Answers For Elders Radio Network

Having a positive attitude makes a difference to our own healing and physical health. Lori Hutson joins Suzanne on behalf of Vitality Revolution podcast series gold sponsor Humana talking about physical and emotional wellness. Techniques include prayer, meditation, self-awareness, acceptance, self compassion, defining and setting clear goals and expectations, visualizing that you want health and wellness, healing, feeling good, and affirmations. Give ourselves grace. Find the things we have to be grateful for. Look for the diamonds in our lives. We have an opportunity to look for the things to be thankful for. We have choices in how we behave and how we feel, and we can find the positives. Laughter is important – laughter is healing, find things to laugh about, get yourself in that mindset. Bring joy and laughter to your life. Treat yourself the way we treat others – many times you'd never say something to someone else that you're saying to yourself. You can contact Lori through her website at L.J. Hudson Insurance LLC. Hear more of Lori's podcasts on Answers for Elders. Learn more about the overall Vitality Revolution podcast series and find more episodes about Physical Wellness and Emotional Wellness. Learn more about Answers for Elders, the North Star in Navigating Senior Care.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we identify resentments and work toward releasing them? Lori Hutson joins Suzanne on behalf of Vitality Revolution podcast series gold sponsor Humana to talk about physical and emotional wellness. This segment continues from Part 1, in which Suzanne and Lori described resentments they held onto for decades that influenced their lives. Today they talk about how they were able to let go of those grudges and forgive. Just realizing you're holding onto resentments helps — sometimes people don't even realize they're doing it. An outside person asking some questions can bring it out, and recognizing it is the first step. Lori suggests one way to adjust is to try looking at events from a different perspective, with empathy: have you thought about how the other person thinks? In Suzanne's case, she wasn't ready to deal with it when she went through counseling. It wasn't until she "got" it, realizing that the more she told the story, the only person it was hurting was her. We may have resentments towards siblings, parents, or others. Releasing of expectations is a solution. We're often expecting others to behave the same way we would, and that's not always the case. We have to let go of that. It can manifest itself in physical ways, so it's important to let these go. If you have these resentments, it often triggers other behavior, or contact with a person triggers those feelings. Lori adds, "If you have that resentment, and there's something that triggers it, maybe a place or whatever it is, to maybe work towards either — or maybe it's a person, there's a person that you interact with that is triggering those resentments — limit your contact with that person or just don't go to that place if there's a certain place that triggers that. Maybe work towards avoiding that as much as possible." Suzanne adds, "I wish for each and every one of you that are listening today to think about how you can release your attachment to things that have hurt you. I would love if you'd share that on social media, and think about ways that you can forgive. I know I'm gonna definitely share this one on my personal Facebook page. I think it's important that we all look at how we can have a better life moving forward and certainly forgiveness is a huge piece of it." You can contact Lori through her website at L.J. Hudson Insurance LLC. Hear more of Lori's podcasts on Answers for Elders. Learn more about the overall Vitality Revolution podcast series and find more episodes about Physical Wellness and Emotional Wellness. Learn more about Answers for Elders, the North Star in Navigating Senior Care.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These two segments focus on forgiveness, which doesn't right a wrong, but it does disconnect us from being a slave to the experience. The forgiveness is really for ourselves. Lori Hutson joins Suzanne on behalf of Vitality Revolution podcast series gold sponsor Humana, talking about physical and emotional wellness. If you're wondering to stay active and vibrant in the second half of your life, we hope you'll join us through this series. Lori, owner of L.J. Hudson Insurance LLC in Washington, talks about the wellness mindset promoted by Humana. In this segment, Suzanne and Lori describe resentments they held onto for decades that affected their lives. In part 2, they talk about how they were able to let go of those grudges and forgive. Suzanne shares a deeply personal experience that she doesn't normally talk about. When she was 22, a 14 year old skateboarder collided with her car while she was driving down a country road, and he died on impact. The sheriff sent her home, saying it wasn't her fault, but she was nonetheless distraught. Her mother was out of town, and when Suzanne called her on the phone and asked her to come home to help her deal with what had happened, she refused. Suzanne ended up harboring hurt, betrayal, anger, and resentment toward her mother for decades. Those feelings affected her life's outlook, in particular preventing her from being willing to trust and rely on others. It's a relief to learn how to let go of the expectations we have on others. Learning to communicate not only with others, but get in touch with your own stories that you tell yourself about your life. Lori shared a personal experience as well. “I'll share a story that I don't share very often, in even my close circle, about my kids' father. I had my kids really young. I really had a lot of things going on, and I really wanted this family, and I jumped into a relationship in my teens. I had my kids really young, and then he turned out to be a major drug addict. And so when my kids were 14 and 16, he tried to force them to do drugs with him. And of course I didn't know any of this was going on, and people that are on drugs, they can snow-job you. I thought he was clean. He was spending time with the kids, and come to find out he was pretty much forcing them into doing drugs or persuading them. My older son was 16 and he was at the point in his life where he could turn his back and say no. My younger son was 14, and he got into it, and that started a very long, eight-year battle for him. And he's doing fantastic now. "But it was a challenge every day. I wanted to hang their dad — I wanted to hang him up by his toenails. And I was just so angry, hurt, resentment and blame, and it was really easy for me to shift all the things that I needed to take responsibility for, and put those on him. So all my kids problems were his fault. And so it was a long process for me to go through that. And I think one of the things for me is acknowledging, I had to just acknowledge where I was, forgive myself, because I did the best I could, I didn't have a lot to work with, because of my childhood. So I had to forgive myself and then accept responsibility for the things that I did that were not.” Suzanne adds, " I think we hear things, like you can't change anybody else, you can only change yourself. The other thing I always think about is, life is nothing but a mirror of our consistent thoughts. And I truly believe this, we're gonna attract that type of energy towards us what we're putting out and, and in order to to have a fuller life, it's like banging the drum in your head, it doesn't make you attract the kind of people you wanna be...

Alzheimer's Speaks podcast host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about her new book ''Betty the Bald Chicken: Lessons in How to Care," which addresses the caregiver's journey, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana focusing this month on Emotional Wellness. The book was written for kids as a children's book, as a way for parents and grandparents to teach kids how to return empathy and learn how to better connect with people. Do we as a society have empathy for people who don't think the same way we do? How do we learn to forgive and move forward. Lori talks about CARE as the "Conscious Awakening of RElationships." Sometimes it's harder to accept care than to give care, yet we know how good it feels to help others. It makes us feel purposeful. Lori La Bey has partnered with Answers for Elders and joins Suzanne this hour to address the caregiver's journey. Lori's podcast has been recognized by the National Institute for Dementia Education 2020, Oprah as “Health Hero” for 2018, Recognized by AARP MN as a 2018 “Disruptor and an Inspiring & Accomplished Leader,” by Maria Shriver as an “Architect of Change” in 2016 and by Dr. Oz and Sharecare as the “#1 Influencer Online for Alzheimer’s” in 2012. Learn more about Lori La Bey, Alzheimer's Speaks, hear Alzheimer's Speaks podcasts, and hear more AFE podcasts with Lori La Bey. Get "Betty the Bald Chicken: Lessons in How to Care" on Amazon. Learn more about the overall Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana and listen to more episodes about Physical Wellness and Emotional Wellness. Learn more about Answers for Elders, the North Star in Navigating Senior Care. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever felt frustrated like the character Betty in "Betty the Bald Chicken: Lessons in How to Care?" How do you care for others when you feel down? Alzheimer's Speaks podcast host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne this hour to address the caregiver's journey, as part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana focusing this month on Emotional Wellness. Lori uses a breathing exercise, and on the inhale asks her higher power to provide what she needs in that moment, and on the exhale asks for all of the toxins in her mind, body, and soul to release. She says this re-centers your body, calms you, and helps. When feeling frustrated, suggests asking yourself, "what's the lesson wrapped inside this frustration that needs to be learned?" The answer might take minutes or days, but that answer helps calm and re-center yourself.. Lori La Bey has partnered with Answers for Elders and joins Suzanne this hour to address the caregiver's journey. Lori's podcast has been recognized by the National Institute for Dementia Education 2020, Oprah as “Health Hero” for 2018, Recognized by AARP MN as a 2018 “Disruptor and an Inspiring & Accomplished Leader,” by Maria Shriver as an “Architect of Change” in 2016 and by Dr. Oz and Sharecare as the “#1 Influencer Online for Alzheimer’s” in 2012. Learn more about Lori La Bey, Alzheimer's Speaks, hear Alzheimer's Speaks podcasts, and hear more AFE podcasts with Lori La Bey. Get "Betty the Bald Chicken: Lessons in How to Care" on Amazon. Learn more about the overall Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana and listen to more episodes about Physical Wellness and Emotional Wellness. Learn more about Answers for Elders, the North Star in Navigating Senior Care. