Wisdom Wednesday: Aging Wisdom's Podcast

Uncertainty is scary. When we encounter uncertainty and change, the sympathetic nervous system is often engaged. This is what triggers “flight or fight.”  The topic of moving may prompt your parent to bristle at the suggestion. They resist the idea for a myriad of reasons: Home is familiar.  They’re overwhelmed by all their stuff. Change is hard. The uncertainty is scary. Sometimes the resistance...

Are your parents resisting the idea of a move to a retirement community? One reason may be they're overwhelmed by the thought of a move given the amount of  stuff    they've accumulated through the years.  It can also be anxiety-provoking to contemplate how you will help your parents organize their belongings and move from a single-family home or condo to an apartment or room at a retire...

Our homes are more than shelter, especially as we age. They often hold our hearts, our memories. We are creatures of comfort, we love familiarity. But what happens when our parents are older and no longer safe in their own homes? Why do some fight so fiercely to remain? Lisa Mayfield , founder and principal at Aging Wisdom , reflects on "Home is familiar" as one of many reasons an older...

Feeling truly seen and heard helps to build trust and relationship, and contributes to aging well, caring well, and living well. Our Care Managers and Creative Engagement Specialists are incredibly adept at the powers of observation,  asking questions, actively listening, making connections, learning about the person in front of them, and being in the moment.  Each conversation provides opportunit...

Our work as Care Managers may be focused on the well-being and quality of life of one person, our client, but it requires understanding and looking at the whole picture. What is the whole picture ? It includes everything in the client's life: health (and disability), family systems and dynamics, goals, preferences, personal history, finances, values, legal, housing, services & supports, a...

Founded in 2003, Aging Wisdom was launched by Lisa Mayfield   as a sole practitioner of care management. This year we are celebrating 20 years as an Aging Life Care practice and a staff of sixteen ! And it's May, which is National Aging Life Care Month, a time for us to celebrate our profession. Our Care Managers have all taken different career paths before finding Aging Life Care as a profes...

We have a lot to celebrate this month. In addition to May being National Aging Life Care Month and Older Adults Month , our colleague Wendy Nathan celebrates ten years with Aging Wisdom! If you know our team, you know our paths to Aging Life Care are varied, but we share a mutual mission: To inspire hope through creative solutions so our clients live well, care well, and age well. As Wendy shares...

It’s National Aging Life Care Month, an opportunity to celebrate our profession. What is an Aging Life Care?  What is an Aging Life Care Manager? Aging Life Care is a holistic, client-centered approach to caring for older adults, dependent adults, and others facing ongoing health challenges. Aging Life Care Managers® , sometimes called geriatric care managers, are strategic planners with key knowl...

"Transformation happens when someone feels safe and seen and heard. And when people are recognized as who they are rather than what they're living with or a diagnosis they've been given," reflects Tami Sandygren, Care Manager Associate. Tami's insights in this week's Wisdom Wednesday podcast provide a thoughtful exploration of personhood, purpose, and ways to honor ch...

Every client has a rich personal history. As an Aging Life Care practice, our Care Managers understand the value of learning about each client as an individual. It aids us as we help clients and their families navigate the best options for aging, caring, and living well.  Whenever there’s an opportunity to return to what brings a client joy, we’ll go there in some capacity. Quality of life and wel...

As our parents grow older, changes in cognition  can be subtle and easy to dismiss. Don't deny or overlook the  changes as that may compromise your parent's safety and well-being.  Instead, look at the changes as an opportunity to start a conversation about the future. Frame the discussion around asking your parents what they would like to do if and when something changes. So often we go...

Our Aging Life Care Professionals, AKA Care Managers, wear many hats and their roles are multifaceted.  Additionally, the services and supports they provide are not cookie cutter solutions, but tailored to each client's needs, finances, and goals. In this first in a series of five podcasts with our colleague Tami Sandygren , she reflects on the depth and breadth of the Care Manager role , and...

