Parenting UP! Caregiving adventures with comedian J Smiles

J Smiles is back! Winter hibernation made discussing hydration more necessary than ever. Hydration is important for seniors to avoid health complications. J shares the struggle of getting Zetty to consume water.  The doctor's guidelines seem straight forward but Zetty tricks J more than once along this journey. Their circus is complicated by Zetty's life-long disdain of water. Ultimately...

Do you own being a Caregiver Out LOUD? J Smiles pull apart why many caregivers do not include their CG title in the list of "What I do" in conversations, on social media or resumés. Perplexed, she reflected and found pain as a possible source of hesitance. Listen for her take on how to overcome this avoidance.  J gives a handful of easy examples to celebrate your caregiver status. Smiles...

While sleeping after a long night shift with Zetty, J Smiles is startled awake by the words "J come quick, Zetty has passed out!" J has a matter of seconds to determine what is happening using her foggy brain, wobbly legs and unconditional love for her mother. J gives vivid details of the ordeal. Is Zetty having a stroke? It is late on a Saturday afternoon during Covid-19, should they go...

Zetty had dentures much of her adult life  but J never had to get involved -- until now. As a caregiver, J Smiles is learning that it is not as simple as her brain-health mom made it seem all those years. Because teeth are required to chew, Smiles is determined to master these objects to keep her mom properly nurishhed. But J loses many battles along the way. Who knew such humor and health care co...

J Smiles gives family caregivers the real, confusing truth about celebrating Thanksgiving when your LO has dementia, ALZ. Yeah, you want to love on them and smother them with food, family and fun. But is it a good idea? J has tried a variety of celebrations so you do not have to go in blindly... let's Snuggle Up® PODCAST SHOW NOTES: Sponsor: CircleOf (Caregiver App) https://www.circleof.com/d...

J Smiles is joined by patient advocate superhero and caregiver, "Eclectic" Dawn (ED). ED shares countless stories of holding the medical team accountable to her mother's care. But she is not arrogant or pushy. Instead she takes an informed, incentivized approach of Partnering with the Provider. Listen in as they share how to softly bend the system to optimize your LO's care wit...

J Smiles grapples with whether or not to take the ALZ GENE test. Zetty, her mom, was diagnosed with early onset and Zetty's father had ALZ too. Will knowing make life better or more stressful? J leans into her caregiver crew for support. PODCAST SHOW NOTES: ParentingUp! Weekly LIVE TV/Internet INTERACTIVE Show on GetVokl.com: https://getvokl.com/channel/parenting-up 📲 Instagram: Parenting UP...

J Smiles is joined by Susan - a daughter, wife, mom and high-powered executive who found herself leading the caregiver charge when was diagnosed with early onset ALZ. Susan's mom was living independently and completely self-sufficient. Susan was traveling the world with her dream job. Overnight, or so it seemed, ALZ robbed both of them. Listen in as J pulls apart Susan's journey, weaves...

Hillary's mom live independently for decades until an unrelated doctor's visit showed mom's brain wasn’t functioning well. Is  it cancer or dementia? A facility, her home or live with family?    Hillary and her brother (two different states) were bewildered but rallied to care for their mom according to her wishes. You will hear tidbits, advice, jokes and 'oh-wows' galore...

J Smiles and Yvette continue with part 2. Yvette reveals the eventual diagnosis her mom was given, how her family managed LIFE along the way, her top advice for newbie caregivers and more. Yvette recounts earthy, gritty and heartbreaking moments throughout their 3.5 year battle. J is often caught off guard, holding her heart or choking from laughter. Either way, the honesty and transparency keeps...

*Audio UPDATE/Correction 6/13/21* 🥰 Few family caregivers have a story that put J Smiles on her butt - Yvette did. Whirlwind does not begin to describe the snap crackle pop speed the dementia used to invade the McNally Family. During  one  period of April's showers bringing May's flowers sashaying honey sweet cookouts, ALL-HELL broke loose. Doctor's were stymied, the symptoms were...

J Smiles struggles with abnormal memory loss and brain fog. Her immediate fear is the early onset of Alzheimer’s  -- any caregiver's nightmare.  She paints a picture like only J can of the events leading up to her panic and how she navigated  the murky waters to shore. There are many tie-ins and reference points for you to utilize when speaking with medical professionals should you ever be co...

