Dr. Sandra Risoldi is the mother of 2 beautiful children and has a passion for advocacy, safety, and educating healthcare workers. “Throughout my career, I have witnessed nurses being yelled at, hit, spit on, and even attacked for no reason. Over the past 10 years, it has grown to be a common issue no matter where I have worked or the state I have lived in. Whenever there would be a mean patient or unruly patient, I would volunteer to take them. After a while that was my assignment; thus, I rece...
Oct 13, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Helene Berger’s first book, Choosing Joy : Alzheimer’s: A Book of Hope , was inspired by the unanticipated positive results that her husband achieved after his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Helene refused to surrender to the implications of her husband’s diagnosis, choosing instead to inspire him to join her in making every moment they had together meaningful and precious. “No one is ever truly prepared for this role they did not choose,” Helene says. “Most of us tumble into caregiving without under...
Oct 05, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Jo Ellen Wilson graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 2009. She is board certified in both General Adult Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine (Consultation Liaison Psychiatry). Her current work includes a prospective cohort study, studying the prevalence and clinical relevance (depression, dementia) of delirium and catatonia in the critical care setting. “We know that delirium hits the brain pretty hard, so it may be possible that in the future there are different ways that...
Sep 29, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Rebecca Collin’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, then after he passed, her mother was too. Rebecca served as the primary caregiver for both – a role that left her financially, emotionally, and physically exhausted. Rebecca, a Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist, talks with Bobbi and Mike about the challenges of being a caregiver and offers some good tips on how to work with the nursing staff – not against. “The biggest thing is to make sure you have a power of attorney. If you a...
Sep 22, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Bobbi and Mike talk with Mary Daniel about becoming a dishwasher for a memory care facility, as it allows her to spend time with her husband even as family visits have been restricted. "It's incredibly sad to see that these patients are significantly declining because they are isolated," she said. "We are isolating these patients to save them, but the isolation is killing them." “I'm thrilled that I'm there, but there are so many like my husband Steve, so I started a Facebook page called Caregiv...
Sep 15, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Dr. Vivian Stamatopoulos is an Associate Teaching Professor at Ontario Tech University who specializes in unpaid family caregiving. She talks with Bobbi and Mike about how Canadian officials have failed to adequately balance the risks of isolation against the risks of transmission. “Essential family caregivers can be easily trained in PPE use and other safety protocols. What cannot be easily reversed are the serious adverse effects of isolation and the demonstrated dangers that come with an abru...
Sep 08, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Carole Lieberman, M.D., M.P.H. is a board-certified Beverly Hills psychiatrist and an award-winning and bestselling author. She has appeared on Oprah, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News, HLN, ET, ABC, CBS, NBC, and many more. “The best antidote for combating caregiver guilt is thinking about the good times,” Carole said. “What helps is if you write down those positive memories, so that whenever your mind goes to all the coulda, shoulda, woulda…you just need to keep reading over ...
Sep 01, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Karen Johnson is a Certified Dementia Care Specialist. On this episode she talks with Bobbi and Mike about how to prepare to care for a loved one and the importance of not forgetting to take care of yourself. A caregiver's physical, emotional, and mental health is vital to the well-being of the person who has Dementia. To be a good caregiver, you must be good to yourself. Don't forget to subscribe, download, and review to share your thoughts about the show! To find out more about Bobbi and Mike ...
Aug 25, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Todays’ guest, Bruce Williams, is a semi-retired Mechanical/Biomedical Engineer, inventor, and full-time caregiver for his wife of 33 years Ann. Listen as Mike and Bobbiediscuss with Bruce his experiences caring for Ann, how they handle the feelings of isolation, and his battle not to be the second victim of the disease. “Happiness is fleeting as we know, and joy is longer term.” Bruce says. “We wanted, I wanted, to try to maintain the quality of life that she set up for herself as long as I pos...
Aug 18, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Bobbi and Mike talk with documentary film producer Joe Applebaum about The Clowder Group’s award-winning film, Gen Silent. The film explores the issue of aging in the LGBT community and features six homosexual seniors discussing the growing trend of going back in the closet so as to avoid discrimination in their golden years. “It is incredibly important, the need as you age, to have a support group.” Joe says. “I'm sure that you will agree with me, but that's even more so in the LGBT community b...
