Answers For Elders Radio Network

From the heart of downtown Seattle, Washington, Skyline's Associate Executive Director Brooke Kasten and Suzanne talk about the Skyline senior living community. Skyline offers comprehensive care options including orthopedic and stroke rehabilitation, assisted living and memory support. From resort-quality amenities to jaw-dropping rooftop deck views to well-appointed apartment homes and gourmet dining venues, every element of the Seattle senior living community comes together to create an unforgettable retirement lifestyle. Skyline is located at 725 9th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104. Arrange a complimentary tour at (206) 207-0036. Learn more:* Skyline: https://skylineseattle.org/* More senior living podcasts: https://answersforelders.com/category/discover-senior-living/ Answers for Elders is part of the Senior Resource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about her new series of gift-giving tips videos, which will be posted this month at the Senior Resource YouTube site. The first four videos:* Print items – Mirador magazine, Nana's Books, Reminisce Books* Free gifts – phone calls, cards, driving, * Technology for the total care team – GrandPad, RecallCue, Map Habit* A little money, a little time – Make an extra meal, work on a hobby together, go out for coffee or a meal Find the videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@SeniorResource The products Lori mentions can be found on Dementia Map, a global resource directory at DementiaMap.com. Learn more:* Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about caregiver happiness over the holidays. This segment focuses on ways we can give a little happiness to those who are caring for a loved one. Lori says, "There's a lot of different stories out there from so many different angles, from people sending flowers or cards on a regular basis. Instead of getting a bill in the mail, you get something sweet and funny. That just kind of lifts you up. There are some actual caregiver cards. I don't know who makes them, but I bought some at one time and I've sent them all out, but they were just kind of hilarious or real heartwarming cards just about what you're doing, and how you appreciate that, which I thought was really, really special. "I also love spa days and things like that with friends, or going out for coffee. Just a specific thing that does not cost much. A lot of times we're making a date to just get together and be able to reminisce and be able to breathe. It's about getting away from the chores, and feeling exhausted. I don't think it always has to be big and fancy and flashy. I think bringing inner generations into it, too, can just be a blast. When families get together and you get everyone doing things from a different angle, yet you're all there, and the kids are recording things. So you have those memories to be able to last, I think is important. And telling jokes... Sometimes it's old-time silly jokes or sometimes it's the little kids coming forward with theirs. There's just so much that people can do. It could be somebody coming over. Maybe one set of friends is gonna take them out and the other one's gonna clean the house as a surprise when they come back." Learn more:* Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to share stories about how to find caregiver happiness over the holidays. Suzanne shared a story. "When I met my husband, I'd been caring for my mom. And one of the things that I hadn't realized until I met him was that I'd forgotten how to laugh. I didn't have a lot of joy or laughter or lightness in my life. I had nothing but this heavy, heavy burden, and you just learn to live with it. And so, when a family reached out to me before the holidays, I told them, 'Whether they're a family member or a close friend of a caregiver, there's one significant thing you can do for that person. And that is to be primarily responsible for bringing joy into their life. Think about how you could do some things to bring joy.' There was three girls in the family. One daughter was taking care of mom and dad. The other two sisters lived about an hour away in different directions. What they ended up doing was, they called themselves the Joy Patrol. "I remembering vaguely what they did, but this is really cool. They planned an event for the caregiver daughter. Once a month, one of them would take their place taking care of mom and dad. The other one would take them out someplace fun, someplace that they love to go. And they alternated every other month, and that was the gift for that year. It was the gift of the Joy Patrol. What happened was that they got an opportunity to get closer as a family. This was amazing. The other two daughters had the experience every other month being there with mom and dad all day. They realized what the caregiving sister goes through. They had a higher appreciation for that type of a situation. And the family caregiver daughter had something to look forward to. It brought this family closer, and it lifted the resentment that sometimes caregivers feel." Lori adds, "When you said, I forgot how to laugh – that is serious. That is something that happens to so many people. We push laughter to the side, and we don't realize that our body needs that. It changes our physiology, and our mindset, and it gives us something to giggle about later on. You also mentioned about how families sometimes can be distant, or almost volatile, and being together and being able to appreciate one another and just sometimes getting to know one another again, to be able to appreciate what's really going on in their life, and to be able to have that commonality of joy is just something... I love that they stretched it over the year, because a lot of times people will step up for the holidays, and then [disappear]." Learn more:* Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about caregiver happiness over the holidays. Suzanne says, "There are so many things that a family caregiver goes through. Think about the world out there, think about how you are just seeing people coming and going, and yet there is that individual that not only is trying to make a happy holiday season for their family and their immediate family, they might have children at home. But if you're caring for a loved one, a senior loved one or a spouse, there's this whole new element of, not only do I feel the pressure for myself, but how do I make the holidays special for those that I love. And when you have someone that you're caring for, that is not so easy." "We touched on some things in a previous show, how sometimes we forget to say thank you to those that we care about. But we also don't probably recognize all of the sacrifices that they make over the holiday season. I would love to have you share your thoughts on what life is like for a typical family caregiver that is taking care of someone that they love. And how does that affect the holiday season for them? Lori answers, "How are holidays for most people? They're chaotic. There is so much stress of what it's supposed to look like, how it's supposed to be, and keeping up with the Joneses to begin with, and all of our schedules are too tight, from the very beginning, and now you've got to decorate, and buy gifts, and do all of those types of things. Then you add in a person who is caring for someone, and now they're living two lives in their 24 hours. They have to fit in two different lives. It's different than taking care of your kids that, as they grow older, you can let them go do this and go do that. Many times, you're the person who has to go do that. Often, especially with our elders, you are picking up tasks that maybe you didn't do before. Maybe they did all the driving, and now you have to do the driving. You are now responsible for all the finances, and you never paid the bills before. These are the things that people don't think about. Or maybe they did all the cooking and the laundry, and now that's added on to your plate, and you thought your life was pretty full before that. "So you're living your life for two people, and then you're adding on all of these specialty kind of items for the holidays. On top of that, you have the guilt of how do I pull this off and not be in chaos? But yet how do I get some sleep, so so that I can carry out all of these things? I think there's so many things that are overlooked by people, because it's just taken for granted that they're doing OK, because we put on that Stepford-wife smile, like we've got it under control, and then we walk away and roll our eyes, and want to scream, 'We're never gonna get this all done!' "One is just appreciating how much is on somebody's plate. We're not in control of our schedules – that can change in a heartbeat. So you and I who aren't caring for someone, we can have our little checklist, and at three we're gonna do this, and then we're gonna go meet friends for happy hour, and then we're gonna go do this. A person who's caring for someone else can have major catastrophes throughout the day. That might not seem like a lot, but they are a lot when you're trying to squeeze them into one schedule." Learn more:* Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk how to give thanks to family caregivers on this Thanksgiving weekend, who put their lives on hold to take care of a senior loved one. Lori says, "Sometimes I think it's not even a formal thank you. And so a phone call or a card that just says I'm thinking of you, I'm praying for you. I love you. And then throw an offer out there. You want to go to a movie, you wanna go out to dinner, here's a gift card for a massage. I mean, there's so many different ways to do it. But I think those personal phone calls can really lift somebody up. You can laugh on a phone call. And that sometimes is really needed. Sometimes you can do that through a text, or an email. Just being able to remember and support them through all of life, it takes away [the feeling that] I'm not alone, that so many people have." Suzanne says, "If you know someone that is caring for a loved one and what kind of restaurant they