J Smiles chats with Kimberly Cooper, a sandwich generation wife determined to honor her mom's passion for independence even after dementia enters their lives. Kim details her mom's stroke which nudged the cognitive decline. J is inspired by Kim's approach to caring for her mom: technology, rehab, independence and more. As only the Parenting Up Podcast can deliver, the listener recei...

Finally J Smiles has a healthy sleep hygiene routine... and it works, perfectly. Well, she sleeps long and hard. The problem is the depth of slumber unlocks unknown caregiving consternation. She has to decide whether to ditch healthy sleep or face what the dreams are telling her about her relationship with Zetty. J fights through the frustration because she and Zetty are  worth it. She shares what...

J Smiles takes a big trip to Washington, DC to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is elated to take a such a meaningful vacation. A newbie caregiver at the time, J is looking forward to reclaiming free time and fun with college friends. She  is shocked when the umbrella of love and joy causes a revolt in her spirit. She is emotionally paralyzed and needs to fig...

For once J is able to get Zetty in the bed before 2am, excited and sound asleep all hell breaks loose when the house alarm blares "intruder alert." J is delirious, rubbing her eyes and trying to determine what to do. One thing is clear, secure Zetty in the bedroom. The problem is Zetty refuses to stay  in the bedroom and demands to follow J to investigate the house. J has navigate her fe...

J Smiles believes that dating is self care. The problem is she cannot seem to secure a date.  She takes the listener on a journey of her pre-caregiver dating existence.  After Zetty's ALZ diagnosis, there is so much sacrifice, routine, schedule, doctor's appointments, sorrow and exhaustion often J is too overwhelmed to try. J Smiles shares humorous positive and negative caregiver dating...

Caregiving is so nuanced. We can identify the major things swiftly -- medicine and food must be consumed; bills paid and so on. What happens when non-harmful modifications appear? Those creature comforts - habits - preferences that you are accustomed to your LO choosing like clockwork. Perhaps it is always drinking coffee in the morning or wearing pajama pants instead of a nightgown... a favorite...

Who knew skipping sleep could add up so quickly? Not, J Smiles! What J believed was a supernatural power is now bad for her. She struggles -- yet again --  to accept a monumental shift. Most of her life she has functioned on much less than 8hrs of sleep per night. An easy peasy chat with her therapist opened a door J didn't even know existed. Problem? What problem? A mountain of questions lat...

J Smiles opens Season 2 with a riveting story of personal panic. J wakes up but cannot find Zetty anywhere. On vacation and without her local support system, J scrambles to create a strategy to trace Zetty's steps. But where to start?  What time did Zetty leave? How did she get out? Did anyone see her?  Learn the remarkable ways ALZ Zetty outsmarted healthy adults. Hotel security is forced to...

Omar Hamilton joins J Smiles on a deep dive into the life of a child flying blindly into the foggy cognitive abyss of a parent. Omar's dad was living independently and quite self sufficient. Or so everyone thought. Omar, a classic New Yorker, moved swiftly as soon as his father's decline was obvious. But Omar was perplexed. He saw his dad often. They dined weekly, spoke daily  --- how di...

J Smiles and Erika have been thick as theives for over 20 yrs. Howard University and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority cemented their relationship. But as only kids who love to travel, who appreciate fine dining, who have never missed a proper brunch and who seamlessly merge Rosé with a Rick Ross beat... they take the listener on Erika's abrupt realization of her mom's cognitive decline as if r...

Zetty throws J Smiles off with a request for a cell phone. What seems like a simple ask turns into a quest for the holy grail.  For Zetty, J soon realizes it is a dignity issue too. J Smiles takes listeners on a rollercoaster journey of communication product assessments. She points out design features created to improve the lives of  seniors. Question is does J agree. Will any of the items help a...

Alzheimer's disease is very mysterious. Caregivers are often guessing what their LO's (loved ones) are feeling, experiencing, etc. CG's live a life of magical charades. The first time ALZ shows up in an ordinary daily event can turn a caregiver's heart on tilt. J Smiles takes time to share a handful of specific examples of just that. She was not prepared for the initial instanc...

Chef Angela (Angela Gorham) joins J Smiles for an in-the-trenches-right-now-conversation. Like J, she is single, childless and her mom's full-time caregiver. Another commonality, another's death made their mother's Alzheimer's undeniable. Listen for Ms Gorham's shocking thrust from condo to caregiver. With less than one year of caregiving under her belt, Chef Angela asks J...