Fading Memories

Health literacy skills allow patients to control their well-being by making intelligent healthcare choices. Do you have good health Literacy? Unless you're a trained medical professional, I feel confident that you've likely encountered challenges when dealing with the health care system. Communication with doctors and family while also dealing with your health struggles surely makes … Read More Read More

My Grandma Has Dementia book has beautiful illustrations children will appreciate. Grandma has dementia can be a scary & confusing statement for kids. My Grandma had vascular dementia, and despite being an adult, it was very troubling to know how best to deal with her. To be honest, it could be a little scary at … Read More Read More

Visits with our loved ones have been an enormous challenge in the past year (or more). Even though visits are happening more thanks to the vaccines, keeping our loved ones safe is still a high priority. My podcast guest & I discussed many ways to have safe visits during Covid and beyond.

Dementia Needs are Human Needs is an understanding that will help us all. Much of what we call “negative behaviors” in those living with Dementia are expressions of unmet needs. Someone who wanders may need more physical activity or stimulation. When someone refuses to participate in something we think they'd enjoy, do we ask why? … Read More Read More

Being one of the 16+ million Alzheimer's caregivers can be one of the longest marathons you'll ever undertake. I am unaware of anyone who has gone on this journey alone. It's entirely reasonable to need help. Getting help and taking care of yourself is critical to taking good care of your loved one.

“Accidents” Aren't Normal Aging – Learn How To Avoid Them “Accidents” Aren't Normal Aging – Learn How To Avoid Them in my conversation with Dr. Elena. Urinary incontinence in the elderly is a prevalent, bothersome and costly problem, and is not necessarily a normal part of aging. Structural changes in the aging bladder and urethra … Read More Read More

The Forget Me Knot crew will row nearly 4,000 miles of open ocean to raise funding and awareness for those who care for dementia patients   Who is behind the Forget Me Knot campaign? Johnny Ball watched his Mother care for his Dad for nearly two decades. Being a part of her journey made it … Read More Read More

We are more than our vital statistics. Sharing our knowledge and memories are part of the human experience   Our brains can be the best vault for keeping knowledge and memories, but others can't access the information. Many of us joke that it would be nice if we could “download” our brains. We store vast … Read More Read More

At the same time, we're looking for a cure for Alzheimer's; are we ignoring a potential natural ally? At the very least, could CBD be a preventative treatment? According to researchers at California's Salk Institute, their 2017 study has found evidence that cannabinoids such as CBD could help remove dementia from brain cells. In the … Read More Read More

Caregiving responsibilities can be challenging at any age, but compared with older peers; millennials are at a stage of life that can exacerbate the challenges. The average age of a millennial caregiver is 27. Instead of focusing on their careers, this generation of adults is attempting to live in two different worlds.

A conversation with Dr. Elena Mucci on Frailty. What it is, how to avoid becoming frail. Frailty is an aging-related physiological decline syndrome characterized by significant vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. Awareness of frailty and associated risks for adverse health outcomes can improve care for this most vulnerable of patients. Until I spoke to my brand new guest … Read More Read More

Dame Cicely Saunders is the founder of Palliative care. We're talking today all about Palliative care. Palliative care focuses on improving the overall wellness of individuals with serious illnesses. It addresses both the symptoms and the stress of living with a chronic disease. It may also involve support for loved ones or caregivers. Palliate comes … Read More Read More

  We're doing aging wrong. Our healthcare system delivers quick interventions that act as band-aids but fail to include the entire family. Our medical model focuses on the body yet neglects the mind and soul; both are essential to our healing and comfort. Older adults are often scared and alone when they need more attention, … Read More Read More

Lacking the knowledge of how to best care for someone with Alzheimer's is common for most family caregivers. Each person is unique, and the disease affects them in their own ways. The differences in how each person reacts to their condition make it more challenging to get solid advice from other caregivers.

Letting Go With Love – Supporting the dying process for someone with dementia. How can we manage “letting go with love” when our society views death as a failure? Dying is a process we will all go through, and it is a very personal experience. Understanding how to support someone with dementia on this last … Read More Read More

Paperwork isn't sexy – a list of documents caregivers need. Paperwork isn't sexy, In the eighties, promises of four-day workweeks and paperless offices were made thanks to the desktop computer. This promise has never happened, and despite cloud storage, paperwork is an endless chore we must all endure. As caregivers, the endless piles of paperwork … Read More Read More

Anticipatory grief has benefits of which we're not aware. Is it normal to feel grief for someone when they're still alive? We may not realize that's what we're feeling. Many people assume it's a form of depression and treat it as such. What we're feeling is actually called anticipatory grief. Millions of people deal with this … Read More Read More

Caregiver Carols – a self-help book in song format Caregiver Carols A Musical Emotional Memoir is a book with a unique twist. It focuses on dealing with the emotional aspects of caregiving. In this episode, my guest is Don Wendorf, who, like most of us, tackled caregiving, knowing he could continue his psychiatry practice, manage … Read More Read More

As a new caregiver or one who has been caregiving for a while, you're going to hear how important it is to take care of yourself. Take care of yourself first. I'm sure, like most people, you think, “yeah, right! When am I supposed to do that?”

We never know when it's our time for death. In just over four years, or 2025, the first of over 77 million baby boomers will turn 80. Our 8th decade is when frailty becomes common; memory loss affects 25% of us, and most will need help to get through the day. Dementia and other diseases … Read More Read More