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's Speaks podcast host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about how her book ''Betty the Bald Chicken: Lessons in How to Care" allows us to view the journey of a senior caregiver through the eyes of a struggling chicken. When we talk about emotional wellness, everyone could do better in validating caregivers. It really isn't taught, and we only learn the skill by example. Lori La Bey has partnered with Answers for Elders and joins Suzanne this hour to address the caregiver's journey. Lori's podcast has been recognized by the National Institute for Dementia Education 2020, Oprah as “Health Hero” for 2018, Recognized by AARP MN as a 2018 “Disruptor and an Inspiring & Accomplished Leader,” by Maria Shriver as an “Architect of Change” in 2016 and by Dr. Oz and Sharecare as the “#1 Influencer Online for Alzheimer’s” in 2012. Learn more about Lori La Bey, Alzheimer's Speaks, hear Alzheimer's Speaks podcasts, and hear more AFE podcasts with Lori La Bey. Get "Betty the Bald Chicken: Lessons in How to Care" on Amazon. Learn more about the overall Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana and listen to more episodes about Physical Wellness and Emotional Wellness. Learn more about Answers for Elders, the North Star in Navigating Senior Care. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're caring for a senior loved one, you might feel alone, with the weight of her care being on your shoulders. A lot of us caring for loved ones get burned out and overwhelmed, laying awake at night worrying if we made the right choices that day. Sometimes we just want instant answers. Alzheimer's Speaks podcast host Lori La Bey has partnered with Answers for Elders and joins Suzanne this hour to address the caregiver's journey, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana focusing this month on Emotional Wellness. In this segment, Lori joins Suzanne to talk about co-authoring her new book ''Betty the Bald Chicken: Lessons in How to Care." Betty was inspired by Lori’s journey caring for her mother, who lived thirty years with Alzheimer’s disease, but Betty’s story applies to most every human situation, from illness, bullying, addictions, divorce, and death, to everyday struggles of not feeling like we fit in or we are not understood. Lori La Bey has partnered with Answers for Elders and joins Suzanne this hour to address the caregiver's journey. Lori's podcast has been recognized by the National Institute for Dementia Education 2020, Oprah as “Health Hero” for 2018, Recognized by AARP MN as a 2018 “Disruptor and an Inspiring & Accomplished Leader,” by Maria Shriver as an “Architect of Change” in 2016 and by Dr. Oz and Sharecare as the “#1 Influencer Online for Alzheimer’s” in 2012. Learn more about Lori La Bey, Alzheimer's Speaks, hear Alzheimer's Speaks podcasts, and hear more AFE podcasts with Lori La Bey. Get "Betty the Bald Chicken: Lessons in How to Care" on Amazon. Learn more about the overall Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana and listen to more episodes about Physical Wellness and Emotional Wellness. Learn more about Answers for Elders, the North Star in Navigating Senior Care.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most doctors don't yet test for regular PET scans to measure tau or amyloid. If you have those biological markers, or are facing cognitive decline, the best way to get examined and treated right now is to take part in a clinical trial. Neurology specialist Dr. Michael Mega joins Suzanne courtesy of Athira Pharma to tell us more. Athira's compound hopes to improve patients in their clinical trial, hopefully offering beginning or middle stages to slow progression and improve their lives. Dr. Mega says, "There's this arc of disease progression going from preclinical, when you have a positive biological marker for plaque tangles, to prodromal, when you're only mildly affected and have plaque and tangles in your brain, to full blown Alzheimer's disease. When you have family saying you can't live by yourself anymore, you've got full blown dementia. Most neurologists don't test for that. The best way to get tests for that for free are to take part in clinical trials. Why do you want to take part in a clinical trial? Well, the only way the FDA moves molecules forward through various levels of testing and into your drug store is by those kind souls, those wonderful patients and families that volunteer to take part in a clinical trial. And that's the only way that we can join the worldwide fight against Alzheimer's, to come up with a cure, is to avail ourselves to getting the word out that these clinical trials are so important." Regarding Athira's clinical trial, Dr. Mega explains, "Athira Pharma is based in Seattle, and they have a very interesting molecule that is both a nerve growth factor activator as well as influences the anti-inflammatory process that is hoped to help slow progression, but more importantly, they're hoping for people getting better with their molecule. As you know, the drugs that are currently available in the drug store are known not to change the course of the disease. But a small group of people can symptomatically improve for a relatively short period of time. Athira is hoping to leverage their nerve growth factor mechanism in order to increase the neural communication between cells, that could be even revealed through brain wave patterns, but also insulin paper testing. And so their drug is hopefully going to offer patients who are in the beginning or the middle stage of the disease, hope to slow progression, and make their lives and their families' lives better." Visit the Center for Cognitive Health to learn more, see details on cutting edge research, and a list of active clinical trials at their clinic. You can also call (503) 476-9788. Hear more Alzheimer's-related podcasts from Athira Pharma, as well as other shows with Dr. Michael Mega. Visit lift-adtrial.com to learn about Athira Pharma's LIFT-AD Alzheimer's Disease trial.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This segment looks at Alzheimer's treatments. Twenty years before you develop symptoms, we're now able to detect biomarkers for the tau and amyloid plaques. Neurology specialist Dr. Michael Mega joins Suzanne courtesy of Athira Pharma to tell us more. Dr. Mega is the Director of the Center for Cognitive Health in Portland, OR. He has published multiple scientific papers, book chapters, and a textbook contributing to the field of cognitive neuroscience. Dr. Mega says, "Very soon, once the FDA standardizes the laboratories that are across the country that will be up and running, measuring these blood biomarkers, we can imagine that when you go for your annual wellness check, in addition to getting your hemoglobin A1C collected as well as your cholesterol, you'll get probably a phosphor related P TAU 1 81 or P TAU 2, 17 blood biomarker to find out if you're on the slippery slope of developing Alzheimer's disease. “Right now the FDA has not approved the laboratories across the country that will be approved to measure. For example, PA 181. Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company that has the NAAB being fast tracked that just a couple of weeks ago released their Phase 3 data supporting that it slows decline in people with early changes by 47%. They have a patent on PETA 217. So I would imagine that Lilly could share that with the rest of the medical community, if they get indication and standardization of laboratory assessments across the country. So once that happens, your primary doctor will be able to order that.” He also talks about P tau, a phosphor-related tau, why it gets phosphorated, and what that means to your cognitive health. Visit the Center for Cognitive Health to learn more, see details on cutting edge research, and a list of active clinical trials at their clinic. You can also call (503) 476-9788. Hear more Alzheimer's-related podcasts from Athira Pharma, as well as other shows with Dr. Michael Mega. Visit lift-adtrial.com to learn about Athira Pharma's LIFT-AD Alzheimer's Disease trial.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neurology specialist Dr. Michael Mega joins Suzanne courtesy of Athira Pharma to discuss the root causes of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Mega is the Director of the Center for Cognitive Health in Portland, OR. He has published multiple scientific papers, book chapters, and a textbook contributing to the field of cognitive neuroscience. "And so how do we say disease has changed its definition from probable during life, to now definitive, by measuring the amount of plaque tangles in the living brain of our patients. So getting to those plaques and tangles can be caused by many different paths. One, you could have an autosomal dominant inherited disorder that runs in your family with 50% of the family affected. Those tend to be very rare, but that's one way to get to plaque and tangle disease or Alzheimer's disease. Other way is the foods we eat, the lifestyle we pursue, our cognitive stimulation. So all of us make these misfolded amyloid proteins, that are at first soluble, before they precipitate into the brain as plaque, but those of us that get to the disease either makes too much of them or they don't clear them properly, and they're cleared during REM sleep. So, sleep disorders are associated also with not only Parkinson's disease, Lewie body disease, but also with not clearing amyloid properly. So sleep abnormalities, not eating a healthy Mediterranean style diet, being under stress at work or at home, not having cognitive stimulation that keeps your brain active during aging, having diabetes, having heart disease. There's many different roads to get to Alzheimer's. What is the real cause? Well, it's multifactorial, which has been the reason, the main reason, why it's so hard to treat this disorder." He emphasizes that there are many ways of developing Alzheimer's disease. Developing medications may be able to remove the amyloid beta proteins and prevent this sort of cognitive decline. We're getting closer to proving the hypothesis that amyloids are the cause of Alzheimer's. He feels that upcoming medications may be used in the future more for prevention instead of treatment. Visit the Center for Cognitive Health to learn more, see details on cutting edge research, and a list of active clinical trials at their clinic. You can also call (503) 476-9788. Hear more Alzheimer's-related podcasts from Athira Pharma, as well as other shows with Dr. Michael Mega. Visit lift-adtrial.com to learn about Athira Pharma's LIFT-AD Alzheimer's Disease trial. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy Cromwell, author of Your Personal Journey with Food: A Roadmap for the Confused and Frustrated Dieter, joins Suzanne to talk about physical and emotional wellness. Food is a big part of both, a lot of us are emotional eaters, or don't eat right. Nobody likes to be "should" on. This segment talks about how to get started. If you were to pick one thing, the first that comes to me, what would you want to start with first? And what would be one little thing, that if you did this you'd feel better? This episode is part of Answers for Elders' Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Tracy is also an international best-selling co-author of One Crazy Broccoli! My Body is Smarter Than My Disease and What's Left to Eat. To learn more about Tracy's coaching programs, visit www.journeywithfood.com, and sign up for a free consultation at www.tracycromwell.com. Listen to her podcast, "Your Personal Journey With Food," on Spotify. Hear more of Tracy's podcasts on Answers for Elders. Learn more about the overall Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana and listen to more episodes about Physical Wellness and Emotional Wellness. Learn more about Answers for Elders, the North Star in Navigating Senior Care.