Life Happens

LGBTQ+ Discrimination in Senior Centers: "How can they acclimate themselves from identifying as being in an LGBT community and then having to just not disclose what they are once they go into, a senior center or a nursing home, whereas it's not recognized there."— Tracee Seals   Welcome to another episode of Life Happens with Kim Hegwood. Today, we have a special guest, Tracee Seals,...

"Home Care: 'They can assist with things in the home that you can't do as well as you used to.' Companion Care: 'Sometimes we just need someone to talk to, someone, to help read a newspaper or a magazine, someone to discuss the news with just so they can have supervision, and someone just literally there with them.'"—Vernita Metoyer   Seeking care options for yourself...

"Don't just take it. You know, I've seen people pushed out of the hospital way before they were honestly, you know, emotionally ready. I mean, everything is a process."— Jodi Kay Benusa In my podcast episode with Jodi Kay Benusa from USA Geriatric Services, we dive into the chaotic world of caregiving when unexpected events occur. From sudden falls to panicked situations, we expl...

"Smaller in those situations is probably going to work out better because there's more opportunity for one-on-one care. The staffing ratios are typically a little bit smaller. The community is a little bit smaller, so we're not overwhelmed when we transition into you know, a new community, a new living, a new routine."— Ashley O'Sullivan  Here is what Kim will ask Ashley. 1....

"You never correct them. You never ask them questions that are gonna confuse them, and you just enter their world with them."— Susan Cushman 🎙️ Calling all caregivers and adult children navigating the challenges of aging parents! 🌸 In this insightful episode of "Life Happens with Kim Hegwood," we dive into the world of Alzheimer's and relationships with author Susan Cushma...

The Power of Singing to Organize and Calm: "What it's actually doing is helping somebody be organized cognitively. It's helping someone be organized neurologically. And it's this organization that creates the calm, that creates a reduction of negative behaviors."— Andy Tubman   On this episode of Life Happens with Kim Hegwood, we explore the therapeutic benefits of singing an...

“Caring for a Spouse with Dementia: "When you've been married 20, 30, 40 years, that person is an extension of you. And so, it takes a great deal of effort to suddenly realize what part of you is the partner and what part of you now has to begin to step out and see yourself as the caregiver."— Robin Smith Andrews On this episode of "Life Happens with Kim Hegwood," we explor...

"We put physicians on such a high pedestal sometimes, which isn't a bad thing unless it prevents us from doing our job of being an advocate. And so just realize, that one, they're human too. Two, remember your job is as an advocate. It is your right to ask questions and to speak up on behalf of the patient."— Erin Gaylean   Welcome to "Life Happens with Kim Hegwood" whe...

How a grassroots Facebook group is advocating for nursing home residents: "We are just families that want to get stuff done. That's all we are."— Mary Nichols   On this episode of Life Happens with Kim Hegwood, Kim is joined by guest Mary Nichols to discuss the advocacy work being done for long-term care residents in Texas. Mary and a group of family members banded together out of ne...

Retirement Planning: "Either we learn from what our parents did right or maybe we learned from what they didn't do right."— Michelle Alleman   In this episode of Life Happens with Kim Hegwood, we explore the various benefits of life insurance in retirement planning. We cover different programs offered by Alman Group and how they can help one plan for retirement. The discussion includ...

Finding Calm Amid Chaos: "The biggest piece to going from chaos to calm is understanding and accepting that your life has changed, accepting that you're going to do the best you can with the information you have at the time and that through that, you're learning."— Katherine Knight   Title: From Chaos to Calm: ACaregiver's Guide to Dementia In this episode of Life Happens wit...

"Dementia is not the end of your life. It's just the beginning of something different." — Peter Berry In this episode of Life Happens with Kim Hegwood, the speaker shares their personal experience of being diagnosed with dementia at the age of 50. The diagnosis triggered changes in their family and business, but they eventually realized that life wasn't over with the disease, jus...

