The Caregiver Community

Medicare provides front-line health cost coverage for most Americans over the age of 65. However, Medicare can sometimes seem complicated and confusing. This podcast will help caregivers gain information about Medicare so they may assist loved ones in making good choices about coverage as well as helping caregivers prepare for their own enrollment in Medicare. ACAP co-founder Frances Hall joins wi...

There are an estimated 10 million Americans caring for one or more aging parents, in-laws and other family members.  These caregivers are beginning to look at technology as a way to keep their loved ones more independent, more safe and more engaged with family and friends.  Technology may hold a lot of promise for us as we age, but what is technology and how can we best use it with our aging famil...

What is financial abuse? How and why does it impact seniors? What should adult-child caregivers know about financial abuse and the elderly? To help answer these questions, Jane Everson and Frances Hall talk with Lauren Benbow. Lauren is an attorney with the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office where she focuses on investor protection and the promotion of the advance health care directive reg...

Are you frustrated because your father can’t hear? Are you concerned about your mother’s vision loss? Do you worry about their safety in the home? Do you wish you could help them enjoy reading and watching television again? Perhaps you aren’t even aware that they might have a vision and/or hearing loss! These are just some of the questions and issues that we will be discussing in this session of t...

Talking with aging parents about sensitive subjects is almost always challenging for adult child caregivers. When parents have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or another other age related form of dementia or memory loss, the conversations can be even more challenging. Nevertheless, discussing sensitive topics – such as living independently, driving, managing finances, and estate planning – often cannot...

Our aging population is creating historically unique challenges to families, the workforce, our medical and health care systems, and our caregiving culture. Ten million adult-child caregivers, the majority of whom are working-age adults are hit especially hard by these challenges. In this session, we will be talking about balancing family and setting boundaries while we care for our aging parents...

As our parents age, they may need to change their housing arrangements. These changes may be relatively minor, such as modifying their homes to make them more physically accessible or safe or securing home-based medical, health, or companion services to allow them to live in their homes more safely and independently. Changes also may be much more significant, such as moving to a new residence that...

Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia sometimes present symptoms (behaviors) that can be difficult to manage. Join host Frances Hall as she talks with Ms. Mary Ann Drummond and Ms. Janie Benton about journeying with a loved one with Alzheimer's, Lewy-Body or one of the hundreds of other forms of dementia. Learn specific strategies for managing the sometimes-difficult symptoms often associated wi...

In this episode our hosts (Dr. Jane Everson & Frances Hall) will be talking about strategies for preventing a common and frightening problem many of us face as our parents age - falling and the fall-related injuries that may occur. Our guest is Ms. Tina Miller, the Area Agency on Aging Director for the greater Hickory region in North Carolina. Tina has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management...

Join Dr. Jane Everson and Ms. Frances Hall with this episode’s guest, Ms. Karen Lee Martinez, Outreach Librarian for the Northwest Area Health Education Center (NWAHEC), a department of Wake Forest School of Medicine and a part of the North Carolina AHEC program. Karen offers listeners practical guidelines for evaluating the health and medical information we find on websites. She also shares websi...

As families become more mobile and less place bound, many of us are struggling with caregiving from a distance. What resources are available to help?   Join Dr. Jane Everson and Ms. Frances Hall with this month’s guests, Nancy Ruffner, President and Professional Advocate with NAVIGATE NC and Sharon Kilpatrick, a Geriatric Care Manager with Kilpatrick Care Management as they discuss caregiving from...

Guest Dr. Barbara Laufer, Professor Emeritus with Towson University in Maryland, joins our hosts as they talk about aging and hearing losses. Learn about the roles of speech-language pathologists and audiologists, the causes and types of hearing loss, assessment tools, and types of aids and devices.    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.c...

  Hosts Dr. Jane Everson and Ms. Frances Hall are joined in studio by Dr. Sue Friguglietti, as she talks about tips and strategies for assessing mom and dad’s home environment and physical status when visiting them during the holidays or during other home visits. Dr. Sue Friguglietti is an Associate Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator in the Occupational Therapy department at Lenoir-Rhyne...

Confused about the difference between hospice and palliative care? Concerned about finding and paying for services? In this session, we will explore hospice and palliative care services with a special emphasis on how they might assist adult-child caregivers and their aging parents. Join hosts Jane Everson and Frances Hall with this month’s guest, Ms. Julie Packer as they talk about hospice and pal...

“I just noticed another dent on Mom’s car.” “Dad just told me he forgot how to get home from his barber shop last week.  “Mom had to have a right knee and hip replaced.  Will she be able to stop the car quickly, if she needs to?”  “My parents are in their 80’s. Is it safe for them to still drive?” One of the most dreaded conversations aging parents and adult-children anticipate is the one about a...

Join Frances Hall with this month’s guest, Dr. Jacob Hollar as they discuss the many roles that pharmacists and pharmacies can play as our parents – and we – age. Dr. Hollar earned a doctorate in pharmacy from UNC Chapel Hill and has been employed in retail pharmacy most of his career. He is currently a pharmacist with Rite Aid in Hickory, North Carolina.  Confused about Vaccines? Medications? If...

In this Caregiver Community episode, Jane and Frances chat with Susan Vincent about Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related memory loss and dementia. Susan is the owner of a Home Instead Senior Care franchise serving the North Carolina counties of the Catawba, Burke and Caldwell. Susan was also a long-distance caregiver for her mother and so she understands the concerns of adult children as the...

No matter where you live or work, the world’s population is rapidly aging. Our aging population is creating historically unique challenges to families, the workforce, our medical and health care systems, and our caregiving culture. Adult-child caregivers, the majority of whom are working-age adults are hit especially hard by these challenges. Join Jane Everson and Frances Hall, two adult-child car...

In this episode, Jane and Frances chat with Kimberly Whitley, an elder care attorney about the legal aspects of aging and the five legal documents nearly every adult needs.     No matter where you live or work, the world’s population is rapidly aging. Globally, these numbers are projected to rise dramatically over the next 20 years. Our aging population is creating historically unique challenges t...

No matter where you live or work, the world’s population is rapidly aging. In the United States alone, there are nearly 60 million adults age 60 and older – 18 percent of the nation’s population. Globally, these numbers are projected to rise dramatically over the next 20 years. Our aging population is also creating historically unique challenges to families, the workforce, our medical and health c...

Sometimes talking with aging parents can prove to be challening.  Maintaining a loving tone can be difficult when the relationship becomes advesarial.   Hosts Frances Hall and Jane Everson welcome to the MESH studios Dr. David Ludwig who discusses the helpful method of changing conversation dynamics.   Dr. David Ludwig is a licensed therapist, a professor at Lenoir-Rhyne University, a Lutheran min...

In this episode, Jane and Frances chat with Annette Crombie, a nurse educator with expertise in gerontology and a fellow adult-child caregiver. They discuss common health and medical issues adult child caregivers should be aware of when interacting with their parents, strategies for conducting reliable Internet research on medical issues, strategies for monitoring medication, and suggestions for b...

In “The Caregiver Community", hosted by Jane Everson and Frances Hall, we are holding conversations about the challenges and joys of caring for our aging parents and for ourselves. In this session, Jane and Frances talk about the “graying of America’ and “the silver tsunami” and how our nation’s changing demographics are impacting families, adult child caregivers, and businesses. We also talk abou...