Spotlight on Care: Alzheimer's Caregiving

Susan Papiri, Community Relations Director for Dignity Memorial. She discusses involving loved ones earlier regarding their wishes, preferences and religious traditions. These conversations can give honor to their legacy and reduce family stress. If you are in the Orange County/San Diego area and wish to learn more about services offered, you can call their toll-free number at (949)-622-7171 Send...

Steve and Virginia are joined by Elizabeth Lonseth, an author and caregiver, who discusses the dangers of denial in Alzheimer’s caregiving. She touches on the many ways that both patients and caregivers can suffer when caregivers do not come to terms with the realities of the disease.  Elizabeth also gives listeners a few tips to help improve the caregiver journey. To learn more about Elizabeth vi...

Virginia is joined by Dr. Natali Edmonds, a board certified Geropsychologist and founder of Dementia Careblazers, an online resource for dementia caregivers. Dr. Edmonds talks about 4 mistakes caregivers make when dealing with their loved ones, and the steps we can take to avoid these behaviors.  You can learn more about Dr. Edmonds and Dementia Careblazers at www.careblazers.com Send us Fan Mail

Virginia and Steve are joined once again by Lisa Up de Graff, one of their first guests, who gives an update on her mother’s Alzheimer's disease journey. Lisa describes new challenges she has faced as the disease has progressed and recounts how she has dealt with transitioning her mother into hospice care. Send us Fan Mail

Virginia is joined by Irene Olson, author of the book, “Requiem for the Status Quo'' and a state long-term care Ombudsman. Irene shares tips and challenges she faced with being a long distance caregiver for her father. She emphasizes the importance of building a strong relationship with the staff at the care facility, which in her case, allowed her to remain involved in her father’s care...

Dr. Joshua Grill, PhD, is a professor at UC Irvine in the departments of Psychiatry & Human Behavior and Neurobiology and Behavior, as well as the director of UCI MIND. Dr. Grill joins Steve to discuss risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, steps people can take to lower their risk and the promising investigational therapies. He also cautions listeners about the prevalence of pseudomedicine for...

Virginia and Steve are joined by Patti Davis, author of the book, Floating in The Deep End , and daughter of former United States President, Ronald Reagan. She recounts several different experiences she had while caring for her father who publicly lived with Alzheimer’s disease. She also provides the listeners with sage advice she learned from her caregiver journey and from her time with Beyond Al...

Erin Light, MA, is a gerontologist and a senior administrator at Silverado Senior Living, a memory care company based in Southern California. She joins Steve and Virginia to discuss how to manage wandering in a loved one with dementia. Erin begins by giving an overview of what wandering is and provides some early signs to look out for. She also discusses what precautions caregivers should take to...

Steve and Virginia are joined by Lindsay Hohsfield, PhD, a neuroscientist at UCI and co-founder of a non-profit organization called Youngtimers, to discuss the role that our genes play in Alzheimer’s disease. She helps the audience understand the difference between sporadic and familial Alzheimer’s, early- versus late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, and gives advice to those who are concerned about the...

Steve and Virginia are joined by Heather Kruse, a licensed RN who specializes in dementia and hospice services. Heather was the hospice nurse for Steve’s wife, Patty at the time of her passing. She discusses the different services offered during hospice care and the things to keep in mind when deciding on hospice for a loved one. Send us Fan Mail

Our hosts are joined today by LA Times writer Jeanette Marantos and Virginia's brother, lawyer Bob Simpson, to tell us how they knew it was time to stop their loved one with Alzheimer's Disease from driving. They share stories on the challenges they faced and the clever ways they were able to get around them.  Send us Fan Mail

Jeanette Marantos joins Virginia and Steve to discuss her experiences traveling with her husband, Steven, who had Alzheimer's disease, as well as sharing her tips on making travel manageable.  Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Virginia and Steve are joined by Cindy Weinstein, Ph. D., who co-authored a book with neurologist, Dr. Bruce Miller titled, Finding the Right Words: A Story of Literature, Grief, and the Brain. Dr. Weinstein talks about the guilt and grief she dealt with after her father was diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease. She describes the challenges of being away from him wh...