love, there's all kinds of services like Doordash and Grubhub. Order a meal and have it sent by surprise. One time we had an opportunity to do that for someone who was caring for their mom. I had it sent and, and I called, and I said, 'Don't make plans for dinner tonight.' It was nothing for me to do it. It saves them hours of time not having to cook a meal and it brings some joy to their life." Lori adds, "We're in the holiday season, so helping them with decorations inside, out, or buying a wreath, or a poinsettia, all kinds of little teeny things can make a huge, huge difference. Or maybe somebody needs help shoveling snow, arranging for something like that. Or cutting the grass. Those things are huge." Learn more:* Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about family caregiver statistics on Thanksgiving weekend. There are close to 60 million family caregivers in the United States. One in five provide unpaid care, 64% are women, 50% spend an average of 20 hours per week in caregiving, while 20% spend an average of 50 hours per week in caregiving. Family caregivers are involved in 80% of major decisions, and 75% are the primary Power of Attorney in financial, legal, and healthcare matters. Lori says, "People don't realize the cost and where it all draws from. Some caregivers move into a loved one's house, or some have them move into their home. Some are transporting back and forth and you've got time and mileage, wear and tear on the car, but you are picking up prescriptions and a lot of times paying for those. Same with groceries. There can be legal things. There are so many things that you end up paying for. You just pick it up because it's sometimes less work than trying to get reimbursed for it." Learn more:* Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about the impact of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter on family caregiving. Carter, who passed away on November 19, founded the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers in 1987. Rosalynn Carter said, "There are only four kinds of people in this world, those who have been caregivers, those that are caregivers, those who will be caregivers or those who will need caregivers." This month, we have been celebrating and acknowledging, and most importantly, thanking those that are taking care of loved ones. Rosalynn Carter really raised awareness, and this segment focuses on her accomplishments. Lori says, "I just think of this sweet compassionate soul, somebody who saw the bigger picture way before it was OK to talk about, and really saw the need to have this conversation, to make the world comfortable in terms of even recognizing that you need help, or that you're giving help, or whatever it might be. And I loved her quote, that everyone's gonna fall into this net at one time or another, and there's no escaping it, and there shouldn't be any, any shame associated with it. People shouldn't have to feel overwhelmed, or have to hide it. And we should all still be able to live authentic lives through it. That's part of being human, that's part of society, that's part of living in community. And I think Rosalynn really understood the true meaning of living in community, where you help one another, you support one another, and you do that through kindness." Learn more:* Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com* Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers: https://rosalynncarter.org Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtesy of Era Living, Suzanne is joined by Stefanie Starkovich, Executive Director of the UW Retirement Association. The association is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, powered by dues-paying members and member-volunteers, and supported by the University of Washington. Stefanie talks about what's available in this organization to enrich retired seniors. Stefanie says, "We really serve the diverse community of retired faculty and staff of the university. So, right now, that's about 10,000 living individuals. And it really runs the spectrum from faculty who taught at the university, to custodial and facility staff, to the professional staff who work in academic and student services, clinicians, and nurses, and other clinical staff in UW medicine's various hospitals and facilities. So it's this really rich and diverse body of folks. And we like to say we're a little bit like an alumni association, but the distinction for us is instead of spending four years affiliated with the institution, our members tend to have spent 30 or 40 years working for the institution. So they have a deep and abiding commitment to the university that really doesn't need to end simply because they're no longer drawing a paycheck." The association's connection to Era Living "actually goes back to the very reason that the organization was founded. Back in 1975, the retirement association was established by a group of faculty and staff. At that point in time, part of their purpose was to explore housing options for retirement, faculty, and staff of the university. They saw a real need, and so thus began a rather long odyssey. I think that idea sounded much easier than it proved to be in practice. And the board and its committees worked for a number of years to sort of figure out, what does that actually mean to pursue that kind of retirement housing? And when Era Living opened Ida Culver House in partnership with the Seattle Education Association, that's when Era Living as an organization came to the attention of the Retirement Association. And they thought, what an interesting partnership with an interesting commitment. And that is actually the beginning of that partnership." Stefanie adds, "Our members experience a really rich sort of set of perks and privileges. Our members enjoy priority access to the waitlist for University House Wallingford, which can be really quite valuable, because communities are in high demand. And as you can imagine, when you're ready to make that decision, it can be really reassuring to feel like you've got kind of an an inside track on getting space. There's some financial incentives as well for our members, but really what's important to them is that priority access. And also knowing that at University House, those other connections to the School of Nursing, and the School of Pharmacy, and the school, that all of the services provided at University House are really steeped in the latest research and the latest practices in terms of clinicians." Learn more:* UW Retirement Association: https://retirees.uw.edu/* Era Living's website: https://www.eraliving.com/ Hear more podcasts about Era Living at Answers for Elders, including conversations with other residents, at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtesy of Era Living, Suzanne is joined by Professor Basia Belza from the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging, part of the University of Washington School of Nursing. Dr. Belza says, "The mission of the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging is to advance the science and the practice of healthy aging through the support of innovations and research, education and practice. And the center was initially endowed by Dr. Riba de Tornyay, who's one of our former deans at the University of Washington School of Nursing. And her husband Rudy Reba was a trailblazer when it comes to nursing as well as gerontology. And so their belief in the center was really that we would accomplish four things. One is that we would foster partnerships with our community partners. We would support the training of the workforce, specifically the nursing workforce. We would fund and promote healthy aging research and we would mentor and support students who were passionate about healthy aging." "It's an incredible partnership. In the early 1990s, one of the graduates of our PhD program was Doctor Heather Young, and she had a faculty appointment. But she also received the position of the Director of Community Health at Ida Culverhouse Broadview, which is one of the Era Living communities. And in that capacity, she really started our relationship. And five years later funded the de Tornyay Center. And so we have had 25 years of this partnership. "And I would love to be able to give you some examples of things that really have worked well in this partnership. So one is this program called Thrive, creating a therapeutic environment in the Era Living communities. This program was initially developed and evaluated by a team of staff, students, and faculty and then also Era Living residents and staff. And together the program was developed and evaluated four years ago and the program still continues today. "We have both faculty and students that every other month come into the communities and provide health lectures. And it's really up to the individual residents to make choices whether they come – the rooms are typically filled. I gave a lecture last month on brain health and its relationship to physical activity, very well attended. People wanted to know what are some accommodations I can make, so I can continue to be physically active, and I could be really good with it, but I might be starting to have some knee pain or I might not be able to go as faster as far. So those adaptations are really important. "One of our students is a professional violinist, and she came and talked about music on the mind. And as part of her presentation, which was standing-room only, she played her violin. And so she got everybody into the mindset of what it's like when you have music in the background or foreground and how that can help your health. So these lecture series are really critical ways that we build on our partnership and help residents make their own choices as far as ways that they can improve." Learn more:* Basia Belza: https://nursing.uw.edu/person/basia-belza/* UW School of Nursing: https://nursing.uw.edu/* Era Living's website: https://www.eraliving.com/ Hear more podcasts about Era Living at Answers for Elders, including conversations with other residents, at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See <a...

