Episodes
Everyone wants to plan ahead. Sometimes you have a parent trying to prevent a crisis, but if something happens, you want to be prepared. Though life care professionals like to help people prevent a crisis, helping families navigate a crisis is the nature of their work. Lisa Mayfield, CEO and founder of Aging Wisdom, joins Suzanne to talk about how life care professionals help. Lisa says, "I think the first thing is knowing that there are people like us. And even though we love to help people prevent crisis, crisis is really the nature of our work. So that's what we're doing, day in and day ...
Family members may spot changes in how a senior loved one starts behaving. Some are natural for age progression, while others could mean that they might need medical care or assistance. Aging life care professional Lisa Mayfield, CEO and founder of Aging Wisdom, joins Suzanne to list some of the top signs of uncharacteristic behaviors to keep in kind when visiting senior loved ones. 1) Changes in mail management: You'll see mail start piling up on the table. "When your memory is changing, you can't look through mail and [tell junk mail from] the electric bill. So the mail just piles up. The...
Lisa Mayfield, CEO and founder of Aging Wisdom, joins Suzanne to talk about how aging life care professionals consult with individuals and families who are navigating changes in health and memory. Lisa says, "The main thing we're doing with people that are planning ahead is teaching them the lay of the land. What does it look like if you stay at home, what's available? What do those resources look like? What does it cost? Where do you find those people? And then if you were to move, what's assisted living, what's memory care? What's a continuing care retirement community? Helping people und...
Geriatric care managers are essential advocates for navigating the path for senior loved ones with medical or mobility challenges. A geriatric care manager or aging life care professional consults with individuals and families who are navigating changes in health and memory. People are doing this work across the country to help navigate the complicated, overwhelming, confusing system that is long term care choices and memory changes, and what do people do while amid these changes. Lisa Mayfield, CEO and founder of Aging Wisdom, joins Suzanne to talk about how these consultants advocate for ...
As you're listening, or watching on YouTube, sit up straight because we're going to talk about posture. Posture plays into overall health and our digestive system. It also lifts us up right, both emotionally and physically, there's so many things that posture plays into overall health. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about how good posture can improve our health, particularly as we age. Dr. Shawn says, "If you look at people over 70 you might see the effects. Maybe they're slouched over, they're significantly rounded over. It takes years to get that way. That's why it's so important ...
As we age, sometimes we forget about a very important aspect of our health: our oral health. Once we get in our fifties and sixties, some of us think, it is what it is. It's expensive; senior on fixed incomes put tooth care last. But as we age, our teeth need more attention. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about how oral health factors into overall health. Dr. Shawn says, "Your mouth has its own kind of ecosystem and it really does affect your overall health. It's kind of the start of the whole gut canal, and there's a lot of indicators for that. People might be grossed out by this, b...
Practical takeaways from global studies aim to reduce our risk for developing Alzheimer's and dementia. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk more how to apply these recommendations to our everyday lives. One 20-week lifestyle plan was developed by the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention Intervention and Care. The plan has four components that focus on diet, exercise, stress management, and support groups. There's a 30% lower risk of developing cognitive impairment by changing to whole foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. Break down the diet to 1...
Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about Alzheimer's and dementia studies with an eye towards prevention. She discusses the FINGER survey (Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability) and ongoing global studies that study 12 modifiable risk factors: hypertension, smoking, type-2 diabetes, obesity, social isolation, alcohol, lessened cognitive activity, lower education levels, hearing loss, head injuries, lifestyle (physical activity and exercise), and air pollution. The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention Intervention and Care developed a 20-w...
How can families be supportive during a senior loved one's downsizing to senior living, and when is it time for Mom to let professionals take over? Rebecca Bomann, CEO of SASH Services (Sell a Senior's Home), joins Suzanne to advise families during downsizing. Sometime families help, and sometimes they get in the way and make it more complicated than it needs to be. Her three tips: Let mom take ownership of the move; let professionals be the bad guy; and validate mom's emotional journey. Let mom take ownership of the move. Rebecca says, "I really believe strongly that the more the senior ge...
What are the obstacles to downsizing, and how can we get past them? Rebecca Bomann, CEO of SASH Services (Sell a Senior's Home), joins Suzanne to address obstacles people face as well as their solutions. Rebecca says, "I've sat in hundreds and hundreds of living rooms over the years that I've been providing these services, and my clients articulate to me why they don't feel like they can move even though they really want to or need to. "One of them, and this is kind of a misperception, is they have the physical limitation of not being able to sort and pack their whole home. Of the hundreds ...
