Episodes
From the heart of downtown Seattle, Washington, Skyline's Associate Executive Director Brooke Kasten and Suzanne talk about the Skyline senior living community. Skyline offers comprehensive care options including orthopedic and stroke rehabilitation, assisted living and memory support. From resort-quality amenities to jaw-dropping rooftop deck views to well-appointed apartment homes and gourmet dining venues, every element of the Seattle senior living community comes together to create an unforgettable retirement lifestyle. Skyline is located at 725 9th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104. Arrange a ...
Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about her new series of gift-giving tips videos, which will be posted this month at the Senior Resource YouTube site. The first four videos:* Print items – Mirador magazine, Nana's Books, Reminisce Books* Free gifts – phone calls, cards, driving, * Technology for the total care team – GrandPad, RecallCue, Map Habit* A little money, a little time – Make an extra meal, work on a hobby together, go out for coffee or a meal Find the videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@SeniorResource The products Lori mentions can be found on Dementia ...
Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about caregiver happiness over the holidays. This segment focuses on ways we can give a little happiness to those who are caring for a loved one. Lori says, "There's a lot of different stories out there from so many different angles, from people sending flowers or cards on a regular basis. Instead of getting a bill in the mail, you get something sweet and funny. That just kind of lifts you up. There are some actual caregiver cards. I don't know who makes them, but I bought some at one time and I've sent them all out, but they were ju...
Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to share stories about how to find caregiver happiness over the holidays. Suzanne shared a story. "When I met my husband, I'd been caring for my mom. And one of the things that I hadn't realized until I met him was that I'd forgotten how to laugh. I didn't have a lot of joy or laughter or lightness in my life. I had nothing but this heavy, heavy burden, and you just learn to live with it. And so, when a family reached out to me before the holidays, I told them, 'Whether they're a family member or a close friend of a caregiver, there's one si...
Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about caregiver happiness over the holidays. Suzanne says, "There are so many things that a family caregiver goes through. Think about the world out there, think about how you are just seeing people coming and going, and yet there is that individual that not only is trying to make a happy holiday season for their family and their immediate family, they might have children at home. But if you're caring for a loved one, a senior loved one or a spouse, there's this whole new element of, not only do I feel the pressure for myself, but ho...
Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk how to give thanks to family caregivers on this Thanksgiving weekend, who put their lives on hold to take care of a senior loved one. Lori says, "Sometimes I think it's not even a formal thank you. And so a phone call or a card that just says I'm thinking of you, I'm praying for you. I love you. And then throw an offer out there. You want to go to a movie, you wanna go out to dinner, here's a gift card for a massage. I mean, there's so many different ways to do it. But I think those personal phone calls can really lift somebody up. Y...
Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about family caregiver statistics on Thanksgiving weekend. There are close to 60 million family caregivers in the United States. One in five provide unpaid care, 64% are women, 50% spend an average of 20 hours per week in caregiving, while 20% spend an average of 50 hours per week in caregiving. Family caregivers are involved in 80% of major decisions, and 75% are the primary Power of Attorney in financial, legal, and healthcare matters. Lori says, "People don't realize the cost and where it all draws from. Some caregivers move into ...
Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about the impact of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter on family caregiving. Carter, who passed away on November 19, founded the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers in 1987. Rosalynn Carter said, "There are only four kinds of people in this world, those who have been caregivers, those that are caregivers, those who will be caregivers or those who will need caregivers." This month, we have been celebrating and acknowledging, and most importantly, thanking those that are taking care of loved ones. Rosalynn Carter really raised awar...
Courtesy of Era Living, Suzanne is joined by Stefanie Starkovich, Executive Director of the UW Retirement Association. The association is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, powered by dues-paying members and member-volunteers, and supported by the University of Washington. Stefanie talks about what's available in this organization to enrich retired seniors. Stefanie says, "We really serve the diverse community of retired faculty and staff of the university. So, right now, that's about 10,000 living individuals. And it really runs the spectrum from faculty who taught at the university, t...