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy Cromwell, author of Your Personal Journey with Food: A Roadmap for the Confused and Frustrated Dieter, joins Suzanne. She works with folks who struggle with maintain health and diet. As an integrative health coach, she looks at all aspects of their life, so it's not just food. Everyone's different, no one diet or strategy works for everyone. All wellness aspects affect our lives, so she creates a customized, personalized, individualized one-on-one plan. This episode is part of Answers for Elders' Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Sign up for a free consultation at www.tracycromwell.com. The first step is a complimentary "Take Care of Me" Session Zoom call. Tracy is also an international best-selling co-author of One Crazy Broccoli! My Body is Smarter Than My Disease and What's Left to Eat. To learn more about Tracy's coaching programs, visit www.tracycromwell.com or www.journeywithfood.com. Listen to her podcast, "Your Personal Journey With Food," on Spotify. Hear more of Tracy's podcasts on Answers for Elders. Learn more about the overall Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana and listen to more episodes about Physical Wellness and Emotional Wellness. Learn more about Answers for Elders, the North Star in Navigating Senior Care.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy Cromwell, author of Your Personal Journey with Food: A Roadmap for the Confused and Frustrated Dieter, joins Suzanne to talk more about the connection between emotional and physical wellness. This episode is part of Answers for Elders' Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. The biggest impact on your personal health is how you see the world: your self-worth and self-confidence can impact your health, because we make decisions based on that lens. Your body is your best teammate, and you need to learn how to "drive" it. Tracy is also an international best-selling co-author of One Crazy Broccoli! My Body is Smarter Than My Disease and What's Left to Eat. To learn more about Tracy's coaching programs, visit www.tracycromwell.com or www.journeywithfood.com. Listen to her podcast, "Your Personal Journey With Food," on Spotify. Hear more of Tracy's podcasts on Answers for Elders. Learn more about the overall Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana and listen to more episodes about Physical Wellness and Emotional Wellness. Learn more about Answers for Elders, the North Star in Navigating Senior Care.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, Suzanne is joined by Tracy Cromwell, a nutritionist and fitness expert who works with seniors, to talk about the connection between physical and emotional wellness, part of Answers for Elders' Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Tracy is the author of Your Personal Journey with Food: A Roadmap for the Confused and Frustrated Dieter. Tracy shares her health journey. Being told by her doctor in 2006 that she was pre-diabetic and headed towards a future with Type 2 Diabetes, Tracy had to start making better lifestyle choices. A Yo-Yo dieter most of her life, the news was frustrating but put her on her path to wellness. Today, Tracy is healthy and strong, taking on century bike rides, eating in a way that supports her body, and finally feeling good in her skin. Tracy's health journey inspired her to go back to school and get trained in both Integrative Health Coaching and Personal Training. She is certified with The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Precision Nutrition, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. If you can work with your doctor and change your lifestyle so you don't have to take as many medications, she was given that option. It wasn't easy, but she did it. Tracy wrote Your Personal Journey with Food: A Roadmap for the Confused and Frustrated Dieter. She is also an international best-selling co-author of ''One Crazy Broccoli,'' ''My Body is Smarter Than My Disease!'' and ''What's Left to Eat''. To learn more about Tracy's coaching programs, visit www.tracycromwell.com or www.journeywithfood.com. Listen to her podcast, "Your Personal Journey With Food," on Spotify. Hear more of Tracy's podcasts on Answers for Elders. Learn more about the overall Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana and listen to more episodes about Physical Wellness and Emotional Wellness. Learn more about Answers for Elders, the North Star in Navigating Senior Care. SR FeaturedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mallory Mixdorf, MA, LICSW, the Resident & Family Supportive Programs Director for Era Living, joins Suzanne at their Aljoya Mercer Island senior living community. Mallory is a licensed social worker. Mallory says, “We provide mental health and support services to all of our residents as well as their families, as much as needed. As residents transition into our communities, or even if they've been there for a long time and are facing other life transitions, all of our communities have a licensed mental health professional to help that resident or their families navigate those changes, which is something that's really unique to Era Living. Our counselors will make an effort to meet with the residents pretty shortly after they move in and learn about what makes them tick, and validate their concerns. A lot of times, maybe it wasn't their first choice to move. On the other end of the spectrum, there's residents who come in really ready to go. They're so excited about this change. They're ready to let go of the responsibilities. They're ready to fill their day with enriching activities, have someone cook for them, meet folks that are just down the hall, are ready for these wrap-around services." Couples may have challenges as well. Mallory says, "Couples are a family unit, but they're two individuals, and they may have very different approaches and perspectives on what's going on. And so that's another great thing that the counselors can do is, again, provide that space to listen, and provide space for the the residents to receive counseling as a family if necessary to help navigate those changes, or the rifts that maybe are growing in the different perspectives can cause some strain in a relationship. So the counselors are really there to help navigate and mitigate." Mallory adds, “Something that's really special about our counselors is that we provide support groups for residents, and their families are welcome to attend the support groups, but really, the focus is on the residents. One of our support groups is actually a caregiver support group. So for a lot of those couples that come in, oftentimes one of the pair is the caregiver. So they can take the space away from the one that they care for. Sit with like minded folks and peers who are in a similar situation. They can learn from each other, they can talk, they can share stories in a space that feels safe. "If families are looking for extra support, we do have a program called Almost like Family. it is an ancillary service, a case management program. There's two prongs really to the program. One is companionship visits fFor residents who need that extra support to prevent isolation, which is, I'm sure you've heard is an epidemic in the the senior population. We have staff who are dedicated solely to this role, to come in and spend time with residents and just engage them in things that bring those residents joy, whether it's talking about their past, going on walks, joining the life enrichment activities together, kind of calling them, pulling them out of their apartments, getting them more engaged in the community. That's the companionship aspect. "The other aspect is the medical escorts. For residents who may need help getting to and from doctors appointments, don't always know how to navigate the medical system, or for times when they, God forbid, have to go to the emergency department, we have someone on call 24/7 to help get them to their medical appointments, meet them at the hospital should they have a fall, or some other medical emergency, especially in those times when families aren't available at the drop of a hat to drive an hour or two to the hospital.” Aljoya Mercer Island...

Mallory Mixdorf, MA, LICSW, the Resident &amp; Family Supportive Programs Director for Era Living, joins Suzanne at their Aljoya Mercer Island community. Mallory oversees the mental health and wellness side of Era Living. She supports all of the counselors in their role of providing mental health support and resources for their residents. When seniors first realize they might need to make a move, some are really vibrant, excited for the change and ready to let some responsibilities go and enjoy their retirement, that's one end of the spectrum. The other end are those at their capacity and need that support. They help address the fear of losing independence. The exact opposite is true: community living enhances and supports their independence. Some common fears, Mallory says, are "that they're gonna get forgotten about by their friends and family, that maybe they won't find peers or contemporaries that share the same interests, that they'll get bored or lonely. Or that they're losing some sort of skill or self-preservation in their own life. Era Living's really good about respecting the points of view of our residents. So if that's how resident feels, we listen. They have a right to feel that way and they may have been sort of geared up to feel that way for a long time, their society standards and stereotypes, their stigma. I think just creating that space at first to listen and just hear them out, and then, from there, I think one of the great things that Era Living can do and does do for our residents is we match up all of our new residents with what we call an ambassador. Typically the Life Enrichment department will try to match up a more seasoned resident who maybe shares some of the interest that our community relations team has learned during the interview process of getting the resident on board. My department can help with that as well, the social services, but learning what residents what brings them joy and makes them tick and connecting them with another resident who maybe has some of those shared interests of themselves and someone who's thriving there." Mallory adds, "Era Living attracts a lot of really interesting residents, people who've had really interesting careers, life paths. We have a lot of creatives, artists, and so people come in, and they try to keep that same identity but put it into a new location. If a resident was an artist, we give them the opportunity to teach art classes to other residents. In one of the communities, we have a harpist, so we give her plenty of opportunities to play the harp for different events that we have. We have other residents who like to tell stories. So we have a talent show every year, and residents can come and watch all their stories or show off their other talent. So it's really about highlighting what's making these residents unique and giving them the space to show off." Sometimes families learn new things about their senior loved ones. "Oftentimes we know our parents as our parents, we don't really know them as anything outside of that role. And so if you take a step back and watch them interact with their peers, you see the side of them that maybe you didn't see before, more interests or sense of humor that you didn't see, or any other opinions that maybe they kept to themselves until now they feel like they can let go and share the opinion. So I think a lot of times, families are pleasantly surprised by how multifaceted their loved ones are." Aljoya Mercer Island has 114 apartments ranging from 700 to 2,000 square feet and is located at 2430 76th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2807. Learn more about Aljoya Mercer Island, and learn all about Era Living <a...

