Navigating the World with Your Aging Loved One

We'll be back soon! We will be back in the fall. Thank you for being here and being a special part of our community. Enjoy the rest of your summer. We are excited to announce that we've launched Gigi Betty co.  Gigi Betty co. is a lifestyle brand and boutique gift shop raising funds and awareness for caregivers and care partners. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to support family caregive...

We've planned who will inherit the house, and who will be the keeper of our most precious treasures but we often overlook another form of our personal property- our digital assets. Families are placed in situations where they need to navigate and collect a variety of digital property after a loved one passes.   This week my guests are Aproova Chintala and Sree Chintala. They are founders and the C...

How do we effectively and proactively communicate our loved ones needs and routines with their care partners and caregivers?   Mike Michel, the founder of the CareTrainr app, is my guest today. The CareTrainr app saves care partners time from repeating the same information to new caregivers and visiting relatives They are able to move forward as they are equipped with information and confidence as...

Benjamin Kintisch began his work as a chaplain in a residential hospice community. One of the most meaningful parts of his work was walking through the "Life Review" with each of his patients.   In our conversation this week, Ben recalls telling his wife that the stories he was hearing needed to be songs. His wife replied, "Get writing".  He began writing and through partnerships and collaboration...

This week my guest is Bill Cohen, a Certified Senior Advisor, and the owner of Cohen Caregiving Support Consultants. With every two out of three caregivers being female, the conversation around caregiving tends to be from the perspective of women. Bill shares with us his journey as a son, offers advice on managing care, finding support, and how seeking support can be different for men.   Bill is c...

Having been a non-professional caregiver for family and loved ones for more than thirty-five years, Sue Ryan created The Caregiver's Journey to walk caregivers through the various phases of their caregiving journey. How do we successfully manage all of the changes and transitions that happen when we step into the role of caregiver?   Today I have with me, Sue Ryan, best-selling author of the book ...

How do we distinguish between a certain amount of normal stress and caregiver burnout? "I just can't do this anymore" or "This is too much for me to handle"- Have you spoken these words before?   This week we are talking about caregiver burnout. My guest is Debbie Compton, she became a full-time caregiver for three parents with three different forms of dementia. After many years of leading teams n...

How do we empower older adults to live happier, healthier, and more independent lives at home?   My guest this week is Dor Skuler, he is the CEO and Co-Founder of Intuition Robotics. ElliQ is a proactive care companion for older adults. ElliQ is a voice-operated device that is empathetic, offers companionship, wellness support, and much more that we'll talk about today.    This is a bigger convers...

What does life look like during and after caregiving for a loved one? What does life look like after retirement? What is my purpose? One thing is certain- there is always change in our lives.   This can bring up many big questions- What is my purpose? How has this changed for me throughout the years? What questions can I ask myself to find my purpose? What does my support system look like? How do...

How will we know what's possible as we age if we do not have a relationship with older adults? When we truly listen- we become more compassionate and realize the rich blessings of those relationships.  My guest this week is Isabel Tom, author of The Value of Wrinkles: A Young Perspective on How Loving the Old will Change Your Life. Isabel has been a featured guest sharing her story of what it is l...

What do we do after we experience the loss of a loved one? There is immense grief and then there are the logistical tasks that need to be walked through. Where do we begin? How do we know what to do?   My guest this week is Ron Gura, he is the CEO and Co-Founder of Empathy . Empathy supports families through loss and provides both emotional and logistical support when they need it most. The Empath...

This week my guest is Traci Lamb, CEO of Smart Caregiving. Traci has spent the last 20 years in the healthcare industry with over 14 of those years working in hospice. She is the primary caregiver for both of her parents who are in their 80s - this led our conversation today as well as her personal experience working in hospice care.   Families have many questions- what is hospice care? How is it...

What holds us back from choosing the life that we want? Over the last few years my guest, Anna Marie Frank, has worked with caregivers and older adults about the power of re-wiring our brains and shifting our mindset to live a happy and whole life. What we think and how we speak greatly impacts our health.   Anna Marie Frank, Doctor of Traditional Naturopathy, is my guest this week. She has spent...

Each of us comes with a life story, preferences, hobbies, interests, and unique family dynamics. All of our individual qualities come together to make us who we are. How do we share that story effectively when other people are caring for us?  CareStory's platform "is designed to help families capture the essence of their loved ones, telling their stories and advocating for the care that they deser...

How do we support our loved ones with brain changes in a positive and respectful way? Teepa's  mission is "to change the culture of dementia care to be more inclusive, more knowledgeable, and more skillful in order to truly support all brains and people in our community." Teepa and her team are doing just that.   Teepa Snow is my guest this week. She is one of the world's leaders in dementia educa...

Families are often in an overwhelming and unsustainable financial situation when providing care for their loved ones. There are so many families struggling to pay for care. How do we address the need to provide adequate and affordable solutions for families and older adults?   Kimberly Whiter, CEO of Elder Care Solutions is my guest today. She is on a mission to "help families realize a more finan...

Do you have a parent or a loved one nearing the most fragile years of life?  We know that eventually our parents will be entering this final stage and we are often not prepared for the challenges that it brings.   Aging expert Amy Cameron O'Rourke, author of The Fragile Years and founder O'Rourke & Associates is a dedicated care manager with 40 years of experience. She has a passion for helping pe...

With our growing longevity economy and older adult demographic, we have seen a massive rise in agetech. How do we make sure that older adults can live a full life in a digital world and include them in each aspect of creation and use?  We are in a unique time to be able to solve problems, create solutions and address the universal challenges of aging.   Keren shares about: How she came to start Th...

The number of older adults that are experiencing ageism is growing and most often in the workplace. The film Duty Free is facilitating important conversations, addressing care concerns, and driving movement to end ageism and financial insecurity.   Duty Free explores claiming who we are, ageism, the complexities of work, the power of having an advocate, and social impact. The film also looks at th...

While I've been gifted the opportunity to bring out the best in my guests and their message- this person, right here, brings out the best in me. My best friend of 28 years, Katie McDonald, interviews me today. The message of listening when ideas find us and taking steps forward each day towards our dreams weaves its way through our conversation. If anything, Katie has taught me to show up with cur...

Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions of people across the world. While there is no cure at the moment there are ways we can improve cognition and reinforce routine habits.   Matt Golden is the CEO and Co-Founder of MapHabit . Having experienced the personal loss of loved ones from Alzheimer's Disease, he is passionate about creating tools to support caregivers and improve the quality of life...

Dr. Edward Park's father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and Lewy Body dementia, starting when he was only in his 40s. It was devastating for the family and ultimately placed their family in a caregiver role.  Dr. Park's family history of neurodegenerative disease ultimately led him towards looking at brain health and the powerful role that nutrition plays in reducing the risk of Alzheimer'...

How do we become prepared as a caregiver and not wait until everything is falling down around us? Judy Burkle is the perfect person to talk with us today about how we juggle all of the caregiving responsibilities and manage our emotions. Judy is a master-level social worker and an aging parent coach with extensive experience working with older adults and one on one therapy sessions.  Every caregiv...

Why are our elders targeted by solicitors and scammers? What can we do to help ensure that our loved ones won't fall victim to these types of scams? Our older adult population is growing and the financial impact of scams can be devastating, racking up over $3 billion in losses annually.   Although there are many different types of scams, there are some basic principles that you can educate your se...

How do we make meaningful connections while we are caregiving? Is there a right way to care for our loved ones that have dementia? How do I deal with all of the emotions that we feel as caregivers- the stress, the guilt? Today, we learn how families and caregivers can have peace of mind and understand that there is a better way to communicate and improve the quality of our relationships with our l...