Courtesy of Era Living, Suzanne is joined by Professor Basia Belza from the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging, part of the University of Washington School of Nursing. Dr. Belza says, "The mission of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging is to advance the science and the practice of healthy aging through the support of innovations and research, education and practice. And the center was initially endowed by Dr. Riba de Tornyay, who's one of our former deans at the University of Washington School of Nursing. And her husband Rudy Reba was a trailblazer when it comes to nursing as well as g...
June Sekiguchi, one of three art curators for Era Living, joins Suzanne to talk about art and how it plays into seniors and senior living. June is an arts organizer, practicing studio artist, and independent curator for Era Living. As a founding member of the artEAST Art Center, a visual arts non-profit organization and currently is collaborating with three artists to open an exhibition space for experimental 3-D works in all media with a focus on regional, national, and international artist exchanges. June has led organizational efforts for national and international art exhibition exchang...
Courtesy of Era Living, Emily Jones, executive director of NEST – North East Seattle Together, joins Suzanne to talk about connections. NEST is a virtual community connecting members with each other and with resources to age successfully in the place they call home. It's a 501(c)(3) non-profit grassroots community founded in 2009. NEST makes it easier for people to connect in the ways that they want to connect, whether for social activities or a hand around the house. Emily says, "NEST stands for North East Seattle Together. It's a grassroots organization that was founded in 2009 by a group...
Flanna says, "A lot of people don't know really what home care services are, and sometimes they get kind of mixed up with home health. Home care services are non-medical services that we provide to people in their home, and we call them activities of daily living. So that's like hygiene dressing, taking a shower, moving around your home, maybe bed mobility, repositioning, things like that. And home health is actually services provided by a licensed practical or registered nurse that are medical in nature, like wound care care, they might come in and provide one type of task. And so the type...
Flanna Perkins, CEO of Fedelta Home Care in Seattle & Portland, Oregon, joins Suzanne to talk about caregivers getting extra assistance from home care, a wonderful way to improve the lives of both the caregiver and the senior. Suzanne says, "A caregiver isn't supposed to be a sacrificial lamb. They are supposed to be an advocate, and I think that's a mind shift. It's an ability to understand that you're a facilitator, and it's still about your loved one's life. And I think that's one of the things that we forget. I know, I forgot that point while caregiving." Flanna replies, "One thing I se...
Flanna Perkins, CEO of Fedelta Home Care in Seattle & Portland, Oregon, joins Suzanne to talk about caregivers getting extra assistance. Fedelta provides companionship care, respite care, post hospital care, daily living assistance, long-term care, end of life comfort & care, and personal care. Flanna says, "There are two types of caregivers. There's what we would call the informal caregiver. Suzanne, you were the informal caregiver for your mother: you were providing care for her, it was unpaid, you were doing it because she was your mom, out of the kindness of your heart. And then there a...
Kitty Norton, creator and producer of ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne to talk more about her caregivers documentary. She describes where you can watch the movie, shares feedback she's gotten from various screenings, and updates us on the status of the film. Kitty says, "We're finishing up the last of our film festivals this weekend. But because this is National Family Caregiver Month and this is our public roll out, we've got a lot of in-person screenings coming up. There's three in New Jersey later in the month. We have a one in Dallas at the very end of the month. We have one...
Kitty Norton, creator and producer of ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne to share three tips for caring for a loved one. Kitty says, "Number one is community. And if people are disappearing on you in this dementia journey, on you and your dementia person, then go elsewhere, find them elsewhere. Get on the forums. Alzheimer's Association has a great forum, Alz Connect, our society in England has a great forum. A lot of support groups have gone permanently online now because of the pandemic. The daughterhood, they have support virtual support groups you can sign up for, see if you l...
Kitty Norton, creator and producer of ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne to talk more about the origins of her caregivers documentary. Kitty says, "I started a blog in 2018 and mom died in 2021. And during that time, we had kind of built this community around people who also were using humor to try and get through that, and acknowledging all the feels, not allowing the stigma and the guilt to be a part of the journey too much. You can't block it all together... Five people in particular in this journey became very, very important to me as virtual support. Everybody who followed th...