Sarah Chimbanga, Regional Director of Health and Wellness at Era Living, joins Suzanne. She's based at their University House Wallingford community. The number one question a family faces during a transition is whether they can trust the senior living community with the care of their loved one. The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services conducts DSHS Surveys to make sure the facilities are keeping the resident at the center, are following regulations that residents are well cared for. It lets them go through staff, records, and make sure they're following the regulations. A team from DSHS comes through for three days. It's a great resource for families, to look through these audits and see what are the findings. Era Living takes pride in their Survey results. If a resident has been in independent living and they need to go into assisted living, Sarah talks about that situation. "We call it the transition. When a resident moves in independent, we talk about in the future, should you need assistance, the same care team that you see in the community will be ideally the same one that's helping facilitate that transition. So any time a resident has a change in condition, and they are coming to us and saying I'm gonna need some assistance with, let's say dressing, we sit down with the resident, we sit down with their family if they have family involved, or we sit down with your representative if they have a representative, we say what are some of the issues? What have been the changes? We also reach out to their provider to say, what are some of the changes? What are some of the health conditions that we can help manage? Using all of that information, we then put together a plan of care that best meets the needs of the resident at the time of the transition. And again, going back to our model for licensing, which is flexible licensing, most of the time it does not warrant a need for the resident to move out of their apartment. They have moved in independent, they're now needing assistance, we're able to bring that assistance to their current apartment. “We really want to make sure that whenever safe and possible that we're able to let our residents age in place. Sometimes just depending on the community and depending on the residents needs, we may be able to bring in additional resources that would help facilitate them. We know moving in is a big deal, and it's a big stressor. So is the other flip side, needing to move out and find a new home, get used to a new care team. So we try to work with residents and families as much as we can while keeping the resident's safety as primary. If we can bring in additional resources, then we're willing to stretch and make sure that whatever we can do in-house, we do that.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah Chimbanga, Regional Director of Health and Wellness at Era Living, joins Suzanne. This segment covers the service plans and flexible licensing offered at Era Living. She's based at their University House Wallingford community. Their assessment process begins as part of the move-in process, as they gather sensitive &amp; personal information for their assessment. While building a relationship of trust, they work to ensure the move is as smooth as possible. They talk about their service plans, exactly what care needs are supported at Era Living, and how they're reviewed and revised. Flexible licensing is important because as residents might need further help, Era Living is able to provide additional care without the resident having to move to a different location, very important for couples, and provides a measure of comfort. Sarah says, "We do the pre- move-in assessment, and from that we try to gather and gauge what are some of the services that we think a resident might need coming in. We also know that once you actually start to provide the care, once the residents actually start to receive the care, that there might be some tweaks that need to be made. So we usually do another assessment two weeks after moving in. And then following that, we do one every six months or whenever there's a change in condition." The segment also talks about Assisted Living services versus Nursing Home Care. Assisted living provides assistance with activities of daily living. Two of their communities have memory care if they also need support for dementia, requiring a different set of skills. Regarding how Era Living works with family, Sarah says, "We consider our families as part of the care team. A lot of families help support the residents with appointments, whether it's outside the community, they help with being the bridge or the advocate between the resident and their providers. So we found that it's really critical to include them any time we're discussing the care. So, for example, during the move-in process, a lot of families — if the resident chooses — do participate during that assessment. One of the things that we're trying to do is to say what can we as a community provide, how and what can the family also provide, or want to provide? And together, we kind of mesh those two: Here's what family is providing here is what our community is providing, and here's what the resident wants, because we always again try to keep the resident as the center of that." There's more about Era Living at Answers for Elders and at eraliving.com. University House Wallingford is located at 4400 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA 98103-7485.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On behalf of Humana, gold sponsor of the Vitality Revolution Podcast Series, Lori Hutson joins Suzanne. Lori is owner of LJ Hutson Insurance LLC in Washington state. This segment focuses on emotional wellness: how do we nurture and be nurtured? It' how we can feel a general positive sense of well-being. Lori says, "It's really managing our well-being, to take charge of that. We've been emotional beings for centuries, but it started coming to the forefront really in the 40s and 50s that psychologists and psychiatrists started thinking, oh, hey, wait a second, maybe we should become more aware of our emotional well-being. And then in the 70s, 80s, it really started ticking off. We are becoming a society that is more and more aware, and recognizing that this is really essential. It's not just love, or something just to think about. It's about our self talk and what we say out loud. Words do have a lot of meaning. We're talking about ourselves, or joking about ourselves. Or somebody pays you a compliment you say, oh, well, yeah. You really need to learn to accept that and love ourselves and I know it can be really difficult. "But you might give gratitude. That's huge. If you think of one thing to be grateful for... the more we're in gratitude, the more our self-esteem flourishes. I have had a ritual for a long time where I get up in the morning and I write down five things that I'm grateful for, and it might be something so simple — we were talking offline about our pets, and it could be some funny little thing that my dog Ruby did, or our kids came over for Mother's Day and watching our little kids go through 500 water balloons. So tiny. But if we're just letting life float by, and we're not really recognizing those things, we're really missing an opportunity." Contact Lori through her website LJ Hutson Insurance LLC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On behalf of Humana, gold sponsor of the Vitality Revolution Podcast Series, Lori Hutson joins Suzanne. Lori is owner of LJ Hutson Insurance LLC in Washington state. Regarding physical wellness, this segment focuses on the evolution of primary care. The overall landscape has changed with the advancement of tele-heath, being able to do visits from home. Lori says, “If there's a silver lining in our industry with COVID, it forced people to use technology. Because when you're working with older folks, we're resistant to change, and I don't want to have to learn something new. And then, with the COVID restrictions, we had to. Tele-health has really added a new element to it. So you can be sitting in the comfort of your own home, set up the appointment, and have your primary care visit that way. I remember maybe 10 years ago being down with bronchitis, and I knew it was bronchitis. I had it once before. I called my doctor and they said no, we can't prescribe anything, because we have to see you. Well, my husband was working full time. I didn't want him to take time off. I couldn't drive, I was too sick. So by the time I felt well enough to stand up, I thought, well, I'm on the way to get better anyway. And so I think that, for some of those types of things, tele-health has really helped. "I want to talk a little bit about our future. There are less and less primary care doctors available. What's happening is in the medical schools, the students now, for the most part, they're going for specialties, they want to be a cardiologist or an anesthesiologist. Primary care is suffering right now. And so I just think in another 10 years, what the heck is gonna happen, because there's not many students coming out, the older doctors are retiring. The insurance companies are really recognizing that. There's gotta be some innovative ways to help resolve some of these issues. One of the things that people are doing is this concierge doctor system, where you pay a monthly fee to have a primary care doctor on call. That could be $2- to $10,000 a year. If people can afford that, then they've got their doctor on call at any time. Suzanne mentions now that One Medical has been purchased by Amazon, you can sign up through Amazon. Lori adds, "And the thing about One Medical is that is a national program. And so they have their One Medical, and then they have their One Medical Seniors. If you're looking at Amazon, and you see the One Medical, that has a monthly fee, but the One Medical Seniors does not have a monthly fee. That's embedded into your health care. That's one of the ways that some of the insurance companies are are trying to come up with some ways to help people. It's kind of a hybrid between having that concierge doctor on call all the time, and then having your normal primary care physician that you go in and you sit in the waiting room." Contact Lori through her website LJ Hutson Insurance LLC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On behalf of Humana, gold sponsor of the Vitality Revolution Podcast Series, Lori Hutson joins Suzanne. Lori is owner of LJ Hutson Insurance LLC in Washington state. This segment addresses dental health benefits available through Medicare Advantage programs. Dental health impacts our overall health and becomes more important as we age. Unaddressed oral infections can progress into your bloodstream and throughout your body to become something more serious. If you have to be treated for some condition, it's possible doctors will put off treating that if you have a dental problem, and have that treated first. Lori says, “If you have original Medicare, you do have some coverage for a medical appointment, very limited. If you have something like a tumor in your mouth, or mouth cancer, things like that, that will be covered under original Medicare. I had an example, a member I was working with, she fell and she broke off all of her bottom teeth. Well, getting the teeth removed, that was a medical appointment, so that was covered under her medical, but the restoration wasn't covered. Then she needed a bridge, or implants, and that was not covered. So the Medicare Advantage plans, they will add in benefits, and dental is a huge issue right now, almost all of them now cover the basics. So they're gonna get cleanings, exams, X-rays, a couple of fillings. That's pretty standard, but then some of the plans — depending on your eligibility, depending on where you live, what's available for you — they will cover root canals, crowns, those types of things as well." Contact Lori through her website LJ Hutson Insurance LLC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On behalf of Humana, gold sponsor of the Vitality Revolution Podcast Series, Lori Hutson joins Suzanne. Lori is owner of LJ Hutson Insurance LLC in Washington state. Suzanne says, "I am so thrilled to be able to launch this brand new program: "The Vitality Revolution." It's how to think about your wellness — Vitality, the eight foundational principles of wellness. And each month here on Answers for Elders, we're going to be focusing on two of the eight foundational principles. And this month will be on physical and emotional wellness." Lori describes an experience with her family that brought her to her current career. "I grew up on a farm, and my dad was out in the field morning to night, and I do not remember one time growing up that he was ever sick. And it was amazing. The only time he ever went to the doctor was to get stitches because he cut himself on a piece of equipment or something like that. And so when he retired, he didn't go to the doctor. He went in because his leg was hurting, and he got diagnosed with cancer. By the time they found it, it was pancreatic cancer and gone into bone cancer. It was very serious at that point. And so they were telling me he doesn't have insurance. I was in my 30s, not even thinking about Medicare, that wasn't even on my radar. And so I opened up his wallet, there was a card in there and I said, yes, he does. He has it. He has Medicare. We'll come to find out it was only Medicare part A. He never took his Medicare part B and he was 81 years old. I got thrown into the Medicare maze, and his treatment's not being covered, and we had to sign up for Medicare. And I found a lady that helped me and I grabbed onto her like a lifeline. And so that's what really got me interested in doing what I'm doing." Lori goes over the basics of what's covered under various Medicare plans, and also mentions services that a lot of people aren't aware are covered under Medicare. “I think a lot of people know your general test, that you can go in and have a flu shot, you can have pneumonia shot. Well, now the shingles vaccines and the DPAP, tetanus, those vaccines are all covered 100% now, that's a Medicare mandate. Those injections were pretty expensive for people. So I think that's one thing that people don't realize. I always recommend to people, because of what happened to my dad, go in and get those general tests done. "Then there are things. There's more to diabetes management under Preventative that a lot of people don't realize. And then cardiovascular, there's some behavioral management on that. Depression screening, there's a stop smoking program through your Preventative. You've got colorectal cancer screenings. And now most of the plans are covering those at 100%, whether it's screening or it's diagnostic. The other thing I want to touch on is the wellness visit, because the advantage plans will cover a physical and a wellness visit, and there is a difference. So if you're going in and you have just original Medicare, you have a Welcome to Medicare physical, and that is a one-time thing. After that, Medicare doesn't cover your physical every year, but they cover a wellness exam. A wellness visit is your planning session — they'll ask when did you have your last colon screening? When did you have a bone density test? Have you had your vaccines? What's the plan for next year? Do you need the diabetes management program? Those types of things. That's your wellness visit. If you're going to your doctor and they're touching your body, that is a physical. They're looking in your ears, nose, all that kind of thing, that's a physical and the Advantage plans cover that 100% and then there's some blood work." Contact Lori through her website <a...

