues to be a caregiver and advocate for other caregivers, sharing her knowledge and insights through many projects.  Katrina was introduced to caregi...

This mini episode contains excerpts from the full episode and addresses what happens to the caregiver when (because of your loved one's diagnosis) friends and family drop away and the social invitations cease. Heidi Rome helps us approach this isolating situation and reminds us that there are folks who are open to learning how to support the caregiver and are willing to show up; making choice...

Heidi Rome, is a speaker, advocate, mentor, perspective re-framer, and mother of two sons, one with severe autism. Author of You Just Have to Love Me , she understands how to overcome overwhelm, as every step of her journey requires changing the narrative. As founder of Moms Spectrum Oasis, Heidi builds awareness and the humanhood issues around what true inclusion and loving kindness actually mean...

This mini episode features excerpts from the full podcast episode entitled “A Caregiver’s Journey Into Brain Inflammation: A Wake Up Call for Us All”, featuring Sandra Strauss, the author of “A Toxic Brain: Revelations from a Health Journey”.  As a caregiver trying for years to get to the bottom of her late husband’s mysterious illness, Sandra heard a podcast featuring Dr. Bredesen in which she le...

Sandra Strauss provides a message of hope in these inflammatory times! She shares what she learned during her long and at times agonizing journey as a caregiver for her late husband both in her book and now in this episode. Sandra Strauss is an author, speaker and wellness champion who is passionate about inspiring dynamic destinies of health and wellbeing. Over decades, she has tracked a wide ran...

When I heard Kathy Neuhauser's story of how important it was for her, as a daughter, over 1000 kilometers away from her mother, to find a way to make a meaningful connection with her mom, I wanted to share what she decided she could do. This unique solution, not only blessed Kathy's mother, but also Kathy! She described their relationship as not 'touchy-feely' and that added to...

Hearing from a friend about the resources and programming offered by Denise M. Brown I knew I had to meet her and check out her Caregiving Consultant programs for myself as I was just starting my own business at the end of my social work career, several years ago. In the episode you will hear directly from Denise about her own business and its origins, as well as her caregiving story. First, here&...

In this episode we visit a clip from the full episode entitled "A Caregiver, A Life Coach and A 'Mompreneur'" which features Natalie Hankins (a caregiver, a life coach and a 'mompreneur') where I ask Natalie what her biggest struggle was as a caregiver, an experienced caregiver with 29 years of caregiving experience for her two adult children who have special needs. Y...

Natalie Hankins joins me in this episode to share her caregiving story which spans 29 years and is still continuing. She is a caregiver for her now-adult children; as her son has autism and her daughter has Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome. Natalie championed through caregiving, finding the therapies that would work best for them including the Relationship Development Intervention by Dr. Steven Gutstein a...

In this mini episode there are a few excerpts from the full episode entitled Rising to the Occasion of Caregiving. Toni Gitles shares about her book  21 Mistakes Caregivers Make and How to Avoid Them: Solutions and Strategies to Reduce Stress and Increase Happiness  (available September 2023) and the importance of relationship with your loved one, good communication skills, happiness and love to e...

Toni Gitles, founder and CEO of Caregiver Empowerment, Heart Light Enterprises LLC shares her 14-year caregiving story and provides a continuation of our conversation from her first appearance on the podcast in Season #2 in the episode entitled "And Then I Danced". Toni shares that caring for a family member is a act of love that comes from the heart and she talks about the importance of...

This episode addresses a topic that is brought up frequently by caregivers who are facing the decision of placing their loved one into care. They ask how do I know when it is the right time? How do they make this "hardest decision"? Contained within are some nuggets to consider when facing this decision - from the book  Nursing Homes and Assisted Living: The Family's Guide to Making...

This mini version of the Island Treasures Podcast for caregivers contains excerpts from the full-episode "Therapeutic Journaling Through Caregiving" which features Lori Lemasters, author of "You're A Caregiver, Not a Saint: Yeah, Write!"  Lori is the founder of Care Partners Resource and Consulting and a certified Journal to the Self ® Therapeutic Writing Instructor and ho...

Lori Ramos Lemasters shares how she relied on therapeutic writing as one of her coping strategies through her 8-year caregiving journey. Lori was caregiving for her mom who had suffered a massive stroke, and that meant Lori also took on caregiving responsibilities that her mom had been shouldering for Lori's step-dad who was on dialysis for three of those 8 years. And to do this Lori didn&apo...

Tracy Crump shared how she persevered as a strong advocate for her mom when things just didn't seem to fit with being told her mom had dementia. When she recalled a friend's dad's diagnosis of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), Tracy compared the symptoms he had with what her mom was experiencing and then she armed herself with reliable information to take to the medical professio...

Have you heard of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus or N.P.H.? In this episode we hear what it is and how it was the diagnosis long-sought after to provide the answers for Tracy Crump's mother's symptoms. Tracy is a former Intensive Care Nurse, caregiver for her mother, father and then her mother-in-law, and now she is a published author who knew something wasn't making sense when her m...

On February 17, 2023, the Whole Care Network relaunched with some new additions - and invited contributors (both podcasters and instructors) to join their live event. I was pleased to join the live event - and it got me thinking that I should add a few more nuggets about why/how the Island Treasures podcast originated and how I, as a retired social worker and caregiving consultant, decided to star...