June Sekiguchi, one of three art curators for Era Living, joins Suzanne to talk about art and how it plays into seniors and senior living. June is an arts organizer, practicing studio artist, and independent curator for Era Living. As a founding member of the artEAST Art Center, a visual arts non-profit organization and currently is collaborating with three artists to open an exhibition space for experimental 3-D works in all media with a focus on regional, national, and international artist exchanges. June has led organizational efforts for national and international art exhibition exchanges for Shift Collaborative Studio in Seattle and Stockholm, Sweden, Texas, and Arkansas. June says, "There are temporary rotating exhibitions at all of the Era Living communities. And we host three shows per year. So there are constantly shows being produced, and you can always see something that buildings are open, better than gallery hours. Now that we're post pandemic, we can open up, and people can see the shows. I'm one of three curators now at Era Living. And so we put out calls – big calls for art – and they're usually theme-based. And we also work with arts organizations. So, for instance, Women Painters of Washington or Seattle Co. Arts, those kind of members organizations, we do group shows for their members." June adds, "Once we have the show launched, we do the installation, and beautify the space and refresh the space. So then we hold gala receptions, which are different at each location, but usually it's a big party=. There's usually live music and hors d'oeuvres and wine. And it's a very festive feel, and the residents look forward to it, because it's something to look forward to as a party, but also to see the new art changed over, and meet the artist as well. So it's a really feel-good time... the residents overwhelmingly welcome the new work coming in. It refreshes the space and it enlightens spaces and it's a chance for new dialogue and conversations about the art. It's not always that people are going to love every piece of art, but that dialogue happens. Maybe they don't like it, and the reasons why, so it's a conversation builder and it just makes them start thinking about the art that we're presenting. "At University House Wallingford, I lead curators preview tours. So I come after the installation is done, and people sign up for doing a little tour with me, so I can talk about the art. There are other things that we do in conjunction with the art shows. We have in the past done artist talks, so we select two or three artists from the show, and then they can go more in-depth with their art practice. So that's really enriching opportunities, and it's a wonderful opportunity for the artist as well to do that sharing." Learn more:* June Sekiguchi: https://www.junesekiguchi.com/bio* Era Living's website: https://www.eraliving.com/ Hear more podcasts about Era Living at Answers for Elders, including conversations with other residents, at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtesy of Era Living, Emily Jones, executive director of NEST – North East Seattle Together, joins Suzanne to talk about connections. NEST is a virtual community connecting members with each other and with resources to age successfully in the place they call home. It's a 501(c)(3) non-profit grassroots community founded in 2009. NEST makes it easier for people to connect in the ways that they want to connect, whether for social activities or a hand around the house. Emily says, "NEST stands for North East Seattle Together. It's a grassroots organization that was founded in 2009 by a group of neighbors who were interested in staying where they lived, and they didn't want something like an achy lower back or arthritic hands to keep them from living in their homes. And so they realized that, through a neighbor network, they would be able to support each other. So if they needed weeds pulled, they could ask a neighbor to do it, or take the garbage out to the curb. There was a movement that began in the Boston area for virtual villages. And the idea was to create a network of neighbors who wanted to support each other through the transitions of aging. And so the movement came over here to the west coast, and we are the oldest virtual village in the Seattle area. There are six now in the greater Seattle area." Emily adds, "NEST began a sponsorship program in 2015, and Era Living was one of our very first platinum sponsors. They have been loyal and incredible partners with us since then. And they've helped us in a whole variety of ways, from sponsoring programs and events, but also in ways that help us celebrate our members and our volunteers. Right now, we have a speaker series going on about creating connections. And this month's focus is on finding connections to the holidays. So they bring in speakers that are of interest to our members and the general community. And then we also actually are holding a fall prevention workshop at Aljoya Thornton Place of their locations as well. So we bring some of our activities to them and they help bring some activities and events to us as well and to our members." Learn more:* NEST: https://nestseattle.clubexpress.com* Era Living's website: https://www.eraliving.com/ Hear more podcasts about Era Living at Answers for Elders, including conversations with other residents, at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flanna says, "A lot of people don't know really what home care services are, and sometimes they get kind of mixed up with home health. Home care services are non-medical services that we provide to people in their home, and we call them activities of daily living. So that's like hygiene dressing, taking a shower, moving around your home, maybe bed mobility, repositioning, things like that. And home health is actually services provided by a licensed practical or registered nurse that are medical in nature, like wound care care, they might come in and provide one type of task. And so the type of services we provide are the first ones I described, which are the home care services. So it really can range, and every client has different care needs. "We provide supervision support for someone who is mobile, they can move around their home, they can still feed themselves, but we're there to do coaching, queuing, make sure they take their medication, help them with some hygiene, meal preparation, all the way – the full spectrum – to someone who might be quadriplegic, who really is on a caregiver to provide every single activity of daily living for them, helping them prepare and set up everything for meals, feeding them, and all of those supports. "That's really the gamut of kind of home care is, and really intended to be an hourly service. So we can come in for one-hour visits all the way up to live-in support, what we call 24/7 care, where we're providing 24/7 awake care for clients. And so we provide the full range of service, which is really great for families because you could be the informal caregiver and take Saturday and Sunday off. The home care agency can provide two 12-hour shifts on Saturdays and Sundays, and really just give you the weekend back essentially. Or it could be just a morning routine, or evening routine, or even providing supports during the day while the informal caregiver's at work. So it runs the full kind of spectrum of care needs. And we also do medical escort, grocery shopping, activities like errands and the park. For private pay clients, they need to go to the casino, we'll take them. Lots of different things that people like to do, we can make sure that they still have integration in the community." Learn more:* Fedelta: https://fedeltahomecare.com/ Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flanna Perkins, CEO of Fedelta Home Care in Seattle &amp; Portland, Oregon, joins Suzanne to talk about caregivers getting extra assistance from home care, a wonderful way to improve the lives of both the caregiver and the senior. Suzanne says, "A caregiver isn't supposed to be a sacrificial lamb. They are supposed to be an advocate, and I think that's a mind shift. It's an ability to understand that you're a facilitator, and it's still about your loved one's life. And I think that's one of the things that we forget. I know, I forgot that point while caregiving." Flanna replies, "One thing I see a lot of times is that decision making leaves the client. If we stop trusting that our parent, for example, can make their own decisions and can live their own life. And there's this concept called 'dignity of risk.' And sometimes we don't give people that dignity to take their own risks. Your parent's health is declining, and you come in, and you really start dictating a lot of things. And to me that's when I see the relationship between the elderly person and their adult child take a turn for the worse. It's really important to allow the person who needs care, the ability to continue to make decisions for themselves, and have that independence. I think that by doing that, you end up having more trust with your parent, or whoever you care for, and understand what their wants and desires are. "A lot of times we come in too late, very late in the process of the person's illness. And so now it's very difficult, because we're a stranger, and they don't know us, and we're coming in and providing a person that they don't know, and the person receiving care is scared and they're nervous. And so one of the big recommendations I have, and that's why I'm such a believer in respite care, is that when you start seeing that your loved one needs a little bit more care, needs a little bit more help, start home care a little bit sooner, with fewer hours. And [when you're] in a respite care-type situation, you'll then have things in a much better place when you need a little bit more care, and you can just kind of slowly increase care for that loved one, and it isn't such a whiplashing experience for them. So that's, that's one of my recommendations. "When we come in and provide care, most times families are really relieved. It's really powerful. They just feel like they can just kind of like really go back to being the adult child." Suzanne suggests, "Select a home care agency before you need them. Especially if someone's on Medicaid, they have to get approved. If you're aging in place at home, even if you don't need home care, get you yourself registered with one. Then if you have a fall, you need somebody, whatever it is, you don't have to go through a process. You can have somebody there that day. in many cases." Flanna agrees. "Every state has a lot of regulations around these services. It isn't just a matter of dispatching a caregiver into a home. There's a very kind of formal process that happens. When we see situations that are very stressful, [it's because] there's been a lot of delay in getting services started." Learn more:* Fedelta: https://fedeltahomecare.com/ Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flanna Perkins, CEO of Fedelta Home Care in Seattle &amp; Portland, Oregon, joins Suzanne to talk about caregivers getting extra assistance. Fedelta provides companionship care, respite care, post hospital care, daily living assistance, long-term care, end of life comfort &amp; care, and personal care. Flanna says, "There are two types of caregivers. There's what we would call the informal caregiver. Suzanne, you were the informal caregiver for your mother: you were providing care for her, it was unpaid, you were doing it because she was your mom, out of the kindness of your heart. And then there are the caregivers that our company hires, paid caregivers, people that come in and provide paid support for folks. And one thing that we see so often that happens is when people finally make it to us, a lot of times that informal caregiver is