Parkinson’s expert Lianna Marie joins Suzanne to talk about how having a purpose affects your quality of life as a person with Parkinson’s. Also, she describes ways her mom found purpose and meaning on her Parkinson’s journey. Lianna says, "In Parkinson's, life slows down and — good or bad, it slows down physically, everything slows down. So over time things will take longer to do. But in the same boat, many people who I've talked to that have been diagnosed with Parkinson's early on, they say it was a gift in the sense that it actually did make them slow down. And they may have had a busy life in their professional life and they were just busy, busy, busy, busy, busy. And this time — during their diagnosis and adjusting to their diagnosis, accepting their diagnosis — was a time for them to start thinking about: what is it that I want to get done in my life? Or why am I doing that particular occupation even? I mean, a lot of people thought about that during the pandemic. Having something that drives you every day to get up, and get going, is absolutely paramount. And especially for someone who has any kind of illness, terminal or chronic, science will tell you that that is what's keeping you alive. A very large percentage of Japanese people are living over 100. They did this study: what was the paramount reason why they were living past 100. Yes, health. And what they eat is very important and the exercise. But they pinpointed one area: ikigai. The word means, basically, that which makes life worth living. And having that ikigai, whatever you want to call it — your purpose, that one thing can lead to you living longer. Just think about the reverse when we don't have a reason to live, what happens? We give up." For her mom, Lianna explains, "Having something every day that gave her purpose was really paramount, especially on those tough days when life is really challenging. Things we discovered, that for her to be part of a group where she was needed. So every time that that group met, they're like, "Oh Val, you're here, your job is such and such." And so she had a purpose right away. Iit was a singing group. She loved to sing, and she could still sing. So her job was to put the music together for each week. As simple as that. It really made a difference. I would say around year 15 of 30, I interviewed her reflecting upon all the things that have made a difference. And that was one of the things, where she said having a reason to be productive." Listen to more of Lianna's podcasts on Answers for Elders and visit Lianna's website. SR FeaturedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parkinson’s expert Lianna Marie, CEO of AllAboutParkinsons.com, joins Suzanne to talk about using art and creative expression to help her and her mother cope with Parkinson’s. Lianna says, "There were times where she needed some outlets to deal with disappointments. One of the things is exercise, and how all of us can use that to work through things. But another is creativity, and I wanted to talk about that today, because it is an area that a lot of people with Parkinson's are starting to become aware of, and using their various creative outlets to help them cope through whatever emotions they may be going through: anxiety, sadness, fears of whatever. I would say that Carrie Fisher quote of, 'turn your broken heart into art,' I've loved forever, ever since I heard it, was just managing that, that sense of loss and turning it into something. Parkinson's patients "start medication, and it's to supplement the dopamine that's they're losing. So most will get on some form of dopamine and, people started noticing, 'hey, I'm getting a lot more creative. Like, I didn't used to be a painter and now magically, I can paint this beautiful masterpiece.' And there are some actual studies going on right now saying this extra dopamine is pointing to higher creativity levels. I've seen people doing welding projects to creating clocks, to photography, to painting, things that they wouldn't otherwise have done before. And it's really quite fascinating. So there's one, that it can be their medication that's helping them become that way. But we are also directing people to find that creative outlet to help them just as a way to turn broken heart into art. "There's a really neat website, Parkinson's Art. Folks around the world are contributing to this site, and you can take a look at it because it speaks for itself. You'll see. It's a way that you can share your work, whatever you're doing. Some folks are creating videos, others all different kinds of art. But it's just another way to showcase it, and within the community of people with Parkinson's, so it's a neat little thing. My mom's creative outlet is gardening. And as she got a little bit more challenged physically, she had someone help her. She had a rock garden on a slope and various flowers, and she had a vision of what she wanted that to look like. I am not the person who does the gardening. It's not on my resume — we learned the hard way because my mom would say do this, do this, do this. And I'd be like mom, I'm just gonna do it this way. And she's like, no, that's not how the garden works. So we got a friend to help us out, all that to say mom's creativity was channeled through this other woman who was brilliant at it. So that was one way we adapted, in terms of mom having this wanting to get this creativity out with regards to her flowers, and how they were going to be arranged, and having someone to help her with that. And for others, it's all different kinds of creativity. For me, putting together books, writing, helping other people — that was channeling my disappointment or sadness if you will over my mom. Lianna adds, "Google Arts and Culture is really neat. I discovered this during the pandemic. I'm trying to think of folks that maybe are less ambulatory. It's a site where you can visit a lot of museums virtually. Not every museum offers this, but it's kind of a neat way to get inspired if you're unable to visit in person, for example. Because I find being immersed in things like that helps my creativity, gets me inspired. "Another thing that it's kind of similar is this concept called 'forest bathing.' It's Japanese, and I won't even try to butcher the name...

Parkinson’s expert Lianna Marie, CEO of AllAboutParkinsons.com, joins Suzanne to talk about coming to terms with a chronic illness such as Parkinson's that changes your life. “I just want to talk today about some of the disappointments, practical or emotional, that mom went through, and things that we were able to do to help her through those, or that she did herself. As we went through, we tried to replace — let's say you, you lose this thing, but let's try to gain another thing over here. If you are a very active person, and now you can't be, that's a huge disappointment. In my mom's case, she was a knitter. If there was competition, knitting, my mom would have been a competitor because she was just the best to put things together. But if you can imagine those fine motor skills slowly deteriorating, and then her not being able to do that anymore. What could we replace that hobby with? And there was piano, then it became singing, and then if it wasn't singing, it was outdoors working on her rock garden. And so it was always trying to shift, going, "OK, we can't do this. OK. What else can we do then keep focusing on, what can we do?" It wasn't saying that we weren't sad about it. It was just saying, well, we're not dead yet. So let's find another thing, and personally, that's how I had to do it for care partnering, and certainly most of my disappointments would have come when mom had dementia. That piece being taken away, mom's ability to have that relationship with me. How did I deal with that? Not very well at the beginning." Lianna adds, "An unexpected disappointment was in the way that some of my mom's close friends reacted to her diagnosis, and not all in a positive way that you might expect. I will give them the benefit of the doubt, that I think back when that happened, there wasn't a lot of as much information out there about Parkinson's, and there was a stigma. This concept that they had in their mind was that mom was now gonna be this frail invalid that couldn't do anything. And so they changed their view about her. That was a huge letdown for my mom. Of all the things I might have anticipated, that was not one of them. We cut bait from a couple of these friends, because they were definitely not supportive. "With my sister, when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, that stress can exacerbate any disease process. The idea that my sister get rid of all the negative things, negative people, it sounds very cut-throat. But in my sister's case, she really had to do that very quickly because, unlike my mom, she had a lot less time. It's a similar case to my mom where these people were not helpful. It was really just saying, "ok, you know what, you're in or you're out, you're on this boat with me or you're not. Mom did have a lot really — as she would call them — gems in her life. Friends that were just fabulous, and family members that really supported her on her journey. And I would just say to everyone that that is a really key. It's basic, but really, life is too short." Suzanne pointed out having unrealistic expectations of family and friends. "I'm really disappointed in my brother because he didn't come for Thanksgiving," and it could be my mom or dad's last Thanksgiving dinner. And so I had all this in my head, 'He should have been there, and why didn't he do this? And we were all there, and we couldn't have him in the pictures' and all these things. And then we get angry. But the brother says, 'I just had to work.' That is simplistic view, but the whole point is, pay attention to your expectations." Lianna adds, "That's a great point. Not the easiest thing, because you're like, "But I don't get it. I don't get why they can't do this. It's just so easy." Well, it may be easy for you, but maybe not so easy for them, for whatever...

