Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®

Caregiving can change nearly every part of your life, including how you see yourself. But what happens when caregiving ends and you’re left wondering, "Who am I now?" In this episode of Honestly Aging, we're joined by Margo Ewing Woodacre, MSW, former Delaware State Senator, educator, author, speaker, and former caregiver. Margo shares her experience caring for her husband, Ernie, for eight years...

What happens to a lifetime of knowledge, skills, and experience when you retire?  In this episode of Honestly Aging, Friends Life Care member Jim Mitchell shares how retirement became an opportunity to stay engaged, keep learning, and give back in meaningful ways.  After a career in architecture and higher education, including 30 years at Drexel University, Jim now uses his professional experience...

What does it mean to stay active, engaged, and curious as we grow older?  In this episode of Honestly Aging, Friends Life Care member Gerrie Schmidt shares her perspective on active aging and how retirement has given her the opportunity to embrace new experiences, stay connected, and make time for the things that bring her joy.  Gerrie talks about the role physical activity plays in maintaining st...

Caring for aging parents while raising children, managing a career, and keeping up with everyday life can leave you feeling stretched thin. For many adults in the sandwich generation, caregiving responsibilities build gradually, often before they even recognize themselves as caregivers.  In this episode of Honestly Aging, we're joined by Marni Blank, founder of Begin With The End, to talk about th...

In this episode of Honestly Aging, we welcome humor expert, educator, and speaker Joyce Saltman for an uplifting conversation about the powerful role laughter can play as we age. Having spent more than four decades studying the science of humor, Joyce explains how laughter can reduce stress, strengthen social connections, improve our physical well-being, and help us navigate life's inevitable chal...

In this episode of Honestly Aging, we welcome Pilates instructor Jule Lane for a conversation about how Pilates can support strength, balance, posture, and confidence as we age. Jule shares the origins of Pilates, explains why it's a uniquely adaptable form of movement, and breaks down how it can help older adults build core stability, reduce fall risk, improve mobility, and feel more at home in t...

In this episode of Honestly Aging, we welcome Nina Foster, daughter of artist Harold Weston, for a conversation about family legacy, aging, advocacy, and her work preserving and sharing her father's art through the Harold Weston Foundation. Nina is also a Friends Life Care member.  Throughout the episode, Nina reflects on her unique childhood growing up in the Adirondacks with an artist father who...

Claudia Apfelbaum, licensed clinical social worker and founder of  Claudia Listens , joins Honestly Aging for a heartfelt conversation about friendship, loneliness, resilience, and the importance of meaningful connection as we age.  We explore how friendships evolve over time, why social connection is essential for emotional well-being, and the ways older adults can begin building new relationship...

In this Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR® episode we welcome Mike Liskai, Director of Program Operations at Zemplee and Beth Morley, Care Coordinator at Friends Life Care. This episode explores the impact of Zemplee's passive AI monitoring system in the homes of at-risk Friends Life Care members, highlighting how non-intrusive sensors and data-driven alerts support independence, safety, an...

In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we explore the powerful connection between community engagement and vibrant aging with guests Kerry Roeder, Executive Director of Historic Fair Hill, and Jean Hurd, a Friends Life Care member and dedicated volunteer.    Located in North Philadelphia, Historic Fair Hill is a Quaker burial ground turned community hub, where literacy, gree...

In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we're joined by Caróle Sinclair-Thompson, a massage therapist with nearly four decades of experience, to explore the role of therapeutic massage in the aging journey. From her unexpected path from New Zealand to Pennsylvania, Caróle shares how her passion for the mind-body connection has shaped a career focused on helping people feel be...

In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we're joined by Karen Hirst, an occupational therapist in long-term care and the founder of Elevate Aging.  Karen shares her personal journey from working with older adults across the continuum of care to becoming a caregiver for her own mother as she experienced cognitive decline. She opens up about the emotional complexity of recogniz...

In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we speak with Vicky Hart, founder of A Gathering of Minds, about how families can stay meaningfully connected with loved ones experiencing memory loss.  Drawing on her personal experience supporting her father through dementia and her background in music, Vicky shares practical strategies for communicating with someone whose cognition i...

In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we welcome back Darshan Bhatt, PT, MS, DPT, MBA, President of FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers in Spring House, PA, along with Kelsey Jachimowicz, PT, DPT, Clinical Director and Certified Vestibular & Balance Physical Therapist.   Together, they explore two specialized areas of physical therapy that can significantly impact qua...

In this reflective episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we're joined by Patti Nesbitt, retired hospice and palliative care nurse, and Eileen Stanzione, PhD, clinical social worker and grief counselor, for a compassionate conversation about mortality, dying, grief, and what continues after death.   Through a Quaker lens grounded in listening, presence, and love, Patti and Eileen sh...

In this episode of Honestly Aging, we're on-site at The Hickman, a warm and vibrant senior living community in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Together with three members of The Hickman's team, we explore the many senior living options available today and how to think through which choices may be the right fit as needs and priorities change over time.   Our conversation begins with an overview of The...

Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) is a lesser-known form of dementia that often affects people in their 40s and 50s, bringing profound changes in behavior, personality, and language.    In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we're joined by Esther Kane, Support & Education Director at The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD), and Liz Zadnik, an AFTD Ambassa...

In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we talk with Holly Beebee, a Friends Life Care member who reinvented her life after leaving a 38-year corporate sales career.   Holly shares how burnout led her to a bold leap of faith and into a joyful second chapter: creating a successful Dancin' Chairs program for older adults, performing music as part of a vocal duo, and becoming a...

In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we explore an important part of vibrant aging: staying confident on your feet. Our guest, Judith Sachs, founder of Anyone Can Move, brings decades of experience as a dancer, movement educator, and certified instructor in Dance for Parkinson's, balance and gait work, and fall-recovery training.   Judith shares how movement became her lif...

In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we're exploring what it really means to care for a loved one in today's world and how technology can make that journey a little lighter.  We're joined by Traci Lamb, Business Development Specialist at OdessaConnect, a platform that helps older adults stay connected through the most familiar screen in the home – the TV. Drawing from both...

Grief is a universal experience, yet each person's journey through it is deeply personal. In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we're joined by George Salloom, a retired social worker and long-time bereavement support facilitator with over 30 years of experience.  George shares insights from his decades of work in hospitals, long-term care, and hospice settings, as well as...

In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we're joined by Alan Silverblatt, a Friends Life Care member and information technology expert with decades of experience helping individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses navigate the digital world. Now retired, Alan continues to share his knowledge by teaching, consulting, and empowering older adults to use technology with confide...

Aging is more than growing older – it’s an opportunity for wisdom, connection, and meaning. In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we welcome Sheila Smolens Sorkin, Aging Support Coordinator at Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM), to explore the Quaker approach to aging, care, and support.   Together, we discuss:  The Quaker values that shape aging services  10 key areas of ag...

What does it take to age vibrantly and independently? In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, we're joined by Mario Mascioli, certified athletic trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and founder of Mass Movement. Drawing from his experience with professional athletes and his work with older adults, Mario shares insights into building a strong foundation for healthy aging...

What if aging wasn’t defined by milestones like retirement or physical decline but instead by mindset, purpose, and possibility? In this episode of Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care VigR®, Becky Blue, the author of ‘Turning: The Magic and Mystery of More Days’ joins us to explore how rethinking the way we view aging can open the door to a more fulfilling, empowered life. You’ll hear fresh perspe...