The Whole Care Network

Amber Wilborne is a Southwest Virginia native, and business owner and has been married to Tim, the love of her life, and served as an amazing supporter during her caregiver journey. They have two teenage children and co-own their business. Amber is a member of her local Rotary club and serves communities worldwide. She also served as a caregiver to her mother, who fought breast cancer for over 24...

Cynthia Hayes is a former freelance journalist, management consultant, marketing executive, executive trainer and cancer survivor. Cynthia used her 30 years of experience in interviewing, synthesizing information and telling a story to write  The Big Ordeal Understanding and Managing the Psychological Turmoil of Cancer . Her research for the book included interviews with patients, caregivers, onco...

In Episode 69, Love Conquers Alz hosts, Susie Singer Carter and Don Priess, cover a wide range of timely topics with the extremely accomplished mother, wife, educator, and physician,  DR. MIRIAM ZYLBERGLAIT LISIGURSKI .  Dr. Z  is a triple Board-Certified Physician in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Obesity Medicine with extensive clinical and academic experience.  Dr. Z is also a well-being ad...

In Episode 68, Love Conquers Alz hosts,  Susie Singer Carter  and Don Priess have a fascinating conversation with   Dr. Buffy Lloyd-Krejci , one of the foremost authorities on infection prevention and control in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Dr. Buffy (as she likes to be called) is a frequent contributor and interview source for national and trade press concerning infection preventi...

Joy Loverde is an Italian-American author, speaker, and caregiving expert. She has cared for over 10 people in her life, from her parents to ex-spouses and coworkers, and is a master at delegating, setting boundaries, and communicating. Joy Loverde learned the importance of delegating, setting boundaries, and getting out of the middle of other people's relationships. When her elderly parents and c...

In Episode 67,  Don Priess  and I have a candid - and inspiring - conversation with our first guest of the year,  Mary S. Daniel , a Board-Certified Patient Advocate whose mantra is "boldly advocate for your loved ones".  Leading by example, Mary showed us just what that looks like when she  took a job as a dishwasher  at the facility where her husband, Steve (diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in...

In 2019 Tiffany moved home to Maui, Hawaii to become primary caregiver to her adult brother Christian. Christian is now in his thirties and has been living with autism. Inspired by her brother's interest in jewelry and wanting to help him find a job, Tiffany created Depo Market, a retail business that provides jobs to other adults with disabilities like Chris. In this episode, we chat about what m...

In this episode, meet Sherrell D. Mims. She is a family caregiver, registered nurse, entrepreneur, and author. Her passion is empowering caregivers worldwide. In this episode we talk about the importance of securing help in your community, sharing your story, being patient with yourself, seeking a good belly laugh, and proactively dealing with the cloudy days that come upon us. Show notes with pro...

Haven believes every legacy needs a beautiful Haven to call home. Maggie Gannon and the Haven team support people at end of life by empowering them to share their legacy. According to Haven’s website, they are “on a mission to improve the quality of all our lives by changing the way the world thinks about death. We do this by giving everyone a beautiful home to preserve their story and grow closer...

Have you heard of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus or N.P.H.? In this episode we hear what it is and how it was the diagnosis long-sought after to provide the answers for Tracy Crump's mother's symptoms. Tracy is a former Intensive Care Nurse, caregiver for her mother, father and then her mother-in-law, and now she is a published author who knew something wasn't making sense when her mother was mis-d...

Medication can have enormous positive or negative impacts on both health and quality of life. It can also be intimidating and confusing, so many family caregivers struggle to advocate and communicate effectively with healthcare providers about the medications their care partner is on. Meet Shay Domangue, physician assistant and creator of the Shay Way - a step-by-step method to help family caregiv...

When Robin Weeks' father and brother were both diagnosed with terminal illnesses in 2011 and 2012, she stepped up to care for her mother, sacrificing her own career and financial well-being to provide a sense of comfort and compassion in her mother's final years. "Caring for my mother was probably the most profound feeling of compassion I think I've ever had in my life. I don't think I've ever fel...