Parkinson’s expert Lianna Marie, CEO of AllAboutParkinsons.com, joins Suzanne to talk about coming to terms with a chronic illness such as Parkinson's that changes your life. One thing that comes with it is a stigma, so there's a level of embarrassment. Some might see someone with a tremor or stooped posture, or walking wobbly, all Parkinson's symptoms, but someone might assume they're inebriated. Or how they're speaking slower, or quieter, and people assume they might have an intellectual disability. Those are common ones, and because of that you can imagine someone with Parkinson's living with it, and they see their challenges being beaconed, and they'd be embarrassed about potential attention. It's a personal vulnerability, of feeling exposed, and it comes with feelings of uncertainty. Lianna says, "With my mom, when she was a little embarrassed about that tremor, I guess a lot of times it would be out in public when we'd go out for dinner, for example. She didn't like the attention when she'd walk into the restaurant. Again, not that everybody was staring, but in her mind, everybody was staring. Cramped spaces often would make her slow down or abruptly stop, which many people with Parkinson's experience. And so when that would happen, instantly, she's like, "Oh, my gosh, all eyes are on me." Those were some specific things that could happen, or would happen with her. It did take some time for her first of all to just accept it, relax about it... And they may not even be thinking that. In her mind, everybody's looking at me. I guess it's not unlike a lot of people who have disabilities don't want the attention. Like, hey, I'm in a wheelchair, so what?" One bit of advice she provides is humor. "You need to say, 'You know what? I'm owning my life here. I have Parkinson's, but Parkinson's doesn't have me.' It's easier said than done, taking yourself a little less seriously, because at the beginning there's so much about you, and you're so focused now on that tremor, the slurred speech, or whatever it is that is attracting people. Easier said than done. Especially at the beginning, it takes time. I'm not saying that this is an easy task, but in general, the more we can take things a little less seriously, add a little humor and playfulness. And Michael J. Fox is great at making jokes about himself, like when he falls or, or something like that. Regarding how to set guidelines or boundaries with their friends, Lianna says, "It is awkward, right? I try to talk to people with Parkinson's and ask them, what is your preference? You have this thing, and it's helpful when a person with Parkinson's does say, 'hey, I'm still the same person and yeah, look at my hand over here. Yeah, it's got a mind of its own and it's gonna move around while we're talking. But yeah, you know what, I'm still me, let's just still have this conversation. But if you need to ask me questions about what's going on with my body...' It's an individual thing because some people are very private, and they're like, 'I don't want to talk to you about my medical diagnosis.' Let them lead the conversation when it comes to Parkinson's. And and otherwise, just be there, and offer to say, "hey," because a true friend does that, they don't bail on you and just say, 'oh my gosh, you've got a disease, and now I'm out of here.' Just be that friend still. Try not to make it all about Parkinson's." Listen to more of Lianna's podcasts on Answers for Elders and visit Lianna's website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director for Education and Culture for Koelsch Communities Benjamin Surmi joins Suzanne to talk about where to find resources to help reinvent ourselves. Benjamin says, "Do not discount the community center in your city, do not discount any kind of lifelong learning institute at a local university. In most metro areas some really cool stuff is happening that is empowering seniors to continue learning... You may also find faith communities in your local area that are doing some really innovative work that is just fascinating to you. As well as many senior living communities like ours offer educational events that connect you to resources and people that you might not have thought about." He adds, "There's also some really cool stuff happening at a national level, with new organizations that are doing some fun stuff. Cogenerate just got started recently. And what they do is they bring the generations together to solve pressing issues. They have a program that brings retired physicians out of retirement and puts them in the most challenging places in America to help. They have a program that pays seniors who want to do something special with their encore years, actually pay them, and mentor them in doing it. "Maturias and Seniors@Work match seniors who want to contribute in the business world with organizations that want their talent. CatchaFire matches non-profits that want to grow with a senior who'll give them a one-hour call to share their knowledge base in a particular field. A one-hour call can change the trajectory of a non-profit, and some seniors have decades of experience. Bloom provides a 3-week coaching program to identify what a senior's encore years would look like. Get Set Up is a group of hundreds of members where older adults teach other older adults in all sorts of subjects. Even in our 50s, we all should be thinking about what matters to us, what connections matter, and what we want to do when we're 90. If we're making decisions based on finances or comfort, we're not making choices that will allow us to keep doing the things that matter to us. Koelsch has senior living locations in eight states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, Texas, and Washington. Listen to our podcast conversation with Aaron Koelsch, the CEO of Koelsch Communities. Learn more about Koelsch Communities at their website or call (360) 867-1900. Hear more of their podcasts at Answers for Elders. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director for Education and Culture for Koelsch Communities Benjamin Surmi joins Suzanne to talk about reinvention. What about seniors who are aging in place to reinvent themselves? Benjamin say, "There's a bit of a myth around aging in place, that aging in place means you age in a residential suburban home. Aging in place means to age wherever you will thrive. We all come from the same space that every senior should be where they will thrive, where they will be able to accomplish their purpose. Keep that in mind because it may not be in a house. Let's say a senior says, "The thing I really care about is being a blessing to my neighbors on the street. I've been there for 40 years. I want to keep offering cookies to the grandkids. I wanna keep sitting on the porch and talking with my neighbors. This is where I need to be." Well, that's great. And the point is to identify what is my purpose in being here — because otherwise, if my purpose is just to live in my home as long as possible, what I have seen is elders will live as long as possible in their home watching "Judge Judy," that is their whole life. Most of us look at that and go, "Oh, crap. I do not want that to be my life. But instead I can have a purpose in my head. Now, this is what I want to accomplish. This is what I want to enjoy, or share, or do, if my home and where I live supports me in that, if I can still engage in the community that matters to me, and there's not a barrier because I can't drive to them, then great." What about caregivers? They have their own purpose, then the purpose with their caregiver, and different answers for each. Benjamin provides an example of a caregiver finding a joint purpose with their mom. Perhaps they say, "This is my mom and what matters to me is us being able to go shopping and antiquing together. I've always done that. Well, then my caregiving plan needs to build around it. If antiquing is so hard to do because I'm keeping my mom at home until she dies, then maybe that ends up going away. Whereas if I moved her into a co-housing situation, or senior living, or some other situation that had a van that was wheelchair accessible, now me and my mom can go antiquing as often as we want." Learn more about Koelsch Communities at their website or call (360) 867-1900. Hear more of their podcasts at Answers for Elders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director for Education and Culture for Koelsch Communities Benjamin Surmi joins Suzanne to talk about reinvention. A new life cycle is emerging due to demographic shifts as we're living longer, as well as changes in how we learn and work. A new trend shows multiple cycles of school, work, and mini retirement, with several different careers over the course of their lives. Some seniors are happy at 75 to play bridge or bingo all day, but others have contributed and still want to keep going at 70. People in older age groups are starting new businesses. Benjamin says, "Traditionally, we go to school, then we have a family, and we work, and then we retire — our whole financial planning industry is oriented around that particular life cycle model. So much of our schooling systems, our work systems, everything is dependent on that framework. However, what we're starting to see is a whole new life cycle be born. That is partly due to demographic shifts as people are living longer. It's due to other factors in our environment. And in the way work is done and learning is done now than it was in the past. But now according to an expert named Ken Dychtwald, PhD, with Age Wave and the Second Wind Movement, we're seeing a new trend in which people will do all three of those things multiple times in their life. They'll go to school, they'll work, and then they're gonna have a mini retirement. Maybe they're only 30, maybe they're 35, 40, they have a mini retirement. Then they go back to school, they learn and they do more work, and then they do retirement again, and then they do it again. Because we're seeing people who are retiring at 50 and then going back to work in some capacity. Or going back to school in some capacity. And so it's a whole new way of understanding our lives and even financial planning is having to change because now I bet plan for multiple retirements, not just one." This new trend shows multiple cycles of school, work, and mini retirement, with several different careers over the course of their lives. Some seniors are happy at 75 to play bridge or bingo all day, while others have contributed and still want to keep going at 70. People in older age groups are starting new businesses. Benjamin says, "Someone once said, the only things that will change your life are the books you read and the people you meet. And so, if that's true, the people we surround ourselves with is really critical, are essential." How does someone begin the second wind journey? There's a method to define what matters to you, create one sentence in your head that begins with what you want to do/learn/enjoy/share, followed by with/so that/for/ to clarify more about it. For example, what do you want to do? "I want to share my love of photography with my grandchildren so that nonprofits in my city are uplifted." Learn more about Koelsch Communities at their website or call (360) 867-1900. Hear more of their podcasts at Answers for Elders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director for Education and Culture for Koelsch Communities Benjamin Surmi, a social gerontologist, joins Suzanne. He oversees wellness programs that support 1,500 seniors throughout the United States. His mission is to empower older adults to go after things that matter to us, finding purpose, meaning, and enthusiasm in the second half of our lives. We see that 1) having a positive view of aging is a key ingredient: people who are satisfied with aging had a 43% lower risk of dying, as well as lower risks of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and others. An earlier study showed that people lived seven and a half years longer than their peers if they had a positive view of aging. It impacts your health and health outcomes. Benjamin says, “A good bit of my career has been spent helping people plan for and carve out a plan for their family member, for themselves, that allows the things that matter to the family to be foremost in that plan. Because a lot of us, we just look at, ok, "I need to find a place to live for my mom. I just need to find a good place where that's safe, and where she can get the help that she needs." But that is not the key. The key is to plan around what mom loves. If mom loves spending time with friends singing hymns, that's what makes mom tick, then we need to plan the whole life plan around what makes mom tick. If mom loves gardening outside everyday with a little puppy, then we need to plan our whole retirement plan around that.” Mental health is a benefit, but purpose births independence and thriving. Benjamin says, "I'll give you an example. I'm working hard to bring humanity to the United States. It's a program in Europe and Asia that is not yet in the United States, and a whole set of techniques for caring for the most vulnerable people in our world. One of the mentors taught me a story about a gentleman who had lost, I think, a leg, and he had been in a really bad accident, and he was not doing any therapy, not doing anything, just letting himself go. And once they realized that he was an avid skier, they got him dreaming again that one day, even though he was 70 with these disabilities, that he would ski again. As soon as that dream took hold, he started participating in therapy, he started getting involved, taking care of himself, and pretty soon he was on the slopes again at 70." Learn more about Koelsch Communities at their website or call (360) 867-1900. Hear more of their podcasts at Answers for Elders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tae Fant, Senior Dining Services Director at Era Living, joins Suzanne to talk about creating a Fine Dining Experience in a Retirement Community. She's based at Era Living's University House Wallingford community. Tae says, "Everyone's perception of fine dining is different. For me, it's a high quality service that usually incorporates multiple courses and formal settings. And when I mean formal settings, it's silverware, it's fine china, it's the table linen... The servers are trained to create those experiences: friendly, personalized, memorable, that's what we want. This is the residents' home, they should always feel welcome and cared for. And for my staff, they always want to be warm, inviting and highly attentive." She adds, "By the time you move in, we're already going to know your name. So we're going to figure you out really quick, they'll seat you with like minded people or re-introduce you to the table and then once you're sat down, my staff members will come and introduce themselves. My staff are here to guide you through the the dining experience. We want to be patient, courteous, we're here for you. Not everybody wants to utilize the fitness center, or go on a trip, or always need health advice, but everybody's got to eat, everybody's gonna come visit us. So we get to form those great experiences with them. And that's when my staff do learn your preferences such as this person always has cranberry juice, or their BLT has to be toasted on sourdough. It's very specific, all those little details." There's more about Era Living at Answers for Elders and at eraliving.com. University House Wallingford is located at 4400 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA 98103, and can be reached at (253) 765-9985.