It’s tax season and the con artists are hard at work trying to scam you and separate you from your money. “The IRS does not email, text, or call you. If the IRS needs to communicate with you because there's a problem with your taxes, they send you a letter -- snail mail, good old US mail. It's part of the government,” says Herb. “They do not contact you any other way, and they don't...

In this episode, ConsumerMan Herb Weisbaum has urgent, important advice regarding scam calls.  Any of us can be scammed! If you find yourself being pressured by a caller asking for personal information such as a bank card or Social Security number, or insisting you pay a bill with gift cards, HANG UP!   These are professional criminals. They know how to use emotion and fear to get consumers to do...

Our special guest again this week (and for the next two episodes) is ConsumerMan Herb Weisbaum , one of America’s top consumer experts. Known nationally as ConsumerMan, Herb’s been protecting consumers for more than 40 years.  Check below for Herb’s website and newsletter information. Herb does a lot of stories that look out for older adults. ConsumerMan is a font of well-researched, practical inf...

Our special guest this week (and for upcoming episodes) is ConsumerMan Herb Weisbaum , one of America’s top consumer experts. Known nationally as ConsumerMan, Herb’s been protecting consumers for more than 40 years.  Check below for Herb’s website and newsletter information. Herb does a lot of stories that look out for older adults. ConsumerMan is a font of well-researched, practical information a...

Sometimes families don’t have a good system of communication. Having an objective third party, such as an Aging Life Care professional (AKA Care Manager), guide the conversation can help improve communication.  At other times, families can feel overwhelmed and as if their issues are insurmountable. An experienced Care Manager as a navigator can help bring down the anxiety level and help families s...

 Family meetings are a positive way to initiate conversations with siblings about someone in your mutual care. For some, this may serve as a starting point. Family meetings are also a great way to facilitate communication between family members and build consensus about next steps in a situation that may be escalating. Through a family meeting, everyone is getting the same information at the same...

When there's family conflict, Care Managers serve as a neutral third party that provides an unbiased assessment of the situation and guidance to families on the best options moving forward. In this episode, Lisa and Nicole share the many ways an Aging Life Care professional (AKA Care Manager) can  help diffuse family disagreements offer support in communication and advocacy  provide effective...

A lack of insight or awareness is when a person living with a form dementia or a brain injury is unable to recognize changes in their behavior and emotions.  Adult children may interpret this as a parent being difficult or in denial. However, the part of the brain that is damaged, often by Alzheimer's, Lewy Body dementia, or a stroke, is what is affecting the individual's inability to se...

Family disagreements are common as adult siblings navigate a parent's journey with aging. Aging Wisdom's Director of Care Management, Nicole Amico Kane , joins our principal and founder, Lisa Mayfield , in a conversation about how and why family members have different perspectives and varying degrees of comfort with a parent's choices and preferences, and why that can lead to confli...

Our colleague Wendy Nathan , along with Sandra Cook, Regional VP at Aegis Living, wrap up this series by talking about caregiver guilt and the need to make time for self-care . Caregiver guilt is normal and a complicated emotion.  You will likely experience moments of self-doubt, stress, exhaustion, and times of feeling overwhelmed, even frustrated. Again, that's all normal. Be aware, however...

Every situation has its own variables, just as each family has its own system and dynamics. This can often rank at the top of obstacles to providing the support an aging parent may need. Risk assessment and risk tolerance play a part as well, especially if the person in your care is living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. Is mom OK living alone? Can dad safely drive his car, even if it is onl...

In this segment, our colleague Wendy Nathan talks about long-distance caregiving and how families who live outside the immediate geographic area can benefit from engaging a Care Manager to help in the care of their parent who lives locally.  She and Sandra also talk about the services that a fiduciary provides in support of bill paying. It's not uncommon for an adult child responsible for hea...

Moving a parent to memory care or and adult family home can be a difficult decision for families, but it’s often the best choice. The transition can be challenging initially, though your mom or dad will eventually become accustomed to the routines, sights, and sounds of their new residence. In our experience as Care Managers , our clients who are living with a progressive condition such as Alzheim...