Month: March 2020

You Are The Expert with The Dementia Nurse

You Are The Expert with The Dementia Nurse

When it comes to caring for your loved one, do you feel like you are the expert? Do you ever feel like the medical profession has no idea how to handle a person living with Alzheimer’s? Have you had to educate doctors, nurses, and every medical professional you encounter?

What’s been your experience after you’ve politely tried to help them help your loved one?  If you’re like me, it hasn’t been a great experience. Navigating our health care, caring for someone with a serious diagnosis, and then being treated at best like the patients' personal driver is enough to make us want to quit dealing with the health care system altogether.

We know we can’t, so what alternatives can we take that won’t make the situation worse? How can we get the care for our loved one while also maintaining a professional relationship with their doctor?

My conversation with Gail Westerhill on this topic will inform and delight you. She will teach you with great wit & wisdom why You Are The Expert (on your loved one).

Health Care Advocacy for Seniors episode
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I share more about my journey with Mom, stuff that's going on in my own life and most importantly, cute dog photos and videos.
Also, check out our new YouTube channel where you can see us in action!

Coping for Caregivers in a Covid-19 World

Coping for Caregivers in a Covid-19 World

Covid-19 has upended our world. As if Alzheimer's weren't bad enough, now we have to contend with more uncertainties than ever! I thought it would be helpful to check in with past guests, see how they're coping and get tips to share.

This bonus episode check-in was with Susan Straley the author of “Alzheimer's Trippin' With George”. Her husband is no longer with us but we discussed how she would have handled his needs in this crazy time. Certainly, some of her ideas will be ones you can implement.

Even when this crazy time of sheltering-in-place and social distancing is over, these techniques will still be relevant. Caregivers need as many strategies as possible whether it's normal day-to-day caring or caring during this Covid-19 crisis.

Useful Episode on Caregiver Stress-Reducing Techniques (they worked!)
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By all means, share this podcast with other caregivers!  You can find us on social media at the following links.  Facebook    Instagram    Twitter
I share more about my journey with Mom, stuff that's going on in my own life and most importantly, cute dog photos and videos.
Also, check out our new YouTube channel where you can see us in action!

Food As Medicine? Dawn Renee’s Caregiving Experiences

Food As Medicine? Dawn Renee’s Caregiving Experiences

Can we use food as a medicine?  My guest, Dawn Renee has a compelling story of self-care & recovery. After a debilitating month in bed and a lifetime of chronic illnesses, Dawn believes you can. She has spent the past decade learning from others while assisting them with their daily health issues. Their experiences demonstrate that nutritional support and detoxing the body are crucial to maintaining good health.  

Dawn Renee is currently devoted to the care of a woman with stage 4 ALS. Focused care for someone navigating so many obstacles has provided challenges for learning. As a result, she has gained an intimate understanding of how nutritional support affects us, our health and our cognitive well being.

Suggestions from Dawn (some of these I've also found to help my brain sharpness);

Eating eggs help rebuild the brain barrier myelin and nerve support.

Omega-3 fatty acids – also known as healthy fats are important for overall health.

Consider probiotics for improved gut health. There is research showing a “leaky” gut causes all sorts of problems.

Drink lots of water. It won't “rust your insides” as my Mom used to say. The worst thing that can happen (unless you REALLY overdo it) is you'll be well acquainted with all the bathrooms near you!

The Mind Diet – A Detailed Guide for Beginners

Tea & Brain Health

This Is Your Brain on Nutrition
Join Fading Memories On Social Media!
By all means, share this podcast with other caregivers!  You can find us on social media at the following links.  Facebook    Instagram    Twitter
I share more about my journey with Mom, stuff that's going on in my own life and most importantly, cute dog photos and videos.
Also, check out our new YouTube channel where you can see us in action!

Caregiver Stress Reduction Techniques

Caregiver Stress Reduction Techniques

A caregiver's journey is not an easy one. There's stress, frustration, sadness, even anger. There are many ways to cope with these feelings, some good, some not so good. Learning mindfulness from my guest helped me tremendously. Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Tune in to learn how mindfulness can help you with your caregiver stress reduction.

Family Caregiving Blueprint

Family Caregiving Blueprint

When Cindy's Dad threw up the white flag & asked his kids to find a care home for their Mom, the entire family stepped up and formed a family caregiving committee. This podcast episode is a conversation with Cindy and her son Cory about the loved ones the committee has and is currently caring for.

Visiting With Mom (Jen’s Journey)

Visiting With Mom (Jen’s Journey)

Visiting Mom, trying to connect and give her pleasant times is a bigger challenge than I ever expected. Trying to connect with her and failing, researching better options and coming up short was the impetus for creating this podcast.

Not only did I realize that family caregivers didn't have time to do such in-depth research, I knew that a podcast would be an easy way to get support. It's what I looked for and not finding it, I created it myself.

Equally important, I want to dedicate this episode to the two women I met at WerkIt, the podcast festival I attended in October 2019. It was their idea to dedicate an episode to what visits with my Mom are like. At first, I thought they were nuts. Of course, the more I thought about, the more I realized the potential benefits.

For the most part, Mom has been fairly easy, but that doesn't make visits easy. Finding things to do that work for both of us has been a challenge. Overall, I have had to learn to be in Moms' reality. That's easier said than done. I thought I was doing this but just recently I've found a better way to do this.

Enjoy this episode. There are actual examples of what our visits are like, the good, the bad and how I'm moving forward now that Mom is giving us more challenges.

Thank you to my sponsor Family History Films
Join Fading Memories On Social Media!
By all means, share this podcast with other caregivers!  You can find us on social media at the following links.  Facebook    Instagram    Twitter

I share more about my journey with Mom, stuff that's going on in my own life and most importantly, cute dog photos and videos.

Also, check out our new YouTube channel where you can see us in action!

Misty Tales Episode

What Do You Remember?