really burnt out, frustrated." She adds, "And a lot of families feel guilt. They feel like they should be doing more for their loved one. They also feel like they shouldn't be asking for outside help at times, they should do it on their own. And really, when we come in, we're saying, 'Hey, where are the pain points for you? What are the places that are creating extra stress?' And we find those areas, and say, what if we just take these things off of your plate? We don't want to take everything away. That's not the goal for any professional that comes in, and provides care for additional assistance. But you know, it's pretty powerful when you get the full care team together to provide care. Kind of almost that kind of 'takes a village' concept, when you're providing care for a loved one. And a lot of times we don't really plan or understand what our end of life will look like or the end of life for our parents will look like. And it's really traumatizing. It's very hard, it's difficult, it's emotional. I mean, you know, even though I've worked in this field for my, pretty much my entire adult life, you know, we're all also experiencing it ourselves with our loved ones as well." "This really amazing person answers all of our calls. Our home care supervisors are happy to come out, and we do phone screenings, and phone assessments for our clients. We can go to the home and provide a home visit. But most of the work we do, honestly, is in this space when we have an informal caregiver, and it's usually a son or a daughter, who is reaching a point in delivering care to their loved one that they just can't manage it independently any longer." Learn more:* Fedelta: https://fedeltahomecare.com/ Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kitty Norton, creator and producer of ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne to talk more about her caregivers documentary. She describes where you can watch the movie, shares feedback she's gotten from various screenings, and updates us on the status of the film. Kitty says, "We're finishing up the last of our film festivals this weekend. But because this is National Family Caregiver Month and this is our public roll out, we've got a lot of in-person screenings coming up. There's three in New Jersey later in the month. We have a one in Dallas at the very end of the month. We have one in Seattle at the very end of the month. Everybody should go to www.winewomenanddementia.com, see if it's playing in your area. "This is not yet on the website, but it will be soon. I'm gonna have to pull the film back in December and really figure out 2024, but I wanted to make one big #thankful4caregivers weekend. So the film will be free Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the weekend after Thanksgiving. And you can just log on to the link when I get it made, when I get it on the website, and view the film." Regarding comments she's gotten, Kitty says, "One of the magical things for me about the film that I didn't expect is meeting the caregivers afterwards and being a part of their experience of seeing their journeys belong to the overall narrative of dementia, because we're not talked to very much. We're not asked very much what is happening. I didn't want people to thank me on this journey. What I wanted people to say was, how's your mom, and really mean it, and really want to hear. Like, 'oh, she's in memory care right now.' 'How's that going?' 'Ah, terrible.' You know, or, 'oh, she did this or this? What did you do?' And I was like, 'well, first I laughed hysterically, and then I cleaned the poop up.' Asking these questions and, and be interested, because there's a lot of interesting things that happen in dementia." Learn more:* Wine, Women, and Dementia: https://www.winewomenanddementia.com/* Kitty Norton: https://www.winewomenanddementia.com/the-filmmakers Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kitty Norton, creator and producer of ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne to share three tips for caring for a loved one. Kitty says, "Number one is community. And if people are disappearing on you in this dementia journey, on you and your dementia person, then go elsewhere, find them elsewhere. Get on the forums. Alzheimer's Association has a great forum, Alz Connect, our society in England has a great forum. A lot of support groups have gone permanently online now because of the pandemic. The daughterhood, they have support virtual support groups you can sign up for, see if you like the people in them, see if you see if it clicks with, just find people. Do not do this alone... My solution to not being able to join them for wine was to have a Zoom wine night. They might be together. We all might be on our laptops in our separate houses, and we just pour a glass of wine, and we'd still have our girls night out. "Number two is creativity. This is a journey that you cannot sit in one solution for very long. So just be creative, don't say to yourself, 'I can't do this. My person won't go to day centers. That's never gonna be an option for us.' It may be an option later. They may be more progressed and it may be fine. In the meantime, figure out what you can do to get some of that time to yourself in a different way. You just have to be creative every day. Some of the most frustrating parts for me as a caregiver were real: We just solved that problem a month ago — a month ago we figured out a new way to get the meds in, and now that's not working. And I just wanna bash my head against a wall. Don't go there. Just open your mind up and think about how else to get it done. Everything, everything is an option in dementia. "Number three is you're the expert. I think all of us start this journey thinking the people that we expect to have the answers, the medical community, are going to somehow be helpful. And while I think they're trying to catch up, they are not the expert. Do not put up with doctors who will not work with you, do not put up with doctors who are dismissive of you or your dementia person. Move on, go to someone else. When you have an issue, tell the doctors your solution is not going to work. Do you have another solution, or do I need to talk to someone else? And it takes a while to get there. We're pretty used to them being the authority. But eventually you're going to understand that you're the one who knows the most about your dementia person." Learn more:* Wine, Women, and Dementia: https://www.winewomenanddementia.com/* Kitty Norton: https://www.winewomenanddementia.com/the-filmmakers Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kitty Norton, creator and producer of ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne to talk more about the origins of her caregivers documentary. Kitty says, "I started a blog in 2018 and mom died in 2021. And during that time, we had kind of built this community around people who also were using humor to try and get through that, and acknowledging all the feels, not allowing the stigma and the guilt to be a part of the journey too much. You can't block it all together... Five people in particular in this journey became very, very important to me as virtual support. Everybody who followed the blog commented, all of that stuff, was important, but these five people, I had really connected with them. "After mom died, I decided I wanted to go meet them and I just wanted to tell them in person how much they meant to me, and open a bottle of wine and just talk, because we had been so good at just emails and Zooms. So then I thought, well, if I'm gonna do that, maybe those conversations might be really helpful for other caregivers. Why not hire a film crew and see what we can do here. And we did a month-long trip around the country. But the very first person we did was Allison Schrier up in Seattle, because I'm based in Portland. I wanted to make sure, before we roamed around the country, that I had a film, and I came back, looked at the footage of Alison's formal interview without me. And then the wine chats that we did at night once I showed up, and I was like, for sure, this is a film. This is a film I wish I could have seen in 2016. I want to make this. So that's how the whole trip got started. I bought a beat up old RV, and I plastered mom's face all over it, and I grabbed my friend Bethy from L.A., and she's a screenwriter, so she doesn't have normal jobs like everybody else. And I was like, hey, you wanna go on a three-week trip with me around the country?" Kitty shared what surprised her most about meeting most of them. "I was so nervous: What if we don't like each other in person? I've got an RV, I'm going to be parked in your driveway. I'm gonna be taking your electricity. What if we meet and at the end of the night you're like, "Ugh!" But that didn't happen, we all loved each other, and we just started talking... The crew would sometimes scold us like, "Don't, stop! You're talking about stuff we should have on camera, and we're not set up yet!" We just couldn't wait to start sharing in person the experiences that we had touched on virtually, it's so fantastic." Learn more:* Wine, Women, and Dementia: https://www.winewomenanddementia.com/* Kitty Norton: https://www.winewomenanddementia.com/the-filmmakers Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kitty Norton, creator and producer of the caregivers documentary feature ''Wine, Women, and Dementia,'' joins Suzanne. Kitty shared, "I am the eldest daughter of Gloria and Gary Norton. I have a younger sister. My family always had a very wry, self-deprecating sense of humor. It's always been my saving grace in really difficult situations. When my mother was first diagnosed with vascular dementia, that was back in 2010. And my dad had decided that he would be her primary caregiver and he was very adamant about that. And my father was also kind of very insular. So even though mom had a big family, he was concerned about sisters butting in, and sisters were starting to feel like they weren't allowed access to my mom. And it was an adjustment for everybody. "I was working as an assistant editor in network TV. And in 2016, my father died rather suddenly from pancreatic cancer, and it was diagnosis to death with three weeks. And my sister who lives on the Oregon Coast, both of us knew that mom couldn't live on her own. I had just been hired for the first season of "This is Us," the NBC show, but I had to call and tell them I have to move back home. I have to move back to Oregon and live with my mom. So we did. And it was incredibly tough, like you've said before. It's, you know, this is the hardest thing you'll ever do. "But I was also struck with the amount of life there is to live in dementia. And it's a really, really different life than what you're used to. But there's still life, and my mom still needed to live her life. She wasn't dying anytime soon, and we still needed to leave live ours. So that's a lot of where our humor ended up saving my sister and I. We could get together afterwards after a really tough day. I'd just feel like I did this wrong, I did this wrong, I did this wrong, and then we could laugh about it. She could tease me about it." Kitty adds, "You had to use dementia against itself. We gave her one of those cards that you open and sings once for Mother's Day, and I noticed that at meal time, we'd have it sitting up, and she'd look at it, and she'd open it, and it'd start singing. She'd just giggle, giggle, giggle and then se put it down. Five minutes later I'd pick it up, I'd put it in front of her. I'd give her a couple of minutes. She'd pick it up. She'd open it up it, sing. She'd giggle, giggle, giggle. It was like all new all the time." Learn more:* Wine, Women, and Dementia: https://www.winewomenanddementia.com/* Kitty Norton: https://www.winewomenanddementia.com/the-filmmakers Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to