Poetry, whether reading or writing it, can be a powerful tool to ease our dementia caregiving journey, allowing us to express our deepest emotions, unravel our confusion and angst, and learn from and understand others. Susan J. Farese, MSN, RN is the author of Poetic Expressions in Nursing: Sharing the Caring , poems written when she became a nurse poet in the 1990's. Heartbreaking memories of los...

Plan ahead so you leave a legacy, not a mess. Great advice from CPA Jody Giles, author of the Missing Pieces Plan.  According to her website jodygiles.com, Jody is “the author of the Missing Pieces Plan , a book designed to help people plan for end-of-life. The “missing pieces” are what Jody feels are the most important pieces in a financial plan however, they are often the most neglected. When in...

Angela G. Gentile, MSW, RSW, is the author of two books in the AlzAuthors collection. She came to us in 2016 with her book, Caring for a Husband with Dementia: The Ultimate Survival Guide, inspired by her experience counseling eight amazing caregiving women. Her second book, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, & Memory Loss: A Helpful Guide for Caregivers, was recently published and was featured on our blo...

When Anne Kenny, a self-proclaimed workaholic physician, is forced to confront her mother's dementia and her own depression, she must learn how to balance her needs with her mother's care while navigating a difficult family dynamic. "If you're doing the work, it's not going to get worse; it's going to get better. It may not feel great all the time, but it gets better." - Anne Kenny Anne Kenny is a...

Kristina Driscoll is an inspiring mother, wife, caregiver, podcaster, and Board of Directors member of Sanctuary One, an animal rescue organization in Oregon. She launched her podcast She's Brave in 2023 and helps women find their path to become brave, resilient, and live their most authentic lives. "If I can do it, you can do it too. I always had faith that God was going to take care of my son, t...

After her daughter calls in a care emergency, Kimberly Whiter is forced to choose between her career and caring for the father of her children, who experienced a life-threatening health incident. Was there a choice? She chose both! Ultimately this decision would challenge her identity and redefine her definition of care. "My crisis response is I start operationalizing. So I go calm. I literally fe...

In this episode, we’re talking with Consuela Marshall, who supported her mother, alongside her siblings, for years before she eventually went and moved her into a small, assisted living home. But this wasn’t just any home! It was an assisted living home that she started in preparation for her mother’s eventual move.  Consuela talks with the sisters about her experience caring for her mother, local...

Filmmaker Edgar Barens works with the Humane Prison Hospice Project to highlight the need for compassionate end-of-life programs in the US. prison system.  

Roxane Anderson is a registered social worker in Canada and published author whose most recent book " Moving the Flood " is a memoir and a promise fulfilled that she had made to her late husband, John. Roxane had found herself taking on more and more caregiving responsibilities as her husband's health worsened; but she had not expected to take on the caregiving role for her husband. They were a te...

Lindsay DeLong is a licensed Occupational Therapist with over 10 years of experience working with adults in the home environment. She is the founder of EquipMeOT , with YouTube , TikTok and Instagram channels that house a library of instructional videos as well as product demonstrations and endorsements. Lindsay and I discuss the role occupational therapists can play in home care. She shares tips...

Catherine Hinz is talking about grief and how her company Beyond Words Co. creates curated care packages to ensure no one feels alone through life’s hardest times. After experiencing a grief event in her own life, Catherine realized our responses to hard events in the lives of people we care about is often inadequate. Things like cards and even flowers just don’t provide the relief and comfort we’...

Joe Vazquez and his wife Laura live in Texas and have been married over 11 years. In February 2021, Laura suffered a traumatic and anoxic brain injury. With Laura’s freak garden accident, life as they knew it changed. Joe had to find his way as a family caregiver with zero care experience. In this episode, Joe shares his story and we discuss marital commitment, mental health therapy, FMLA benefits...

Caitlin Crommett is the founder of DreamCatchers Foundation, an organization creating connections for older and younger generations to fulfill the end of life dreams of hospice patients. Caitlin got her start volunteering in hospice at only 12 years old. After realizing the benefits of matching younger volunteers with older adults, Caitlin founded DreamCatchers Foundation in 2009 as a non-profit o...