Rebecca Bomann, CEO of SASH Services (Sell a Senior's Home), joins Suzanne to talk about various options for downsizing and moving, including for those 55 and up, as well as the emotional journey of leaving the family home. Rebecca says, "Happily, there's so many options out there for seniors who are looking to downsize from their home, more and more living options, a greater variety of pricing options for people, amenities, activities. They're allowing pets more in these communities. There's a lot of open doors and opportunities. So it doesn't feel like clients are looking at kind of a bar...
Rebecca Bomann, CEO of SASH Services (Sell a Senior's Home), joins Suzanne to expose two myths: 1) You can only sell your home successfully at certain times of the year, and 2) All real estate brokers are the same. Rebecca says, "One thing we can count on in the market is, it never stops changing week to week, month to month, higher interest rates, lower, more buyers, fewer buyers, longer days on market, hot market, cold market. What I always tell clients is, don't worry about the market. If your home is presented the right way, and it's priced right, it will sell any month of the year. Peo...
Daphne Davis of Pinnacle Senior Placements joins Suzanne to offer tips for dealing with complex family dynamics of helping a struggling senior loved one. Be the son and daughter, don't try to parent your parent. Daphne says, "My first golden tip would be: if anyone has an opinion, or wants to be a part of a process, or will have a thought about what should happen with mom and dad, they need to be involved in gathering the information from the very beginning. Everyone needs to hear the conversations, everyone needs to get the printed matter. Even if they say 'I trust you, you take care of it...
A senior loved one has had a hospital stay, and now they want to go home. Or their insurance is running out and they need to return home to recuperate. What are their options at home for care? While at the hospital, talk to a social worker about in-home care, which can supplement help from a spouse and other family members. Daphne Davis of Pinnacle Senior Placements talks about considering the various services available to families that Medicaid can pay for. Daphne says, "It happens all the time.Because mom or dad was at home already, and husband and wife were making this work, the natural ...
When do you start discussing having more care for mom and dad? Oftentimes, people wait too long. In this segment, Daphne Davis of Pinnacle Senior Placements offers the broad picture health analogy of a three-legged stool: hydration, medication, and nutrition, which balance fine so long as all three are done well. Daphne gives us some warning signs that it may be time to have that dreaded conversation with a senior loved one that they could benefit from some assistance at home. Daphne says, "Are you finding a medication on the floor that's underneath the dining room table, because it just sl...
Daphne Davis joins Suzanne to talk about crossroads and transitions. One of the most difficult parts of aging with families is being unprepared for life's changes. When adult children realize that mom or dad may need some help, broaching the topic can be challenging. A longtime contributor to Answers for Elders, Daphne Davis is President of Pinnacle Senior Placements. Daphne says, "Post pandemic, what I'm seeing is that families are really trying hard to have their loved ones stay at home for as long as they possibly can. And I think that comes from a number of places. No one wants to leave...
This segment focuses on how various legal documents work together as part of your estate planning to make sure you're taken care of if anything happens that makes you incapacitated. Andrea Lee from Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about the pieces of a person's legal puzzle. Andrea says, "Estate planning is very much like a puzzle. And within that puzzle, there are so many different pieces that come together to create a picture, like a beautiful picture of that puzzle. And the problem is, frequently people might miss a piece or two of that puzzle. They think they've got the whol...
Andrea Lee from Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about issues individuals and families face in regards to incapacity. Incapacity planning is a broad area of law that covers how you are cared for if you become physically or mentally unable to care for yourself. The type of care could range from simple tasks like buying groceries, paying bills, and handling financial matters to more important decisions such as selling real estate, gifting assets to your children, or making critical medical decisions. Incapacity planning could include a number of techniques such as Property Powers ...
Skyline resident Kendall Clark Baker continues his conversation with Suzanne about living in Skyline's life care senior living community. In this segment, he talks about what happens on an average day, the variety of restaurants in the community, friendships, a chapel, programs, and support groups. On an average day, Kendall says, "Well, I wake up early and I have coffee that I prepare in my kitchen, and my own private, quiet time with my cat, just preparing myself for the day and being grateful and expressing that gratitude. And by the time I'm ready to move out, it's eight o'clock in the ...
Kendall Clark Baker continues his conversation with Suzanne about living in Skyline's life care senior living community. In this segment, Kendall talks about what he feels are the primary benefits of living here, its diversity, and its location. He also discusses his wife's developing illness, her move to assisted living, and the strong community support they received. Kendall says, "The primary benefit really are the relationships with new friends. I really think that's the core, that one is part of a genuine community and mostly for us, for everybody, of new friends, friends become a life...