continue the discussion about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years of health ahead of them or already need more support, Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years provides the framework and information you need to prepare for and handle with confidence the changes to come. The responsibility of caring for an aging loved one is often daunting—and when trouble hits, the sudden barrage of questions you face can be overwhelming. Have your parents executed their Advance Directives? Do you know what to look for in a senior community (and how to ensure a spot is available when you need it)? If your parents want to stay in their home, what can you do to ensure their safety? Certified aging life care specialist and CEO of Senior Living Strategies Star Bradbury draws on her 25 years of experience in senior living to bring you an up-to-date, comprehensive guide to navigating the tricky waters ahead—starting with putting a plan in place now that maximizes your parents’ independence while providing them with the support they need. Learn more: * Star Bradbury: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BRT9M6VQ/about* Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Successfully-Navigating-Parents-Senior-Years/dp/1637742479* Google Books preview of the book: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Successfully_Navigating_Your_Parents_Sen/--VxEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;printsec=frontcover Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to continue the discussion about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years of health ahead of them or already need more support, Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years provides the framework and information you need to prepare for and handle with confidence the changes to come. The responsibility of caring for an aging loved one is often daunting—and when trouble hits, the sudden barrage of questions you face can be overwhelming. Have your parents executed their Advance Directives? Do you know what to look for in a senior community (and how to ensure a spot is available when you need it)? If your parents want to stay in their home, what can you do to ensure their safety? Certified aging life care specialist and CEO of Senior Living Strategies Star Bradbury draws on her 25 years of experience in senior living to bring you an up-to-date, comprehensive guide to navigating the tricky waters ahead—starting with putting a plan in place now that maximizes your parents’ independence while providing them with the support they need. Learn more: * Star Bradbury: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BRT9M6VQ/about* Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Successfully-Navigating-Parents-Senior-Years/dp/1637742479* Google Books preview of the book: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Successfully_Navigating_Your_Parents_Sen/--VxEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;printsec=frontcover Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to talk about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years of health ahead of them or already need more support, Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years provides the framework and information you need to prepare for and handle with confidence the changes to come. The responsibility of caring for an aging loved one is often daunting—and when trouble hits, the sudden barrage of questions you face can be overwhelming. Have your parents executed their Advance Directives? Do you know what to look for in a senior community (and how to ensure a spot is available when you need it)? If your parents want to stay in their home, what can you do to ensure their safety? Certified aging life care specialist and CEO of Senior Living Strategies Star Bradbury draws on her 25 years of experience in senior living to bring you an up-to-date, comprehensive guide to navigating the tricky waters ahead—starting with putting a plan in place now that maximizes your parents’ independence while providing them with the support they need. Learn more: * Star Bradbury: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BRT9M6VQ/about* Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Successfully-Navigating-Parents-Senior-Years/dp/1637742479* Google Books preview of the book: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Successfully_Navigating_Your_Parents_Sen/--VxEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;printsec=frontcover Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of National Caregiver Month, Star Bradbury joins Suzanne to continue the discussion about her 2023 book, "Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years." Millions of Americans are in an active caregiver role or will be in one in the future, yet few have a solid plan for the inevitable challenges of aging. Whether your parents are in their 60s or their 90s, and whether they have years of health ahead of them or already need more support, Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years provides the framework and information you need to prepare for and handle with confidence the changes to come. The responsibility of caring for an aging loved one is often daunting—and when trouble hits, the sudden barrage of questions you face can be overwhelming. Have your parents executed their Advance Directives? Do you know what to look for in a senior community (and how to ensure a spot is available when you need it)? If your parents want to stay in their home, what can you do to ensure their safety? Certified aging life care specialist and CEO of Senior Living Strategies Star Bradbury draws on her 25 years of experience in senior living to bring you an up-to-date, comprehensive guide to navigating the tricky waters ahead—starting with putting a plan in place now that maximizes your parents’ independence while providing them with the support they need. Learn more: * Star Bradbury: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BRT9M6VQ/about* Successfully Navigating Your Parents' Senior Years on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Successfully-Navigating-Parents-Senior-Years/dp/1637742479* Google Books preview of the book: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Successfully_Navigating_Your_Parents_Sen/--VxEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;printsec=frontcover Hear more:* Podcasts celebrating caregivers: https://answersforelders.com/category/saluting-caregivers/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lori La Bey, Alzheimer's Speaks host, joins Suzanne to talk about the Noble Swan, an Answers for Elders initiative to help support family caregivers. Suzanne explains the metaphor of the noble swan for caregivers. "The most noble thing you can do is care for someone else. I thought about it a long time, and I thought we need some sort of an icon, that every time you see that icon, it would honor that person, that you get it, the life that they live, that you share that with that other person "A swan glides across the glassy lake, right? You don't see anything else but this graceful beauty of this individual. But what's going on underneath the surface is, these feet are feverishly paddling to get that swan to go to where it's going. I thought that was just this amazing metaphor of a family caregiver. It's that person that is always greeting their loved one with a smile. They always have everything together, even though their life is crazy in the background. They hold all the pieces together, and they do everything they can, with so much nobility and so much grace. And that's why we picked the noble swan. "We have poems that accompany the Noble Swan and and a very exciting thing starting in November on for National Caregivers Month. We will have a very special bouquet to send to your loved one and in partnership with FTD. So we will learn more about that as we move forward um in November." Lori adds, "I just think it's going to give people so much comfort. It's going to give the family and friends who want to support a way to support, because they don't always know how. And so it's a step in the door, because sometimes you have family and friends that aren't in the area, they can't physically help. But boy, having a beautiful bouquet of flowers that is specifically for a caregiver, with a beautiful poem attached to it, it's just going to be one of those things you walk by, and it's going to fill your heart every single time, and it's going to be something that people aren't going to forget." What else can people do to support family caregivers? Lori says, "You know, taking somebody out. It could be a manicure, it could be to a ball game, it could be to a movie. It might just be going out for a walk – cutting grass, it's endless. Just think of all the things that you do personally you could use help with." Learn more:Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about what caregivers need most. Lori says they need to be understood, appreciated, supported, not feel alone, and have choice and a voice in how we move forward. Suzanne described a welcome experience. "I had friends that would ask, how can we help, Suzanne? And I was so overwhelmed, I'd say, 'oh, I'm fine,' or I would do this and I didn't even think about it. After probably like three years into caring for my mom, I had two girlfriends show up at my doorstep, and they said, 'We're the Joy Committee. We've hired a caregiver for you to be there for your mom for the day, and we're gonna take you out, and we're gonna bring joy to your life, and you can feel free to call anytime, do whatever you want if you wanna vent. That was one of the greatest gifts I'd ever been given. And I didn't even think about it at the time. I was too overwhelmed." Lori says, "I had girlfriends like that too. They didn't come and take me out, but I ended up joining them for coffee every week. I kept pushing away, because I didn't have time. But when I finally did go have coffee — and my intent was to have coffee and then not ask me again, because I just didn't have time for it — I found out how empty my soul was, because I was so busy being busy, and caring for everyone else but myself. I got refilled, and it felt so good. It felt joyful, it felt peaceful. I felt energized, all of those things that I think we overlook so often because we're too busy being busy." Lori adds, "Sending cards, even, could be a small little thing like that, for a lot of people. I would send a card every week. It would just drop it in the mail. I do like a dozen of them at a time. And they said, boy, it was just nice to get something in the mail. Or calling somebody just to check in to say, 'how are you doing? And I really want to hear how you're doing.' Just somebody to listen, and to understand, and to know that it's ok, no matter what happens." Learn more:Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lori La Bey, Alzheimer's Speaks host, joins Suzanne. In this segment, Lori asks Suzanne about her experiences as a caregiver and founder of Answers for Elders. Suzanne says, "I was a family caregiver, taking care of my mother for the last six years of her life. I don't consider myself a stupid human being, but I had no clue what I was dealing with. There was terminology being used. I didn't even know there were caregiving agencies out there that could care for my loved one. There's no school out there that teaches you what you're supposed to know. "One of the things that was so stressful for me was, I would wake up in the middle of the night after making a huge decision for my mom that was maybe monumental in certain ways. And I would be laying there wondering if I did the right thing. And that was almost more stressful to me then knowing what my resource