The In-Between Years: Aging Parents and the Conversations We Try to Avoid

In this episode, our guest is David Merker, who spent his career as an agent selling long-term care insurance and Medicare products. He has seen the caregiving journey from many different sides, including with his father, who had Alzheimer's disease. More recently, David's been the one needing care himself. The discussion focuses on his unique perspective and what it's like being on...

In this episode, our guest is Cori Mooberry, an insurance professional with several years of experience in the field. She currently works as EVP of Worksite Sales at Assurity, where she focuses on supplemental health and life products. This discussion focuses on Cori's first-hand experience watching her dad live with dementia and her mom become his full-time caregiver. She talks about what it...

Our guest in this episode is Cory Fosco, author of the book "The Question of When." Cory spent decades in long-term care as a social worker and nursing home administrator. He wrote the book to help families find their way through difficult decisions; it's available at www.coryfosco.com. We start by talking about Cory's encounter with long-term care insurance coverage during his...

In this episode, our guest is Lawrence Vivenzio, Director of Business Development at Assured Allies. His entire career has been dedicated to working in the long-term care insurance industry, from field-level sales and worksite enrollments to consumer and agent education, and even a stint as an agent himself. We start by talking about his grandmother, Hope, and his family's journey into caregi...

Why would a person choose a career in caregiving? In this episode, our guest is Tzivya (Tee) Murrin, Founder of Sensible Senior Planning. She has over a decade of professional and volunteer experience in caregiving, starting in a pediatric nursing home to eventually working with dementia patients. Now, she helps families navigate the Medicaid process and leads a helpful Facebook group called &quot...

Caring for an aging parent is challenging in itself, but what if the one person helping you was suddenly faced with a serious health battle of their own? In this episode, we speak with Kristen Martin Eldridge, National Accounts Director at Reframe Financial. She is an insurance professional with more than 20 years of experience in the individual, multi-life, and group long-term care insurance and...

In this episode, our guest is Mario Racanelli, an insurance agent based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, who focuses on Medicare and other insurance products in the senior market. Mario often gives back to his industry by supporting others, presenting continuing education classes, and giving advice to fellow agents. This conversation focuses on Mario's experiences with his brother John, who lived wi...

Gary Reppen shares how long-term care insurance protected both his father and father-in-law from major care costs, covering expensive nursing home and assisted living needs. He highlights buying coverage early, understanding elimination periods, and how families without LTCI often face limited, lower quality care options. 

Hear from LTC specialist Don Strickler about his experience becoming an unplanned caregiver after his wife’s serious injury. Don shares the tough realities of daily caregiving, how the experience changed his view of professional care, and what families should know about long-term care planning and insurance options. 

In this episode, Carolyn Vader shares her experience balancing a full-time career in the insurance industry with caring for her aging mother at home. The conversation explores the emotional, physical, and financial challenges of caregiving, the complexities of accessing support programs, and how evolving long-term care options can help families navigate similar journeys.

Long-Term Care Specialist Richard Rusoff shares the deeply personal story of his father Morton’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Richard reflects on his dad's life as a decorated WWII veteran and how his PTSD shaped both his personality and later dementia symptoms. The discussion covers early warning signs, the difficult moments of wandering and aggression, and the emotional complexity of ca...

In the first episode of The In-Between Years, Holly Westervelt sits down with Attorney Dale Krause. Dale is an experienced estate planning and elder law attorney, but still faced the issue so many other listeners do—his mom required long-term care without having a plan in place. Listen to Dale detail his experience as he and his siblings navigated his mom's caregiving plan and faced tough dec...

Join us for The In-Between Years! Brought to you by the experts at Krause Agency, this podcast explores the challenges of the caregiving journey. Each episode features  honest, heartfelt stories from caregivers, professionals, and families navigating dementia, elder care, grief, and long-term planning. Together, they explore what we wish we’d talked about sooner, what we’ve learned the hard way, a...