EP 14 Getting the Best Care :: Margaret Fitzpatrick
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EP 14 Getting the Best Care :: Margaret Fitzpatrick

Too often, older patients are put on a healthcare conveyor belt, enduring tests, procedures and medications lhat offer few benefits. Caring for both of her parents as they aged into their 90’s showed Margaret the importance of establishing individual healthcare goals that reflect your values. That is the key to staying off of the healthcare conveyor belt.

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Ep 12 How to Manage the Effects of Dementia On Speech :: Dr. Roger Kreuz
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Ep 12 How to Manage the Effects of Dementia On Speech :: Dr. Roger Kreuz

Just as a physician would encourage people to keep moving, we would encourage people to keep writing and to keep reading to maintain their cognitive health. Dr. Kreuz is a professor & director of graduate studies at U of Memphis. He conducts research on discourse, pragmatics, & nonliteral language. His latest book is 'Changing Minds: How Aging Affects Language and How Language Affects Aging'.

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Ep 11 Creating Travel Opportunities :: Kathy Shoaf
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Ep 11 Creating Travel Opportunities :: Kathy Shoaf

Today's guest, Kathy Shoaf, creates vacations for caregivers and loved ones who have accessibility challenges and/or clinical issues that often stymie travel. Listen as MIke and Bobbie discuss with Kathy how she arranges cruises with fun, friendly activities from onboard entertainment to off-board excursions which enable caregivers -- along with their loved ones who have specific diagnoses such as Dementia/ Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and MS -- to have their "Bucket-List” dreams finally come true.

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EP 9 Researching a cure :: Dr. Philip McMillan
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EP 9 Researching a cure :: Dr. Philip McMillan

Every 65 seconds someone in the U.S. develops dementia and today's guest Dr. Philip McMillan founded the Dementia Crowd Research to find a solution. Listen as Bobbi and Mike discuss with Dr. McMillan how his research project is trying to give you the opportunity to become involved in finding a cure.

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EP 8 Caregiving, dementia and you :: Penny Patnaude
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EP 8 Caregiving, dementia and you :: Penny Patnaude

Bobbi & Mike discuss with Penny Patnaude - certified caregiving consultant - the coming tsunami of those who will need full-time care due to dementia, how to prepare for it, and the importance of treating your loved one with tenderness, patience and kindness as Dementia overwhelms them, and you.

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EP 6 Are you ready for your caregiving journey? :: Debra Howard
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EP 6 Are you ready for your caregiving journey? :: Debra Howard

Statistics show that only about 5% of families have taken the necessary steps to develop a fully thought-out care plan for their aging loved ones - it may be your parents, or your grandparents. Or your spouse or partner. Or a favorite aunt or uncle. Or even a close friend. For the vast majority, it takes a “trigger event” (a fall or diagnosis of illness such as cancer, Parkinson’s, dementia, Alzheimer’s, etc.) to force everyone to spring into action.

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EP 4 You can't control everything :: Dannelle LeBlanc
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EP 4 You can't control everything :: Dannelle LeBlanc

EP 4 Bobbi and Mike discuss how important it is to enable your loved one to maintain some feeling of independence and for you to realize that can't control all aspects of your loved one's life with this week's guest Dannelle LeBlanc, a Certified Senior Advisor and Caregiving Consultant.

Dannelle merges her experience as caregiver for her father-in-law with 20+ years in educational training and patient support services related to chronic illness with a focus on connecting caregivers to meaningful support resources. She continues to be motivated by the endurance and determination of people who care for the most vulnerable in our communities. You can learn more about Danellle and her company at www.CareGiverTransitions.com. And you can find her on twitter - @YouDeserveCare - as well as Facebook.

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EP 3 With caregiving comes a change in relationships :: With Debra Hallisey
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EP 3 With caregiving comes a change in relationships :: With Debra Hallisey

EP 3 Bobbi and Mike discuss how caregiving transforms the relationship with your loved one with this week's guest Debra Hallisey a Certified Caregiving Educator and Dementia Practitioner.  Caregiving changes the everyday lives of the caree, the caregiver, and their circle of loved ones. We are no longer just a child, a spouse, or a friend. And this means that our “relationship contract” with the caree must change. These “contracts” are most often unspoken, making it difficult for the people involved to identify their needs and responsibilities. 

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EP 1 Meet Bobbi and Mike
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EP 1 Meet Bobbi and Mike

EP 1 For more than seven years, they were the caregivers for Rodger, Mike’s ailing father. They quickly realized they were unaware and underprepared for the demands of caring for someone with dementia. But with more patience and compassion than either thought possible, they cared for Rodger’s every need, through to his finally days.

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