were, because I was making decisions believing that I didn't have all the facts. I had what people were telling me, but they didn't know my mother, they didn't know her values. And I needed to feel like I was empowered, and I didn't have that feeling ever. "I lost my job due due to caregiving. I was in my early fifties, and I realized really quick, if you're in senior management, you're not gonna get looked at because they'd rather hire the 35 year old that would work for half the salary that I was, at the top of my career, and it was also a recession, 2009. And I made the choice. There was a spiritual teacher that I read a lot of, Emma Curtis Hopkins. I'm paraphrasing, but one of the things Emma says that resonated with me was, if you see a job, it's yours. And I thought, you know what, it is mine. "I realized that caregiving is interconnected. There's all different pieces. There's financial, there's legal, there's housing situations, there's care solutions, there's health care that you're juggling, and somehow you have to coexist in a family where sometimes you're feeling resentful, and feeling taken advantage of, and feeling overwhelmed. And you have to take care of your own self. And I realized more and more what was needed out there was a resource, Answers for Elders, where we can help empower people, and that's how we started." Learn more:Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's Speaks host Lori La Bey joins Suzanne to talk about family caregivers and how we can help support them. There are about 70 million adult family caregivers in the USA, and they spend an average of 20 hours caring for someone else each week. Many of them spend more than 40 hours a week. They allow the rest of the family to go on with their everyday lives. They make sacrifices, they hit roadblocks, they are overwhelmed, they're stressed out, and they're trying to juggle caregiving, their career, and their family. Lori says, "I just came from two support groups that I do today, and they all said the most challenging thing to a dementia caregiver is patience. 'I need more patience. I'm exhausted, I'm tired. I don't know how to deal with something.' And that level of guilt when somebody snaps or doesn't do something as well as they know they could have. And they're very disappointed in themselves, because they really do want to care well, but we don't teach people how to care and we need to share our stories. To take that aloneness out of the equation is huge. "The one thing I hear when I go speak is: How do I fix my siblings? How do I get them to care? How do we work as a group? People really, really struggle with that, and when you hear of a family who has it all figured out, I really let them know they are the unicorn in the room. It's not the norm." Learn more:Alzheimer's Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florence Klein, author of "Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer," joins Suzanne to talk about how she's been able throughout her life to overcome fear and intimidation, lead an inspirational life, and be courageous. Florence says, "I've been blessed with good health and that's a blessing. So I appreciate that and I'm very thankful for that. Also, I'm always looking forward and I don't look back, and so that is important. I want to make a difference, and I feel that I'm on this world now, and I'm able to, and I want to help." "Courage is a trait that we all could use more of, not less of. And it's not what we always think about, like bravery during a dramatic mission or heroic rescue, but it simmers and manifests itself in the biggest and smallest of ways within us, when we're not even aware of its quiet but steady presence. What is courage exactly? I believe that courage is understanding yourself, having the plain old guts to go forward, and not stop. Taking the time to get to know yourself as a human being, and cultivating confidence in your own abilities, intuition, and identity, and not being concerned with what other people think about you, or what you look like, and so much of who you think you are, start not when you're 18 years old. It starts when you're three and four years old, and they label people. Oh, you're too short. And so you think, well, jeez, I can't play basketball. And so it takes courage. I never particularly really thought of myself as courageous or brave, I simply went out and did it. "The flip side of courage is fear. And a lot of fear comes from not being able to make a difficult decision. And how many people you and I know cannot make a decision. Get over it. It's time, it's time if you have to make a decision, don't wait till, well, next year, I'll do it or well, my house isn't ready, so I can't entertain, or going down to the middle things – don't be so afraid. "I'm inspiring young people, the Z Group. And the Z Group is from 19 to 35. I'm trying to have them have book clubs. I had one with a Z Group. I have questions in the back of my book that you should use for your for your book club. And the first question they asked is, what am I afraid of? Now think of that, an interesting discussion: what are you afraid of?" Learn more:* Florence's website: https://florenceunderthehat.com/* Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer: https://florenceunderthehat.com/product/under-the-hat* Books by Florence Klein: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Florence-Klein Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Octogenarian Florence Klein, author of "Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer," joins Suzanne, talking about ageism and about being "old." Florence says, “What is the meaning of old? "Oh, you're old." I have always felt that the word old when referring to someone who is of a certain age, starts very young. I never considered my grand mom Ida old. Yes, I was aware that she was older than me. However, I never thought of her as incapable, or incompetent to take charge of her life. She was an active woman, and we often blurred out the word "old" carelessly, not at all realizing the negative connotations. And I personally have always believed that the concept of old stays with you from an early age on throughout. Even now at 89, I don't consider myself old. I know that's all relative, but we all know how the person that may be 31 or 32 considers themselves old. "Let's look at the definition of the term ageism, because it differs from just being older. The Miriam Webster Dictionary defines ageism as a prejudice or discrimination against a particular age group, and especially the elderly... But it's not just older people that are discriminated against, it's younger people, and older people sometimes discriminate against the youth, especially adolescents and children. Media is very condescending toward it, and media themselves says, oh, you're so young, or you're just too young for that. And that's what happened. And elders also perpetuate themselves and ageism. And so we have to be more aware of it, and that's why now people are talking about it, because after all, so much more of the population, fortunately, is staying healthier and living longer." Learn more:* Florence's website: https://florenceunderthehat.com/* Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer: https://florenceunderthehat.com/product/under-the-hat* Books by Florence Klein: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Florence-Klein Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Octogenarian Florence Klein, author of "Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer," joins Suzanne. Florence was one of Philadelphia's first women stockbrokers, and the first woman real estate developer in America to renovate old factory buildings into historic condos. She volunteered in one of America's highest-security prisons, and started one of the first websites to help seniors in need. She talks about marketing her memoir as her sixth career. Florence says, "I've always looked ahead 10 years or more, and I never look behind because you can't go back. For me, it's always looking ahead and seeing what moves ahead, what I see ahead." Learn more:* Florence's website: https://florenceunderthehat.com/* Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer: https://florenceunderthehat.com/product/under-the-hat* Books by Florence Klein: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Florence-Klein Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florence Klein, author of "Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer," joins Suzanne to talk about loneliness as a big concern for seniors. Florence says the solution is for seniors to live in inter-generational homes with young and old people living together. She also talks about social workers needing to be paid more and for seniors to make sure they go to the doctor. Florence says, "The biggest need today is loneliness. And so what happens when seniors lose their friends, they lose their spouses or partners, their children may be across the country, across the world, and we don't have a sufficient reality, because people have put seniors into senior housing. Well, I disagree with that. I think that seniors should be intergenerational, and we should have intergenerational housing. And that means the young and the old. Maggie Kuhn years ago set up an intergenerational house with young people, maybe four or five bedrooms. And then I went to see her in Philadelphia. And it's amazing how they all work together. And even here in the west, there are still not enough intergenerational housing, the young and the old. "And if that is one of the major needs for today, the other need is, we need social workers to be paid more, and they're not unionized. And there's a shortage, and after all, we're all getting older. Not everybody is physically able. Who's going to help them. It used to be, families were all together. In Philadelphia, for instance, there was an Italian area, and in that Italian area in South Philadelphia, Italian people lived on the same block or two blocks next to each other. That isn't happening today even in Philadelphia. And so that is a need and can be cured through intergeneration. "Also, we need to have people that are going to help seniors go to the doctors. Nobody takes you to the doctor. I just spoke to a friend this morning and she said, well, I got into the rotary club – we were talking my rotary club – and she says, well, I went up and fell on a bar stool off a bar stool. Well, it wasn't a bar stool, it was a stool that was putting up a light. And she called 911, and to this day, she called 911 and refused to go to the doctor. You need people to take you to the doctor, to acknowledge that you have to go. I'm working on something that I think will help remedy the situation, which I haven't totally put together yet. But it is something that I think is needed." Learn more:* Florence's website: https://florenceunderthehat.com/* Under the Hat: Memoir of an Unstoppable Woman Trailblazer: https://florenceunderthehat.com/product/under-the-hat* Books by Florence Klein: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Florence-Klein Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's and dementia expert Forrest Stepnowski joins Suzanne to talk about dementia, particularly when someone with dementia has gone through a traumatic event. Forrest is CarePartners Living's Executive Director of The Cottages at Renton, in Seattle. Forrest says, "Whether people choose to admit it, trauma — like we used to treat dementia — is an invisible diagnosis that no one wants to talk about. And even if we ourselves have exhibited or experienced something traumatic in our life, that can be very, very scary for us to bring up. Sometimes we forget that our memories come back, and people are getting hit by these memories of traumatic events to the point where... it could