Do you care for your children and worry about your aging parents? Congratulations, you are a member of the “Sandwich Generation”. Not such a great place to be and probably not what you had planned. Caring for children and seniors is mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. It can be a financial strain as well. Dealing with the financial end is the purpose of this episode.

You probably have many questions about estate planning. You know you should be making a will and probably need some other estate planning documents, but which ones? What should you do to protect your children? How can you help your parents as they age? Where do you start?

In this episode I talk to Catherine Hooder, Esq.an estate planning attorney turned author. She enjoys working with families who would rather be doing anything else than estate planning. Her Florida law practice made “house calls” to help families with their estate planning needs. She now resides in California, writing helpful articles for members of the “Sandwich Generation”.
Helpful Links + Link to Catherine's Book
Catherine's Book HERE!

Have the Talk With Your Parents Already!

More Useful Advice on Aging In Place

 

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Jennifer is also available for speaking engagements.

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Art has been used for centuries to help people express what they cannot put into words. Increasingly art is used  to help people with Alzheimer’s disease. By encouraging participation in the creation process we may be able to unlock inner thoughts and feelings. Expressing what they're feeling may be easier on paper than verbally. Freeing these emotions will help both those living with Alzheimer's and those caring for them.
My Life and Art
Art is part of my everyday life. As a professional photographer I spend my days creating beautiful images for my clients. Appreciating photography from around the world via Instagram is another way to keep my creative spirit alive. One evening I stumbled upon an account called Alzheimer's Art, and had to lean more.  As a result I discovered this account belongs to a young man with a Mother with younger onset Alzheimer's and a Grandmother with Alzheimer's. This knowledge made me even more interested. We chatted a bit via private message which led to asking him to tell his story on my podcast.

Using creativity, Adam helps his Mom and Grandma express what they're feeling. These interactions give all three of them a relaxing way to connect to each other.  These connections are priceless and Adam decided to share the artistic results with the world.

In the very short time with his Instagram account Adam has talked to people on every continent. These communications has made Adam realize there was more to what he was doing than just helping his family members. Needless to say, this has caused quite a shock.  His is a touching story you won't want to miss!

Listen to this episode, you'll find Adam's story interesting and compelling. You can find his Instagram account here.
Some Great Related Links
Creating Art as Therapy for Alzheimer's

Another Mind Stimulating Activity for People with Alzheimer's

 

Buy Two-Lap Books Here!

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Two Lap Books – A Great Way To Connect!
Two-Lap Books are Read-Aloud Books for Memory-Challenged Adults,  People with Alzheimer's disease (and other forms of memory impairment) gradually lose their ability to initiate communication with others. Because of this Lydia designed these uniquely adapted books to “give voice” to them. By using the book's large, simple text and colorful illustrations we can initiate conversation.  Most noteworthy, reading books together can make meaningful connections with our loved ones and help stimulate their minds.  Because of this, caregivers will enjoy sharing these books and creating purposeful, interactive activities for engaging people with memory deficits.
For that reason, in this episode, I have a conversation with the author Lydia Burdick. We discussed these wonderful books and the inspiration behind their creation.  I purchased two of her books and took them on a visit with Mom.

Reading the book together gave us the opportunity to laugh, talk about likes and dislikes, and even sing a little.  As a result, our visit was one of the better ones in a long time.

By sharing the books with two other residents made them as happy as it did Mom. All three ladies enjoyed the beautiful illustrations and relatable scenarios. Because each resident has their own level of reading ability they were able to read on their own. Regardless, reading together gave all three got a tremendous amount of pleasure from the books. I highly recommend these books for anyone dealing with a loved one with memory loss.

I have included a direct link to Lydia's Amazon page for your convenience.

 

The Benefit of Reading to Seniors

What's Going on in Their Minds Ep. 13

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One of the biggest challenges to caring for someone living with Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia is trying to figure out what's going on in their mind. They don't understand what's happening so they can't help us understand what they need. Not being able to communicate their needs causes fear or anxiety. Hopefully, today's conversation with Laurie will help us understand a bit better.  Laurie Gunter Mantz is the founder and CEO of Dementia Training for Life. She is also an Occupational Therapist, Educator and Certified Dementia Care Practitioner, Trainer, and Care Manager.  Dealing with both grandmothers in their challenges with dementia gives Laurie a personal insight into what we're all dealing with.

Our conversation went to many places and despite some technical challenges, I feel this conversation is an important one for my listeners to hear. Interviewing Laurie before I launched Fading Memories would have been fantastic for all of us. That's how important our conversation was.

Some of the things we discussed include identifying behaviors and determining why they are happening.  Laurie strongly encourages anyone who is showing signs of cognitive impairment to get a full diagnosis. In our conversation, she tells the story of a man who was misdiagnosed and how that impacted his life. We discussed what to do as our loved ones progress with their disease and much more.

Sometimes my podcast conversations get a personal but I feel like that's okay. Learning through my struggles, or anyone else's struggles can help us all.  Here's hoping you get as much from this conversation as I did. I'm pretty sure you will.

Laurie's website

Effective Care Transitions for those living with dementia

 

Related Episode

Visiting With Mom

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