Mediation is the opportunity for the family to have a qualified conversation where they have been nibbling with each other. They are now in the presence of a professional who's going to help them each be heard and to hear a radical idea. ~ Barbara Manousso   Title: The Magic of Elder Care Mediation   Talking Points: 1.   What is Elder Care Mediation? 2.   When adult children caring for an agin...

I take the time to go visit them. Usually, it's 20 to 30 minutes. I'll usually take a photograph. Some families have asked me to take a bouquet of flowers. Some people have asked me to coordinate a FaceTime visit with them because the seniors might have some difficulty with the technology. ~ Jack Angel   Title- Peace of Mind Visits-Because You Can’t Always Be There   Talking Points: 1.    ...

They go into the conversation all up here in their head and we teach clients to stay down here in the heart space. It's the emotion. Because we all have the emotion until our last breath, which is the silver lining. What we like to consider the silver lining of living with dementia. ~ Lee Mohler   Title: Transitioning to Assisted Living- What A Coach Has to Say   Here is what Kim and Lee will...

One of the things that have concerned us is there's been a lot of caregivers coming in and out of my parents' home. And that's with them just having someone once or twice a week. It's rarely been the same person. And for someone with dementia, we really feel like a little bit of consistency would be very key. And we've not achieved that yet. ~Kimberly Massey   Here is what Kim...

So, I have two brothers and two sisters. Which, you know, when you consider the caregiving circle, so to say, it's great to have that. But when it comes down to really making decisions it can be a hindrance. People have different ideas of what exactly Alzheimer's and dementia are and how you take care of someone. ~ Prisca Mendez Asaro   Here is what Kim and Prisca will be discussing today....

And we gave her a baby doll. And we very quickly realized that the only way she would really be compliant at times when she needed to take medication or needed to shower, or we even needed her to eat more, was if she had her baby. ~ Tonja Moon    Here is what Kim and Tonja will be discussing today.   1) Tell me about the use of therapy dolls and Dementia 2)  Tell me about your baby shower events.....

So many of them were literally mourning the loss of their house. And it just got me to thinking, you know, what a major transition that is, and a big loss for so many people because don't we love our houses? And often these moves are just so hasty and stressful, and tempers are flaring, people are at odds with each other, and nobody takes the time to acknowledge the magnitude of the change tha...

I think they are afraid of losing their independence. You know, seniors are afraid that if they ask for help, their loved ones or their care partners or people that they put in control of their life are just going to pack up their belongings and send them to a care facility. And so they're scared, they don't want to be a burden. ~ Candace Green   Here is what Kim and Candace will be discus...

And a lot of the time people haven't thought about it. They don't have long-term care insurance. Most of the time people in that age group have equity in their homes and that's the only place they have money where they can draw it out and pay for that long-term care. ~Priyanka Johri   Here is what Kim and Priyanka will be discussing today. 1.   Who needs Long Term Care Services? 2.   W...

The Alzheimer's Association is the primary place to start, honestly. And because they can give you all of the resources, a list of resources that you need to help you out. And then from there, that will help you move into lead sources of people that can connect you with facilities that can help you out. ~ Lee Howell Title: Top 3 Dementia Tips and Suggestions   Here is What Kim and Lee Will Be...

So anytime someone goes into a long-term placement facility, or nursing home assisted living memory care unit, it is never going to be one-on-one care. You're never going to have one-on-one care unless you're hiring a private caregiver to sit with that individual. And so with long-term care placement, that's very different than at home, where individuals will have usually one-on-one ca...

The dark side is when polypharmacy leads to patient harm. So people that tend to take more than almost seven meds or so are at a higher risk of falls, a higher risk of over-sedation, and a higher risk of medication side effects. And so, a lot of times seniors go to the ER or hospital because of this reason. And it's because they're taking so many meds, they're not sure what the drug in...

It's good to get to know each other, but I think you also have to keep that professional boundary role. So, you know, what is the information they need to know to provide the best care? And what, and how can you as the family provide that in a way that's respecting the person that he or she'll be caring for. Respecting their privacy and boundaries and dignity. But also giving them the...