be child abuse. Dare I say rape, sexual trauma, all those things come back as dementia progresses itself. And that is something that people forget about. When you see somebody who has dementia, and you start seeing them layer up, and they're being paranoid, and they're being guarded, we have to look at that part. And when we discover that piece, we're able to treat them better. We're able to provide better care and understanding of why, we're able to speak their language and help them with their care. All those things play a role. Suzanne asked about PTSD statistics. Forrest explains, "In Washington State is estimated that 80% of our population has suffered a trauma of some sort. PTSD is one of the number one hidden diagnoses, or least diagnosed. Different populations in the '80s and '70s – women especially were misdiagnosed as bipolar versus PTSD – be fair, in the '80s, they didn't even know what PTSD was. Everyone's always had that identified to people who were soldiers, especially people from Vietnam." Contact Forrest Stepnowski at The Cottages at Renton at (425) 528-7070. CarePartners has communities in Arizona and the state of Washington. Learn more: * The Cottages at Renton: https://www.carepartnersliving.com/cottages-of-renton/* CarePartners Senior Living: https://answersforelders.com/carepartners-senior-living/* CarePartners website: https://www.carepartnersliving.com/ Hear more:* Shows by CarePartners: https://answersforelders.com/tag/carepartners-living/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alzheimer's and dementia expert Forrest Stepnowski joins Suzanne to talk about learning to communicate better with those who have dementia. Forrest is CarePartners Living's Executive Director of The Cottages at Renton, in Seattle. Forrest says, “One thing I try to teach caregivers I work with at CarePartners — and at the Cottages of Renton specifically, as well as family members, as well as people who come to us as community outreach — is when someone has dementia, you have to learn how to speak their language. You have to learn what is triggering them, especially if someone has a trauma history, which 80% of us out there do. And that can play a role to their paranoia, into their fears, into embarrassment, when they're needing help. All those things play a factor. I simply tell people, if they say it's 1945, it's 1945. I don't know what the story is about 1945, but whether positive or negative, find out. The sky is purple? The sky is purple. What's causing it to be purple? That's what we should be asking, not correcting." Forrest adds, "The thing about dementia is people need to realize is those behaviors happen because there is a gap in the brain, the brain will slowly deteriorating. It becomes a black hole. If you look at a PET scan, the wave of the brain becomes smaller, and smaller and smaller, and it starts exhibiting a black hole. There's no function in the brain after a while. When people have behaviors, they can't help it. It's their way of communicating. They're trying to get it out. You know, it's OK to hear those stories back then. You might actually learn something about your loved one that you didn't know before. You're like, uh did mom really meet President Hoover? From siblings, they're still alive from that generation, 'Oh, yeah, she did all that stuff like that,' and people truly find a side of their parents or their loved ones they didn't know it was there." Contact Forrest Stepnowski at The Cottages at Renton at (425) 528-7070. CarePartners has communities in Arizona and the state of Washington. Learn more: * The Cottages at Renton: https://www.carepartnersliving.com/cottages-of-renton/* CarePartners Senior Living: https://answersforelders.com/carepartners-senior-living/* CarePartners website: https://www.carepartnersliving.com/ Hear more:* Shows by CarePartners: https://answersforelders.com/tag/carepartners-living/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People who've been retired for a while say they wish they'd saved more of their money and invested it more. They also advise to keep investing in yourself, learning how to do your job better, which gives far better returns than anything you'll get from the investment markets. Retirement Watch CEO Bob Carlson provides Suzanne with action steps to improve you retirement planning. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Suzanne asked for some basic steps that anyone could take right now to prepare for their retirement. Bob answers, "Well, this is something where you don't need to take my advice. But instead, I looked to surveys of people who've been retired for a while and, and what they would have done differently and what advice they would give to younger people. And of course, the first one is they would have saved more, they would become saving earlier even if it was relatively small amounts and they just generally would have saved more of their income and invested it rather than spending it on things they enjoyed but didn't really last. “Invest in human capital, your human capital. Things that'll make you more valuable to an employer, or help you do your job better, or if you own a business, help you do that business better. It's an investment that has great returns, far better than anything you can get in the investment markets. Keep investing in yourself no matter what age you are.” Bob says, "I was writing a book on social security a couple of years ago, and ran into this woman at a dinner party. And she says, well, I hope you're gonna tell them to wait, because my husband and I, we took everything early: took social security, we took our pensions, and we went into our retirement funds early. And then he died, and so his social security went away, and his pension went away, and it was really a mistake. We enjoyed that money. It was great to have it when we were in our fifties and early sixties. But I'm struggling now and I hope you'll be telling people to wait." "A third thing is, consider the long term in your decisions. That's something that many retirees say they regret. They did things like take Social Security early, take their pensions early, not pay enough attention to Medicare and long term care. And there are options for that when they were younger, and they could have done things differently, could have qualified for different types of things, particularly long term care, where insurers are getting more and more stringent. And as you get older, the rejection rate for people applying for long term care insurance just gets higher and higher. So there are things like this that you need to focus on the long term when you're younger, and by younger, I mean, really in your fifties or sixties is when you're making a lot of these decisions. "Probably the most important thing is to save early and often. It's tempting to say you can afford to buy these new things that you really want. But think about your older self, when that fancy new TV or car or whatever is, is long discarded. Is your older self gonna be glad you bought it 20 years earlier, or is it gonna wish you'd put some of that money into a retirement fund and invested it, so you now have a multiple of what you put in rather than not having that money at all? So think about what you're gonna be like older, and plan on living longer than the average life expectancy, and realize how long that money is gonna need to last." Regarding Bob's Retirement Watch newsletter, "What I do is independent research on these issues. I'm not affiliated with any large financial firms. So when I'm advising on any of these retirement issues, it's just independent. So I'm going to tell you the facts on both sides. I'm going to tell you who should do one strategy and who shouldn't. And it's gonna be what's best for you. "Readers tell...

Many people fail when it comes to the non-financial aspects of retirement planning, and many miscalculate their longevity, outliving their money. Retirement Watch CEO Bob Carlson joins Suzanne to talk about these aspects of planning. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Learn more: * Bob Carlson: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001K8LP5K/about* Retirement Watch newsletter: https://www.retirementwatch.com/ or 800-552-1152* Retirement Watch: The Essential Guide to Retiring in the 2020s at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Watch-Essential-Guide-Retiring/dp/1684513332* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Carlson joins Suzanne to talk about senior retirement finances. Retirement has changed multiple times, and you can expect the details to change again before you retire, meaning you need to keep up or it can cost you a lot of money. Bob talks about changes to Medicare, inflation, and interest rates that affect retirement planning. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. A lot of people aren't getting the most out of their investment programs. Bob says, "People for the last couple of decades, really, they've done well just focusing on the investments, because the markets have done so well, and good returns in the investment markets have really covered up a lot of mistakes and oversights in the other areas of retirement, because the strong returns have enabled you to overcome mistakes that cost you money in other areas. But I think that's kind of drawing to a close. We're still not back to the 2022 peak in the stock markets before that bear market. And I think I think lower investment returns are in the future. So anyone who's in or near retirement really needs to be focusing on these non-investment parts of retirement, rather than just thinking investment returns are gonna bail them out of everything." “I see actually six kind of issues coming up on people that I think are going to come to what I call the retirement squeeze. We can discuss those in some detail, but it's things like lower returns, investment markets – inflation is back. Social security and Medicare have financial problems. Your taxes are probably gonna go up, not down in the future. So there's this whole range of issues that are gonna change the whole retirement finance picture for a lot of people going forward, and as I said, you need to get away from just focusing on investments and look at this whole big picture of what your retirement finances are like. "A key thing people overlook, when you do surveys of people who have been retired for a while, they say the big mistake they made was they didn't realize how long their life expectancy was. They didn't focus on longevity and they say there were a lot of decisions they would have made differently if they'd realized what their real life expectancy was. "How do you anticipate proper longevity? How do you plan for that? Because a lot of people, when they were young, they were told their generation is going to live to the mid- to late seventies. But as you get older, as you avoid these early-in-life deaths that occur to a substantial part of your generation, your life expectancy goes up much higher. Suddenly someone who's 65 today is going to have a life expectancy on average of about another 20 years. which most did not anticipate. and most still are thinking their life expectancy is somewhere in the mid to late seventies when it's really significantly longer than that. And, and 25% of the population in that age group now is going to live to 85 or beyond. And many people don't realize that and they don't make decisions accordingly." Learn more: * Bob Carlson: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001K8LP5K/about* Retirement Watch newsletter: https://www.retirementwatch.com/ or 800-552-1152* Retirement Watch: The Essential Guide to Retiring in the 2020s at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Watch-Essential-Guide-Retiring/dp/1684513332* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana:...