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justin Rutledge, director of Culinary and Dining Operations at Era Living, joins Suzanne to talk about the culinary benefits of senior living communities. He talks about how he puts together the programs, designed more like a hotel or country club with fresh ingredients. He provides an overview of the dining/culinary program, food and dietary choices in retirement communities, and talks about how their chefs design their menus with resident input. Justin says, “We have what we call a food service advisory meeting, and that's where all residents are welcome. We talk food. We're changing our menus out seasonally, and we are building our menus around our resident feedback. Those meetings in particular are a good way of getting a good idea of what the community is looking for on their seasonal menus. And then the chefs take their expertise in tailoring those menus to meet those needs. “Another way we do that is what we call table touching. So being present in the dining room and meeting and talking with our residents. This is not our restaurant, this is your home, and it's just words if we're not out there communicating, showing that that statement is true.” He adds, “Our communities have their own little flair, their own uniqueness. At the Lakeshore, we have a high Japanese population. What you'll see at the Lakeshore you will not see in our other communities necessarily. They have a lot of a la carte items: chicken katsu, ramen, and things like that. Sitting with the residents and seeing what they're looking for, and designing menus around that community, it really provides that extra touch as opposed from menus coming from the top down. They really truly are resident inspired.” There's more about Era Living at Answers for Elders and at eraliving.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People behind the scenes make Era Living's amazing clock tick. Housekeeping Services Director Almaz Berhe joins Suzanne to talk about housekeeping amenities typically provided. Almaz has been University House Wallingford for the last 19 years. Almaz says, "So every resident, they know their housekeeper. They build that relationship, and the housekeeper knows the resident very well because they know what they need, how they want their bed to be done. Each resident has a different way they like it done... When you come to the front door in the community, it's important how it smells, how it looks, and the common area where the residents sit. The housekeeper department is responsible to have all these areas looking good, because this is their living room, their front door, when somebody comes to visit family." There's more about Era Living at Answers for Elders and at eraliving.com. University House Wallingford is located at 4400 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA 98103, and can be reached at (253) 765-9985.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Danielle Parkins, Executive Director of Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattle, joins Suzanne to talk about what's included when new residents move into Era Living. Everything they'd need is included: amenities such as weekly housekeeping, facilities help, 24-hour staff for safety and security, activities from fitness to spirit to intellectually stimulating, dining, internet, cable, a social worker is available onsite, a beautiful pool, and more, including something unique, a partnership with the U of Washington that brings in lecturers, study participants, and a pharmacist that reviews medications with residents. When you get everything you could need and want, when we think what we spend with housing and utilities, what they offer is a bargain, especially with a higher quality of life. Ancillary services include parking, valet service, pet care that'll walk your pets and clean up kitty litter. Unique to them, a nurse practitioner comes to the building twice a week, and residents can see her without going outside the community for care. For people moving in from out of state, that's convenient. Danielle says, "The feelings and the community are most important. It's the residents that live here, that you're making friends with, in forming relationships. It's the staff that care and want to do their best for you and by our residents every day. That's the most important part. We say it's the Aljoya family. And we all celebrate when somebody has a great thing that happens, and we all mourn when there's something bad, or a loss in the community." Danielle adds, "If you were looking for a retirement community to move into, and you want to get a feel for what the community can provide you, and the people, I'd say go and have a couple of meals. Ask to sit with some residents that already live there. Attend a couple events. I'm hoping everyone does as extensive activities as we do. You get a calendar, pick a couple of things and go and see what the feel is like of these activities that are happening. And talk to the the staff. If you see somebody, ask them what's it like to be here? Do you enjoy working here? I think that could give you a good feel for what the community is like, and what you can expect." There's more about Era Living at Answers for Elders and at eraliving.com. Aljoya Thornton Place is located at 450 NE 100th St. in Seattle, WA.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marlina Velasco-Barker joins Suzanne to talk about therapy dog training. Washington Therapy Dogs is the Western Washington headquarters of Pet Partners. Formerly a research organization, Pet Partners grew to become a place to register and evaluate trainers, and collaborate with them to connect with other pet teams. To register a therapy dog, they must be at least a year old. There are several requirements. Then they should be given the basic foundational training that comes with being certified as a canine good citizen. Then therapy dog training helps desensitize them from distractions, be familiarized being around walkers, wheelchairs, and sudden, random events and loud noises. If you have a good relationship and rapport with your dog, consider looking into dog therapy. Visit Washington Therapy Dogs to learn about the state organization, or Pet Partners for national therapy dog information. You can also contact Suzanne or visit their Facebook group.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marlina Velasco-Barker joins Suzanne to talk about what makes a dog a good therapy dog, and what makes a person a good handler. The dog has to be a willing recipient of multiple pets, accustomed to being in crowded situations, predictable, canine good citizen, ability to adjust to stressful environments and situations, and having confidence. The human also has to be confidence and comfortable. Listen in to learn more. Visit Washington Therapy Dogs to learn about the state organization, or Pet Partners for national therapy dog information. You can also contact Suzanne or visit their Facebook group.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marlina Velasco-Barker joins Suzanne to talk about animal assisted intervention – who the dogs visit, and what happens during a visit. Starting with visiting senior living communities, they're expanding to visit community colleges, military bases, and other sites. "The moment a senior spots a dog, many go from being nonverbal to verbal." Visit Washington Therapy Dogs to learn about the state organization, or Pet Partners for national therapy dog information. You can also contact Suzanne or visit their Facebook group.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coach Marlina Velasco Barker of Washington Therapy Dogs joins Suzanne, describing how her experience with her aging mom brought her to the world of animal assisted intervention. Washington Therapy Dogs' mission is to spread joy, comfort, support, and unconditional doggie love to any one who is vulnerable. For Marlina, it's become a passion project. It's grown from a Facebook group to ally with Pet Partners, which was selected because of their rigid standards. Visit Washington Therapy Dogs to learn about the state organization, or Pet Partners for national therapy dog information. You can also contact Suzanne or visit their Facebook group.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Innovator Ryan Herd joins Suzanne to talk about how technology is advancing for later life care. The good news is that machine learning lets us start helping caregivers with the appropriate uses of technology. A good example is the video doorbell. Cameras or listening devices inside are inappropriate, but outside is great, it lets them see who's outside, whether it's an Amazon delivery guy with a package, grandson coming over, or someone she doesn't know. Other solutions are in the pipeline to help caregivers have a bit more peace of mind, to give you some extra time. Let's say mom routinely vacuums on Wednesdays, but over time we see that she's stopped doing that, starting to forget taking her pills, or moving around less, forgetting to close doors, perhaps these could be signs of a mobility issue or Alzheimer's. Even if you see your loved one all the time, they're never going to tell you that they're having trouble. That doesn't happen; they always say they're fine, they don't want to burden you. Caregiver Smart Solutions sets up very simply. You buy the core kit, then scan a QR code that downloads the app to your phone. You plug in the hub, then peel and stick sensors around the house. The hardest thing is what do you call that sensor, grandma's room, living room, family room? That's up to you. Technology helps seniors living in their homes longer. Pay attention to what's out there. This gives you both freedom. As sons and daughters, sisters and wives, something like this is so in the background, it's passive, but it's important. To learn more, visit Caregiver Smart Solutions or call 888-585-5022. Use code AFE10 to get 10% off core kits.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Innovator Ryan Herd joins Suzanne to talk about how we can help to make sure that our loved ones are safe, be connected to them if they're in a trouble situation, while they maintain their dignity and age in place in their home, which is so valuable and important. So many people say, "Just put a camera in the house." That won't work — nobody wants to be on camera, nobody wants to have their privacy violated. Caregiver Smart Solutions adds a measure of safety while retaining dignity and respect for seniors. Let's say mom gets up to go the bathroom, and falls on the way. What happens is that you'll get an alert on your phone. In this case, that'd be a big thing, and you'd want to call mom, call the neighbor, or whatever that might be. You can't be there all the time, even if you have someone coming to the home to help with activities of daily living. There are 268 hours in a week, and you can't be there every moment to make sure mom's OK. If you get a phone call while putting groceries in the fridge, and accidentally leave the door open, it'll beep after a few minutes to alert you. As we get older, our hearing worsens, and we can no longer hear the frequency of those beeps. If that happens with your mom, she doesn't hear the beeping, and maybe she goes back to the kitchen a few hours later to find that the fridge was left open. Did her food go bad? Will she eat spoiled food? If she's 97, she lived through the Depression, she's not going to throw out anything. With Caregiver Smart Solutions, you'd get an alert about the fridge door being open, and you could call your mom and ask her to check her fridge. To learn more, visit Caregiver Smart Solutions or call 888-585-5022. Use code AFE10 to get 10% off core kits.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Innovator Ryan Herd joins Suzanne to talk about providing hope, dignity and a sense of wellness for aging seniors living alone in their homes. You're doing your best, but you can't be there all the time to check on your aging loved one. Ryan's grandmother is in her 90s and lives alone. He developed a non-invasive caregiving app called Caregiver Smart Solutions. Sensors about the size of a quarter are placed discreetly around the home. They're collecting data points, learning about how your loved one moves around during the day. If mom gets up regularly at 6:30 every day, you'd want to know if she was up all night and didn't get up that morning. Maybe she was just binge-watching Netflix, but you'd just want to know if she'd had a medical emergency. It's a passive, habit-based system. If you can get mom to wear the "I've fallen and I can't get up" device, that's great. Often you can't. With the sensor system, there are emergency buttons around the house, but if she falls while walking to the bathroom, and can't get to an alert button, sensors can figure out that mom didn't make it to the bathroom and can alert you. To learn more, visit Caregiver Smart Solutions or call 888-585-5022. Use code AFE10 to get 10% off core kits.