Skyline resident Kendall Clark Baker joins Suzanne to provide a glimpse of residing in Skyline's life care senior living community. Baker was a charter member, who moved in when the facility was brand new 15 years ago. Why choose a life care community? Kendall says, "We, [my wife] Sonia and I, are both kind of planners. We plan ahead, and we learned from our parents, both positive and negative experiences in late years. I especially learned from observing other people over the years. I'm a pastor, a long-retired pastor, but I worked with a lot of people. Oftentimes people would say, 'our on...
CarePartners Cottages are secured campuses containing a small neighborhood of three or four apartments. These unique cottages are a great solution for many issues facing those with Alzheimer's and dementia, including sundowning and socialization. Tracy Helling at CarePartners Living talks about the company, their special spot in the area of senior living, and the benefits of the cottages. Tracy says, "We have four cottages at my cottage community. Inside these four cottages is this amazing four season discovery garden, heated sidewalks, patio heaters, patio mister. So we can optimize the am...
Tracy Helling at CarePartners Living shares three most important things to keep in mind during interactions with senior loved ones who have Alzheimer's and dementia. They can't make new memories, so correcting them and arguing with them just causes distress. Have a sense of humor when the unusual happens. And remember that every day is a new day – someone with Alzheimer's and dementia lives in the moment, so if they get angry with you, they won't carry that into tomorrow. CarePartners Living website Tracy Helling More podcasts with CarePartners CarePartners on Answers for Elders Check out...
Socialization and relationships are important for our mental health, and it's a core part of memory care at senior living communities. Mom or dad wants to be with peers as well as with family. Home care agencies are available to come in and provide assistance to seniors with activities of daily living. Tracy Helling at CarePartners Living joins Suzanne to talk about these factors for those with dementia and Alzheimer's. Tracy says, "The beautiful thing about moving your loved one, either from a home environment or from, say, an independent living or assisted living to a specialized memory ...
Tracy Helling at CarePartners Living joins Suzanne to talk about memory care. CarePartners has senior living communities in Washington and Arizona. She talks about the warning signs of dementia, comparing them with natural signs of aging. For instance, forgetting something in the microwave is common, but forgetting that microwaves aren't a good place to keep your keys is not. Forgetting someone's name is common, but forgetting their spouse's name is not. If you're afraid to leave them alone, if safety becomes a concern, the greatest thing you can give them is an elevated level of care: memo...
Probate is a court process to retitle assets. Probate is designed to create a “final accounting” upon death. It is the legal process of “proving up” a Will, or verifying that a Will is valid, takes place in one of two instances. First, if a person dies leaving behind a Will, or second, if the deceased has died intestate, that is, has not left behind a Will or estate plan of any type or the Will cannot be found. Estate planning attorney Steve Waltar with Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to give us a primer on probate. Steve says, "Probate is a Latin term that means 'to prove,' and it's e...
Although Joint Tenancy offers some short-term conveniences, in the long run it poses a host of problems that can cost you and your loved ones many times the expense and headaches you thought you were avoiding. Estate planning attorney Steve Waltar with Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about the difficulties of using joint tenancy while trying to plan your estate. Steve shares an example. "It's a stark story. The mom had already been through a probate, because her husband died, and so she wanted to avoid that. She did a will, listed her three children. That's fine. But the proble...
If you don't file estate planning documents, your state will do it for you, perhaps not the way you expect. Estate planning attorney Steve Waltar with Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about various options available when planning your estate, what happens when you list beneficiaries, generally how wills work, living wills, living trusts, and Medicaid planning. Steve says, "There's lots of benefits of proper estate planning. Avoid probate, that's very common. It's to protect your assets from creditors, or at least from your beneficiaries. Many people want to leave a legacy, they ...
Estate planning attorney Steve Waltar with Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about having an estate plan. Families run into gotcha moments where they discover a loved one hasn't files certain documents, or haven't made plans, and are left to second guess what they want. In this segment, Steve introduces the concept of estate planning and different types. Most people don't want it to be a curse, but a blessing, and it's about protecting yourself during your lifetime. Make sure your wishes are honored they way you want to be honored. What exactly is estate planning? Steve says, "I ...
Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about holistic care, why those over 55 should incorporate some of these practices, and share some of the most popular ones that can be done at home. Weiss provides balanced functional wellness education and coaching based on the the six pillars of health: exercise, stress, sleep, nutrition, gut health, and emotional health. Dr. Weiss starts by defining holistic care, saying, "By definition, it's really the ability to take care of your physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social health. And really just understanding the connectivity between all of...