Aug 11, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Bobbi and Mike talk with Dr. Tim Johnston, Senior Director of National Projects at SAGE, about the unique challenges that older LGBT adults face. Despite increasing advances in gay rights and acceptance, many aging members of the LGBT community struggle to find supportive senior living options. “LGBT folks are more likely to be supported by groups that we call chosen family so folks that aren't biological or legal relatives.”, says Johnston, “…but creating a care plan that involves LGBT people w...
Aug 04, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Bobbi and Mike discuss with Kay Bransford – Founder and CEO of MemoryBanc – how caregiving can be emotionally and physically challenging, but also a rewarding, selfless act. However, it shouldn’t come at the expense of your own financial health and well-being. The lesson here for caregivers is to start planning now for your own future care. Kay has spent the last seven years helping seniors and other adults organize and manage a myriad of details and accounts related to their personal, financial...
Jul 28, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Join Bobbi & Mike as they speak with Certified Caregiving Consultant and Educator, Saskia de Quaasteniet, about the importance of caring for yourself while caring for a loved one. Saskia provides coping strategies, tools and resources that help caregivers find relief from personal resentment, guilt and stress that may lead to burnout during the caregiving journey. Don't forget to subscribe, download, and review to share your thoughts about the show! To find out more about Bobbi and Mike or t...
Jul 21, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Bobbi & Mike speak with Dr. Warren Hebert, CEO of the HomeCare Association of Louisiana, a nursing professor, and a home health nurse of over 30 years. Warren notes that “the family caregiving journey is filled with hard changes, sometimes long in duration, and heavy in relationship stewardship. Being intentional about a slow approach, savoring the moments in the caregiving experience, can offer a deeper appreciation of the gifts, in the sacred space we call home.” Don't forget to subscribe,...
Jul 14, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Join Bobbi & Mike as they talk with Gregor Collins, author of “The Accidental Caregiver”, about his life-changing experience of caring for Holocaust refugee, Maria Altmann. Starting his career in Los Angeles producing reality TV, Gregor eventually shifted gears to acting, performing on stage, on television, and in independent feature films. His writing and acting have been featured in The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Publishers Weekly, Cinema Editor Magazine and many oth...
Jul 08, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Join Bobbi and Mike as they talk with Dr. Chrisanne Gordon, founder of Resurrecting Lives, about the connection between Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Dementia. Dr. Gordon’s organization provides a national networking community to assist the nearly 450,000 veterans currently affected by TBI. Over the past 30 years, research has linked moderate and severe traumatic brain injury to a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia years after a head injury occurs. Don’t forget...
Jun 30, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Today's guest, Loren Gelberg-Goff, LCSW, guides caregivers to take as excellent care of themselves as they do of the others in their lives. Listen as Mike & Bobbi discuss with Loren what it takes to balance work and family life. Loren believes self-worth comes from within and can be achieved by learning how to nurture, respect, and fully care for oneself. Don't forget to subscribe, download, and review to share your thoughts about the show! To find out more about Bobbi and Mike or the inspir...
Jun 23, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 33
This episode, Mike and Bobbi discuss with Gail Weatherill – author, RN, BSN, CAEd – how, when caring for someone with dementia, your own mental stability can be the single most critical factor in your loved one’s quality of life. Gail has been specializing in the care of people with dementia and their families for over twenty years. Her irreverent approach to the health care machine makes her an effective and sought out advocate for those in deepest need. Don't forget to subscribe, download, and...
Jun 16, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 32
\This episode’s guest is Dr. Melanie Chadwick, a gerontological nurse practitioner, from the Georgetown University Memory Disorders Program. Dr Chadwick talks with Bobbi & Mike about the innovative research and clinical studies that she’s working on at GU. “The benefits of the clinical trial,” Dr Chadwick says, “really do outweigh the risks of participation, so you have a chance to play a more active role in your own healthcare and can gain access to potential treatments that wouldn't be wid...
Jun 09, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Billie Smith – Executive Director for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs - talks with Bobbi and Mike about how dogs are an antidote to depression – and an easy pill to take. Life in a long-term care facility can be lonely and boring and a visit from a therapy dog can break the daily routine and stimulate the mind in dramatic ways. “It is not only very important for the people who we go and visit, because they do love seeing younger people there, it's also important to teach the kids that volunteering ...