Kitty Norton, creator and producer of the caregivers documentary feature ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne. Kitty shared, "I am the eldest daughter of Gloria and Gary Norton. I have a younger sister. My family always had a very wry, self-deprecating sense of humor. It's always been my saving grace in really difficult situations. When my mother was first diagnosed with vascular dementia, that was back in 2010. And my dad had decided that he would be her primary caregiver and he was very adamant about that. And my father was also kind of very insular. So even though mom had a big f...
As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to continue the discussion about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years of health ahead of them or already need more support, Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years provides the framework and information you need to prepare for and handle with confidence th...
As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to continue the discussion about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years of health ahead of them or already need more support, Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years provides the framework and information you need to prepare for and handle with confidence th...
As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to continue the discussion about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years of health ahead of them or already need more support, Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years provides the framework and information you need to prepare for and handle with confidence th...
As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to talk about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years of health ahead of them or already need more support, Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years provides the framework and information you need to prepare for and handle with confidence the changes to come. ...
Lori La Bey, Alzheimer's Speaks host, joins Suzanne to talk about the Noble Swan, an Answers for Elders initiative to help support family caregivers. Suzanne explains the metaphor of the noble swan for caregivers. "The most noble thing you can do is care for someone else. I thought about it a long time, and I thought we need some sort of an icon, that every time you see that icon, it would honor that person, that you get it, the life that they live, that you share that with that other person "A swan glides across the glassy lake, right? You don't see anything else but this graceful beauty o...
Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about what caregivers need most. Lori says they need to be understood, appreciated, supported, not feel alone, and have choice and a voice in how we move forward. Suzanne described a welcome experience. "I had friends that would ask, how can we help, Suzanne? And I was so overwhelmed, I'd say, 'oh, I'm fine,' or I would do this and I didn't even think about it. After probably like three years into caring for my mom, I had two girlfriends show up at my doorstep, and they said, 'We're the Joy Committee. We've hired a caregiver for you ...
Lori La Bey, Alzheimer's Speaks host, joins Suzanne. In this segment, Lori asks Suzanne about her experiences as a caregiver and founder of Answers for Elders. Suzanne says, "I was a family caregiver, taking care of my mother for the last six years of her life. I don't consider myself a stupid human being, but I had no clue what I was dealing with. There was terminology being used. I didn't even know there were caregiving agencies out there that could care for my loved one. There's no school out there that teaches you what you're supposed to know. "One of the things that was so stressful f...
Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about family caregivers and how we can help support them. There are about 70 million adult family caregivers in the USA, and they spend an average of 20 hours caring for someone else each week. Many of them spend more than 40 hours a week. They allow the rest of the family to go on with their everyday lives. They make sacrifices, they hit roadblocks, they are overwhelmed, they're stressed out, and they're trying to juggle caregiving, their career, and their family. Lori says, "I just came from two support groups that I do today, and ...
Florence Klein, author of "Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer," joins Suzanne to talk about how she's been able throughout her life to overcome fear and intimidation, lead an inspirational life, and be courageous. Florence says, "I've been blessed with good health and that's a blessing. So I appreciate that and I'm very thankful for that. Also, I'm always looking forward and I don't look back, and so that is important. I want to make a difference, and I feel that I'm on this world now, and I'm able to, and I want to help." "Courage is a trait that we all could use mor...
Octogenarian Florence Klein, author of "Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer," joins Suzanne, talking about ageism and about being "old." Florence says, “What is the meaning of old? "Oh, you're old." I have always felt that the word old when referring to someone who is of a certain age, starts very young. I never considered my grand mom Ida old. Yes, I was aware that she was older than me. However, I never thought of her as incapable, or incompetent to take charge of her life. She was an active woman, and we often blurred out the word "old" carelessly, not at all realiz...
Octogenarian Florence Klein, author of "Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer," joins Suzanne. Florence was one of Philadelphia's first women stockbrokers, and the first woman real estate developer in America to renovate old factory buildings into historic condos. She volunteered in one of America's highest-security prisons, and started one of the first websites to help seniors in need. She talks about marketing her memoir as her sixth career. Florence says, "I've always looked ahead 10 years or more, and I never look behind because you can't go back. For me, it's always...