Virginia and Steve are joined by Jim Russell, MBA, PhD, who shares his emotional story of being a caregiver to his mother with Alzheimers and then to his daughter, Lynne,  who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease at 48 years old. He describes the challenges in managing his daughter's finances and her family as the disease has progressed.    Send us Fan Mail

Virginia and Steve are joined by UCI Senior Health Center physician and UCI MIND researcher, Steven Tam, M.D., who describes some of the early symptoms of cognitive impairment, and the general approach he takes when assessing a patient.   He answers questions about current treatments.  He emphasizes the importance of gathering a complete history of the patient prior to making a diagnosis.  Send us...

In this episode, Steve and Virginia are joined again by friend and caregiver, Roger Lisabeth who describes his experience in end-of-life planning while his wife Lucy is still alive. Roger emphasizes the importance of being properly prepared when the day arrives and describes some important details many of us may overlook when planning a funeral. Send us Fan Mail

Mark Wilson is back with co-hosts, Virginia and Steve to share his tips on outfitting your loved one's home to be safe.  He reflects on his experience caring for his mom  who lived at home with him for the entirety of her Alzheimer's dementia journey.  Mark provides low cost solutions to many of the unique challenges that caregivers face in a home environment like protecting against hard...

The co-hosts are joined by business owner and friend, David Willke who recently lost his wife Jill to early-onset Alzheimer's disease.  David shares his experience raising his children while serving as a caregiver to his wife and the challenges he faced trying to create a normal childhood for his girls.  Send us Fan Mail

Virginia and Steve are joined by Linda Abbit, an eldercare professional and caregiver with over 25 years of experience in dementia caregiving. She has authored a book called, The Conscious Caregiver: A Mindful Approach to Caring For Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself (Simon and Schuster, 2017). In this episode, the trio discuss the importance of prioritizing self-care for the caregiver, tappin...

Virginia and Steve discuss the legal concerns that arise after a dementia diagnosis with Orange County probate attorney, Stephen Magro, JD, who has 30 years of experience in elder law.  Mr. Magro outlines the legal steps needed to help protect loved ones with dementia including setting up a will and trust and establishing an advanced health care directive.  For more information about Stephen Magro...

In this episode, the co-hosts sit down with Cleo Dougherty to discuss the importance of finding the right support group for patients and their caregivers.  Cleo shares her story caring for her husband, Tom who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2006 and recalling her experience as both a member and a leader of a support group. For more information about support groups at the Alzheimer’...

In this episode, co-hosts Steve and Virginia have a conversation with Keith Swayne about the importance of communicating with family throughout the Alzheimer's journey.     Keith elaborates on his own process for sharing with his children and extended family about his wife, Judy's journey from diagnosis to her passing  in 2014.  What would like to hear about next? Email us at mwitbrac@uc...

In this episode, Virginia and Steve chat with Joe Gonzalez about tips for finding the right care facility for someone living with dementia.  Joe shares his experience caring for his wife, Barbara as he navigated the transition from caregiving at home to a memory care facility. Send us Fan Mail

Roger Riley, author of the book, Lifelines: A Care Partner's Survival Guide , joins Steve and Virginia for a discussion about letting go of the past and making new memories with your loved one.  Roger gives the listeners a few tips for using hobbies and games from your past to engage your loved-one and improve everyone's quality of life.  What would like to hear about next? Email us at m...

Guest Pam Ostrowski joins Virginia and Steve for a conversation about compassionate communication.  She recalls her own experience caring for her mom with Alzheimer's and relays some of the experiences that she has had with her clients as she helps them navigate dementia caregiving.   Pam emphasizes the importance of  prioritizing being happy over being right when communicating with loved one...