Fading Memories

What do you do when your spouse is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease? Do you run for the hills or plan a 10,000-mile trip? Thankfully, today's guest planned the trip, blogged about it and turned her experiences into two books!

  Research has linked social isolation to higher risks of physical & mental conditions; Alzheimer's & death are just two of them.  Becoming isolated frequently happens “naturally” and there are many ways to combat this issue. Discussing senior isolation came naturally with my guest, Rebecca Graulich. She's a past guest who started a foundation to … Read More Read More

When it comes to eldercare we frequently need a partner. Even for those who plan ahead, making decisions for our loved one is a huge challenge. For those living with memory loss, it's nearly impossible to know what they'll need, when they'll need it and how we'll provide the care. Enter and eldercare consultant.  What … Read More Read More

“You're too good looking to have Alzheimer's.”  Imagine hearing this from your doctor. The disbelief that someone could actually look vibrant, strong and healthy yet have Alzheimer's makes diagnosis more difficult. Early-onset Alzheimer's is an uncommon form of dementia that strikes people younger than age 65. Of all the people who have Alzheimer'sdisease, about 5 … Read More Read More

  When should we consider in-home care for my loved one? How do we find the right help and where do we start? First, if your loved one is struggling to perform basic activities of daily living it's probably time to get help. Part-time help to start might be the best way to go in … Read More Read More

Providing caregiver help isn't easy. Asking for help is just one more task in a long list of tasks.  Learning how we can provide help is the topic of this podcast. Because of their ever-increasing workload, 65% of caregivers are hospitalized or die before their loved one. For that reason, finding ways to provide help … Read More Read More

When is it Time to Take Away the Car Keys? Driver safety is important. When to take away the car keys is a difficult yet important decisions.  It's not to do and should not be made lightly. Most seniors see giving up their cars as the total loss of their independence. Solving this concern will go … Read More Read More

Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. The walk is held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, In talking to Ginny Roth, walk coordinator for a Northern California walk, I learned about the importance of the fundraising in helping find a cure. … Read More Read More

Lewy-Body dementia is very different than Alzheimer's. While physical changes are similar, cognitive changes can be vastly different. Equally challenging, Lewy-Body dementia can present with a range of symptoms. These include problems with thinking, memory, moving, sleep and/or changes in behavior. To better understand the unique challenges of LBD I spoke to Nance Tobar. Nance … Read More Read More

Not only have  200+ trials looking for a cure for Alzheimer's failed, a cure in my life doesn't look likely. What if we have had one all along? According to Dementia Care Central the dementia-related conditions that can be helped by CBD include; Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular Dementia, Lewy bodies dementia, Parkinson’s, Frontotemporal dementia and Huntington’s. Additionally, … Read More Read More

  Jean Lees parents were both diagnosed with Alzheimer’s on the same day. She was the hometown daughter, working full time. Her sister lived 1,000 miles away. What could have been a recipe for disaster became AlzAuthors. Jeans sister suggested keeping a journal as part of caring for their parents . The result of this … Read More Read More

  Staggering numbers of hospital readmissions are due to medication management errors made by the patient or caregiver.  Taking the right pill, at the right time, in the right amount sounds simple, right? Not so much. Speaking with Kimber Westmore introduced me Pill Map. Pill Map is a medication management solution. What it's not is … Read More Read More

    Participating in a Connected Horse workshop provides unique opportunities for people living with early-stage dementia and their care partners. It's time to be together and experience non-riding activities with horses. By experiencing the power of the human-horse connection participants feel relaxed, confident, and happy. Learning self-compassion, stress reduction strategies, communication and awareness practices … Read More Read More

  Offering something everyone on the Alzheimer's path needs, knowledge, is one of the benefits of adding an Alzheimer's cruise to your vacation list.  This one-of-a-kind cruise is a unique experience for people in the early stages of Alzheimer's and their care partners. Cruising together you'll gain valuable knowledge, important friendships, and happy memories. In … Read More Read More

These days there’s a lot more knowledge about Alzheimer's and I am truly grateful for that. I’m grateful to be part of the knowledge space. By learning more we are better able to handle challenging situations and keep our stress as low as possible. This episode is about how I use knowledge as a coping … Read More Read More

  The Savvy Caregiver Program is a training program for caregivers like you. Caregiving is a role far different from being a spouse or child.  Those terms describe relationships. Assisting and guiding someone who is living with a chronic illness is the definition of caregiving. It is work. The caregiving role has a “job description”. … Read More Read More

Sometimes the simple act of breathing, deep breath in and out can mentally give a caregiver space to solve a problem.  Understanding the roller coaster of emotions caregivers go through is our guest, Cyndi. Living with and taking care of her Mom and brother was overwhelming. Cyndi was a stressed-out family caregiver not taking care … Read More Read More

Choosing to embark on an Alzheimer's journey is not one most of us take.  Generally, Alzheimer's chooses us and generally later in life. That is not the case for today's guest, Zach Smith. Zach volunteered at our local Alzheimer's Associations chapter as a way to fulfill a graduation requirement.  At the time his grandmother was … Read More Read More

When care providers learn to forgive old hurts they learn to smooth away some of the unnecessary (yet understandable) emotional challenges in their lives. This podcast episode talks about how to do just that in a fun & conversational manner.

Carlen's story is about a path that emerged in the darkest of hours. In other words, a path that was neither planned nor foreseen. It’s a story about the inner struggles and insights that emerged when he leads Martha and their children through a life-altering quandary.