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know somebody or has someone who wants to age in place in their home. Ryan Herd joins Suzanne to talk about how Caregiver Smart Solutions helps families and seniors. Ryan first faced caregiving challenges when his father got cancer, and one medicines had to be taken exactly at 24-hour intervals. Ryan would ask if he'd taken it, and couldn't sure if he had. Thinking of a tech solution, he came to the same conclusion as a lot of people: "Put a camera in that house." Retrospectively, the worst idea, as it was invasive. His father covered the camera with a dish towel — nobody wants to be on camera 24/7. Ryan eventually developed a suite of sensors, which doesn't use cameras or require loved ones to wear anything. As a caregiver, he needed an easy way to get clarity of care. These sensors monitor the loved one's habits over time and can alert a caregiver when something unusual happens. To learn more, visit Caregiver Smart Solutions or call 888-585-5022. Use code AFE10 to get 10% off core kits. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're planning ahead and thinking about your health as you age, Tina Hall from Era Living joins Suzanne to talk about key questions someone should ask a senior living community. If you can, see their most recent state survey. You want to know the care is good, they're not making mistakes, they're doing things right. What's their turnover rate? Longevity means a better relationship with their residents. Ask about the food, how are menus designs, you want to try a meal or two. Ask about the activities. Ask about cost, do they accept Medicaid if you run out of money, just in case. What care options do they have, assisted living, what if they need additional care? What are their move-out triggers, if they can't provide care any more? Do they have memory care? Do they have flexible licensing, what if your spouse needs care too? Also, how involved can your family members be? Can they be involved in care conferences, for meals, for activities? We're social animals, and having engagement with family and people we care about are vital for health. Listen to hear more great questions to ask. Learn more about Tina Hall, and there's more about Era Living at Answers for Elders and eraliving.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tina Hall from Era Living has talked with Suzanne about different ways of thinking about your life, planning for your future for a time when you might not be able to care for yourself as you age, so you know what you want. But what about running out of money? The cost of care varies regionally, so you need to know what your needs are, how long you'll need care, and what things cost in your area. Ultimately equity in your home will probably pay for your care, but what if it's not enough? You may need to look further afield, so have the financial conversation up front with the community to figure out if they'll be long-term solution. Be willing to compromise in some areas, but don't compromise in your care choices, because ultimately your care is essential. You don't want to have to move again. Learn more about Tina Hall, and there's more about Era Living at Answers for Elders and eraliving.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After you've decided what you want later in life when you can't care for yourself, it's time to sit down with your family to get them on board. Telling them the benefits to you, how important your future is, is important. Tina Hall from Era Living joins Suzanne to talk about these considerations. Every family member wants what's best for their parents and kids. Everyone has an idea of what that looks like, and if plans aren't made ahead of time, conflict comes up. Talk, take tours. Tell them you're in an early research phase, you're not going to move this month, this year, or maybe even three years from now, you just want to find out what the lifestyle is like, how much it costs, and if they can care for your health issues. Learn more about Tina Hall, and there's more about Era Living at Answers for Elders and eraliving.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aging is an achievement. But a lot of people in their 50s, 60, and even their 70s often aren't thinking about what's going to happen with their health in the future. Tina Hall from Era Living joins Suzanne to talk about preparing for that future. Tina says, "Even if an individual is not sure if they ever want to move to a senior living community, it is a really good idea to educate yourself on what your options are, and what that whole journey might look like, in the event that at some point in the future, it is something that makes sense in your life." Eventually, at some point, you'll be starting a new chapter in your life where you're not able to care for yourself independently — it's just a part of aging. A lot of us don't want to think about getting old. We want you to be empowered, and that happens with early planning. Sit down with your family, tell them what your plans are. In this hour, we'll talk about that process, how to make those transitions, how to start having these conversations with your family to get everyone on board. Sometimes it's a challenge. How do you know when it's time to start the journey? Consider how your life is compared to five years ago. What's the likely progression in the next five or ten years? Think about what you want. If you couldn't take care of yourself, what would you want, and what's realistic, based on your healthcare options, finances, and other factors? Tina says, "Another big thing to think about is: are you still driving? Are you able to get out and do the things that you used to do, or are you starting to become more isolated? One of the things that people don't realize is a big indicator of your physical health in the future is your emotional and your social health, and that has so much to do with whether or not you are connected and engaged with other people. If you are finding that your world is becoming smaller, because perhaps you live in an area where it's difficult for people to get to you, or you're not driving — and so you're not getting out to church, or you're not easily getting to the grocery store — if your social life has shrunk to a point where you're not seeing people very often, this can be really, really difficult on your health." Learn more about Tina Hall, and there's more about Era Living at Answers for Elders and eraliving.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Susan Strand joins Suzanne to talk about social connections, the robust and unique programming at Era Living. Susan is the Life Enrichment Director of University House Issaquah. "The fun team" is the group that provides the fun at the community, scheduling daily activities, personal transportation, and more. How do you begin, how do you plan? Era Living has a standard of activities that's a great place to start, providing mind-body-spirit connection, and Susan meets monthly with her residents to see what they want to do, bounce ideas off of each other. Among the unique things they've done included bringing in two live llamas. Music, happy hour with appetizers and celebrations, creative writing classes, tea pairing... They also bring in lecturers such as art history, music history, philosophy series... they learn about rocks, birds, you name it. Something different, always providing new opportunities and new experiences is the goal, as well as learning. Susan says, "When I provide opportunities for our residents to learn, that's when I have great attendance and that's when I have the best feedback. Those could be lectures where they learn something, they could be a super cool outing where we go to a behind the scenes tour, or — this one was good, this was a tea pairing. We went and learned about tea, and they buy with cheese and chocolate. So that's something different, always providing new opportunities and new experiences as well as learning. We do offer some art classes and a creative writing class. So for those maybe didn't have the time before or didn't know they were good at those things or wanted to pursue those, we have those. We also got in contact with a woman who has service llamas, and these huge two huge llamas came right out of her back of her van. And they came in, and our residents asked tons of questions about the llamas. They walked around the room and then the residents took selfies with them. That was unique." University House Issaquah, featuring independent living and assisted living, is at 22975 SE Black Nugget Rd, Issaquah, WA. Their activity calendar is posted here. Learn all about Era Living at Answers for Elders or at their website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peg Hall, a resident of Era Living's Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattle, Washington, joins Suzanne to provide a resident's perspective of what a typical day is like at an Era Living retirement community. Peg is from New Jersey, lived around the country and in Japan, and ended up on the west coast. She first moved into independent living during the pandemic, and there weren't any activities because of that. "When I first moved into Aljoya, I was independent. I wasn't meeting many people, because the pandemic was going on, and I joke about how I used to go to the trash room to meet the other residents. We didn't have activities or meals together, but it was 2020. What could you do? And after I was here three months, we would go outside and get some exercise, taking a walk. And unexpectedly I got some vertigo, crashed to the ground, and had a severe break to my backbone. "And they were able to help me here. In a couple of days, I was at the hospital, then I had surgery, and then I went to rehab for six weeks and I was kind of in shock during that time. And of course, as I improved, they said, well, now you can get to go home... compute home, well, that's Aljoya. And I was so grateful that I could go back to my apartment and not like in some senior residences where you have to move to another area. I got back to my original apartment with lots of help, and the caregivers — this was assisted living — caregivers coming in very often. Staff watched me closely. My family came frequently. So with all therapists came three kinds of therapy coming right into my apartment. I did not have to leave. Fortunately, my insurance covered that. "During this long period of assisted living, I gradually got better, was able to get in and out of the bed by myself, et cetera. So then I got out of assisted and into independent living where I am now." When asked what advice would she give somebody that is looking into a retirement community, Peg said, "I think you have to decide what is important to you. If you're a people person, then you want to be in a place where you have an opportunity to meet people, and you have to decide if you want a large place — some of them are like hotels to meet their high rise — or a smaller, homier place. And then the first one I looked at was about 25 miles away from the center of the city. And I thought, that's gonna be too far. I wanna enjoy the cultural and educational things that we have in Seattle, I don't want to be too far out in the boonies. So the location would be important." Learn more about Aljoya Thornton Place, located at 450 NE 100th St. in Seattle, WA.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marla Becker joins Suzanne to talk about Era Living, which has eight senior communities in the Seattle, King County area. Marla is Executive Director of the Aljoya Mercer Island community, located off the I-90 corridor with a beautiful walking garden area, a really comfortable space. It features independent living and assisted living. Marla talks about what to expect when you move in. Only the stress is removed when you move in — there's so much to take part in, to do as much or as little as you'd like. Seniors want to be able to do things with their lives, enjoy the things on their bucket list, and not worry about buying groceries, cleaning gutters or mowing their yard. Here they can make connections that help people thrive. It's a great opportunity for seniors. A resident ambassador group welcomes new people who move in, sharing experiences with them to make the transition much easier. Having everything taken care of gives them more time and independence to explore things they wouldn't have tried before, such as art. Residents here have a thirst for life, joy, and activity. Aljoya Mercer Island has 114 apartments ranging from 700 to 2,000 square feet. Learn all about Era Living at Answers for Elders or at their website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tina Hall joins Suzanne from Aljoya Mercer Island to introduce Era Living and talk about its reputation and mission. Founded in 1987, it's a family-owned organization with eight communities in the Greater Seattle area. The founders wanted to establish retirement communities that respect and honor older adults by enriching the quality of their lives, a mission that informs and guides how Era Living operates and how it treats residents and employees. Tina's father was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, and that experience led her to a career in senior living. She provides some examples of how Era Living lives by its mission. When talking about healthy aging, they go beyond a person's physical being to create emotional and social experiences, which shows in meaningful life enrichment activities, culinary programs, arts programs, and unique resident and family supportive programs. In future podcasts, various staff members will talk specifically about what goes into creating these programs, and what a day is like. Some residents will share the stories of their journeys. Era Living has four communities in north Seattle: Ida Culver House Broadview, Ida Culver House Ravenna, Aljoya Thornton Place, and University House Wallingford. Beyond Seattle are four additional communities: Aljoya Mercer Island, University House Issaquah, The Gardens at Town Square, and The Lakeshore. Learn all about Era Living at Answers for Elders or at their website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.