Jun 02, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Today's guest, Jay Allen, went viral after releasing a song he wrote for his mother who passed away at age 54 from early-onset Alzheimer’s titled, “Blank Stares”. Listen as Mike and Bobbie discuss with Jay his emotional story and how he came to write the song. “One morning” Jay said, “I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that even though my mom looked at me with a blank stare — and even though he knew her memory was fading — she was still in there and still loved me”. Since the song’s incepti...
May 26, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Today's guest, Teepa Snow, is an occupational therapist with forty years of clinical practice experience and is one of the world’s leading educators on dementia care. Listen as Mike and Bobbie discuss with Teepa her philosophy for living well with dementia by focusing on the interpersonal dynamics of coping with a loved one who has an ever-changing brain. “People are precious and in the right setting can shine,” Snow said. “We’re not losing the person; they’re still there but we need to modify o...
May 19, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Anne Tumlinson – CEO of ATI Advisory and founder of Daughterhood.org - talks with Bobbi and Mike about her experiences coaching women and men to insist on excellent care and a meaningful experience for their parents. “Taking care of frail, old people is really complicated. You feel like you need a social work, business, law and medical degree to even understand what you need to know.” Anne Tumlinson has spent the last two decades working on improving how America cares for its frailest, most vuln...
May 12, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Today's guest, Shirley Riga, is the author of Tools for the Exceptional Parent of a Chronically-Ill Child as well as a licensed instructor of Dr. Susan Jeffers’ Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway® workshops Listen as Mike and Bobbie discuss with Shirley how to understand and deal with your feeling of being overwhelmed by the responsibilities and demands of your caregiving journey. Her goal is to help caregivers cope with their daily lives while maintaining a connection with themselves in the process...
May 05, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Around 220,000 people have the young-onset form of Alzheimer’s, having developed symptoms of the disease when they are between 30 and 60 years old. In this episode Bobbi and Mike talk with Carlene Altom – The founder of the Early-onset/Young Alzheimer’s Female Spouses Caregiver Support Group – about early onset dementia, what it is like caring for her husband Patrick – diagnosed in 2017 - and the unique challenges people with young-onset Alzheimer's disease face. “When I tried to get Patrick dia...
Apr 28, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Award-winning freelance journalist Julie Halpert talks with Bobbi and Mike about her NY Times article that explored the many unique challenges that dementia caregivers are facing during the Coronavirus crisis. “While the disease itself does not necessarily place patients at high risk for contracting the virus, they and their caregivers face a range of special challenges. Dementia patients are typically very sensitive to changes in routine and often require a great deal of hands-on care, both fac...
Apr 21, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 24
In this episode Bobbi and Mike talk with Jane King - lead for the Dementia Friendly Alexandria, VA initiative – about the need to ensure that communities across the U.S. are equipped to support people living with dementia and their caregivers. Dementia Friendly Alexandria educates and inspires Alexandria organizations and residents to respond more confidently to the needs of someone with dementia regardless of their relationship to that person. It is affiliated with Dementia Friendly America (DF...
Apr 14, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Today's guest, Bonnie Elliott, infuses her passion for people and their well-being into helping families connect with optimal senior care solutions. Listen as MIke and Bobbi discuss with Bonnie the pitfalls of making an inappropriate care choice and the countless ways a senior thrives in a living situation matched to their unique requirements. Don't forget to subscribe, download and review to share your thoughts about the show! To find out more about Bobbi and Mike or the inspiration behind this...
Apr 09, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 22
New York Times bestselling author, 5-time Bram Stoker Award winner, and comic book writer Jonathan Maberry talks with Bobbi and Mike about the choice he and his his wife made to care - over many years - for his Dementia stricken father. Their discussion ranges from revealing that in one of his novels he gave Dementia characteristics to its zombie characters, to the emotional challenges that emerge in caring for a loved one who had been abusive as a parent. Don't forget to subscribe, download and...
Apr 01, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Today's guest, Pat Wagner, was the facilitator of an Alzheimer Caregiver Support Group for over 15 years in Defiance, Ohio. Listen as Mike and Bobbie discuss with Pat how she helped care for both her father and mother at home and then became the group facilitator for the Alzheimer Caregiver Group. “People need to realize that they don’t have to walk this walk alone, there is so much out there to help in so many ways.” Don't forget to subscribe, download and review to share your thoughts about th...
Mar 24, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 20