If you're adequately prepared, you can live a fulfilling life long into your senior years. Bob Carlson joins Suzanne to talk about senior retirement finances, noting that people haven't realized or properly planned for what their real life expectancy turned out to be. Bob's Retirement Watch newsletter is a staple of our partner Salem Media. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Learn more: * Bob Carlson: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001K8LP5K/about* Retirement Watch newsletter: https://www.retirementwatch.com/ or 800-552-1152* Retirement Watch: The Essential Guide to Retiring in the 2020s at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Retirement-Watch-Essential-Guide-Retiring/dp/1684513332* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are different ways you can remain solvent in your aging years, and there are techniques to maintain and preserve assets. Estate planning specialist David T. Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about the three types of leveraged care solutions and to provide an example of how they work. The three types are the Long Term Care Annuity, the Life Legacy/LTC Combo Strategy, and the Return of Premium LTC plan. David says, "The first one's an annuity, expands three times if you need care. If you don't need care, your family gets the annuity money back. The second one is the life insurance policy. And the life insurance policy has a long term care writer on it. And if you need long term care, you take 2% or 4% of that life insurance benefit, and you use that for care. The third option is called the return premium long term care strategy, and I kind of like this one. I like all of them, my wife likes the second one. I personally like the third one a little bit better, because it has an inflation writer on it." David provides an example of the Life Legacy/LTC Combo Strategy. A 65 year old male repositions $100,000, making it immediately worth $431,000. Because we added the 3% inflation rider, it will grow to $755k, or a monthly benefit of $9,736, for 72 months. David adds, "If we are healthy enough and have the means, we all should have a leveraged care solution plan in our estate plan. There is no debate. We need to quit being selfish. You can spread your deposit over 5, 10 or 15 years. If you itemize on your tax return you can tax deduct a portion of the transfer. The younger you are when you reposition your investment the better, because you get more benefit and it is easier to qualify. Only a Long-Term Care Annuity is available after age 80, until age 85." Answers for Elders listeners can receive a free copy of David's special report Leveraged Care Solutions: Answers to Today’s Long-Term Care Crisis, and other free Special Reports, when you subscribe to the "Generational Wealth Strategies" newsletter. Answers for Elders listeners can subscribe at a discounted fee of $77 a year, a $172 savings. Subscribe here to get the discounted rate: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/offer/gws-answers-for-elders-2 David's office is at 888-892-1102, or visit his Estate Planning Specialists website at https://epmez.com/. Learn more:* David T. Phillips: https://epmez.com/our-team* Generational Wealth Strategies newsletter: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to AARP, 90% of Seniors would prefer to be cared for in their homes. What have seniors done to make sure this happens? Estate planning specialist David T. Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about long term care strategies to make sure you have care in your later life. The solution to the long-term care crisis is a relatively new approach to long-term care insurance, known as leveraged care solutions, a.k.a. asset-based care plans. It's viable so long as you have the means. The concept is simple: With a leveraged care solution, you reposition an asset today from your left pocket to your right pocket, and it immediately it is valued three times greater than the sum you transferred. You leveraged each deposited dollar at a minimum of three times. If you don’t trigger the benefit, your family inherits the money you transferred. David explains the three types of Leveraged Care Solutions: the Long Term Care Annuity, the Life Legacy/LTC Combo Strategy, and the Return of Premium LTC plan. David says, "There's some options that you can have. You can have an annuity option, that as the annuity grows, so does the long term care benefit. So instead of being three times, it could be four times or five times as the annuity grows. If you never use the long term care benefit, the money that you transferred into it goes to your beneficiaries. So it's not like it's money down a rat hole that you're never going to see. Your kids are gonna actually inherit that money. "The second option is called the life legacy option, where you use a life insurance policy. And let's say the life insurance policy is a half a million dollar policy, and you take 2% of that, and you use that for your care per month for 50 months. So 2% of $500,000 would be $10,000 a month that would be used for your care, tax free. All of these benefits, by the way, are income tax free. And that benefit then goes for your care. Let's say you used it for 10 months. So 10,000 times 1,000,000, the rest of the money, the 400,000 from that 500,000 goes to your kids, your beneficiary." Answers for Elders listeners can receive a free copy of David's special report Leveraged Care Solutions: Answers to Today’s Long-Term Care Crisis, and other free Special Reports, when you subscribe to the "Generational Wealth Strategies" newsletter. Answers for Elders listeners can subscribe at a discounted fee of $77 a year, a $172 savings. Subscribe here to get the discounted rate: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/offer/gws-answers-for-elders-2 David's office is at 888-892-1102, or visit his Estate Planning Specialists website at https://epmez.com/. Learn more:* David T. Phillips: https://epmez.com/our-team* Generational Wealth Strategies newsletter: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast <a...

Most baby boomers haven’t planned for a long term care event, considering that only seven percent of adults over age 50 own any form of long term care insurance. Estate planning specialist David T. Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about how to reposition baby boomer assets in order to have funds available for a long term care event. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured on the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. David says, "Only one in 30 adults have a long term care plan in place. What's going to end up happening is that you're going to be forced to go on Medicaid. And to get on Medicaid, you have to totally spend down your assets and actually be a pauper and not have any money at all. And then you get to go to the long term care facilities that the government assigns you to go to. You don't get to stay at home. You have to go where they tell you, you have to do what they tell you to do. In fact, almost half of all long term care benefits today are paid by Medicaid. It means that people are being forced to basically spend down. And right now, you can act. If you have the means, you need to reposition some of those means right now in a leverage care solution. "If we don't have the assets shifted and transferred correctly, our kids are gonna have to take care of us, and then our kids are gonna have to take care of the kids, and so on. So it's really a good idea to get some planning in place now, at least understand what your options are. A lot of people are just scratching their heads saying, 'Hey, I'm gonna avoid this bus. I don't want this bus,' but COVID proved that it can happen to anybody at any time... So you know how vulnerable, how fine the line is, how exposed we are. "This concept that the insurance industry actually has set up for us is a viable solution. We used to only have the use-it-or-lose-it long term care policies... And now with the leverage care solution, we have three basic options that we can choose from, that are all viable solutions that can help us solve this long term care crisis, not only for us individually but for our families." Answers for Elders listeners can receive a free copy of David's special report Leveraged Care Solutions: Answers to Today’s Long-Term Care Crisis, and other free Special Reports, when you subscribe to the "Generational Wealth Strategies" newsletter. Answers for Elders listeners can subscribe at a discounted fee of $77 a year, a $172 savings. Subscribe here to get the discounted rate: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/offer/gws-answers-for-elders-2 David's office is at 888-892-1102, or visit his Estate Planning Specialists website at https://epmez.com/. Learn more:* David T. Phillips: https://epmez.com/our-team* Generational Wealth Strategies newsletter: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network:...

David T. Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about a crisis in Long Term Care and how it is seriously negatively impacting Americans. Financial wellness is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured on the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. He says statistically we are woefully unprepared for a medical long-term care event: * If you are 65 years or older, there is a 72% chance that you will require some type of extended long term care in your lifetime.* If you are married and over 65, there is a 91% chance that one of you will experience a long term medical event.* Warning: Long-Term Care isn’t cheap. The national average is over $110,000 a year, and full time Alzheimer’s care in Arizona is over $200,000 a year.* Currently, 43% of all long-term care expenses are covered by Medicaid. The problem is that Medicaid provides bare-bones coverage, and to qualify you must spend down your assets to virtually nothing. David T. Phillips is a nationally recognized consumer advocate for estate planning, insurance and long term care, with 51 years of experience. He is the author of the bestselling books Estate Planning Made Easy, The Family Bank Strategy, The 10 Most Common Estate Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, and more. He co-authors the extremely helpful estate and financial planning newsletter ''Generational Wealth Strategies." He is the CEO and founder of Estate Planning Specialists. With clients in every state, his companies have assisted thousands of Americans properly plan their estates. Answers for Elders listeners can receive a free copy of David's special report Leveraged Care Solutions: Answers to Today’s Long-Term Care Crisis, and other free Special Reports, when you subscribe to the "Generational Wealth Strategies" newsletter. Answers for Elders listeners can subscribe at a discounted fee of $77 a year, a $172 savings. Subscribe here to get the discounted rate: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/offer/gws-answers-for-elders-2 David's office is at 888-892-1102, or visit his Estate Planning Specialists website at https://epmez.com/. Learn more:* David T. Phillips: https://epmez.com/our-team* Generational Wealth Strategies newsletter: https://www.generationalwealthnewsletter.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ Hear more podcasts about financial wellness at https://answersforelders.com/financial-wellness Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Real Estate 55 Plus provides a spectrum of services for seniors. Real Estate 55 Plus CEO Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about what typically happens when a senior loved one passes and a home goes into probate. "When we're gonna go into the home, I would say 25% of the time the personal representative or the executor doesn't live in the state or the city where the property is at. They may have never even have seen it depending on the circumstances. So we're going to come in and do an evaluation on the home, and we're going to give a comparative market analysis that says what the home value is worth. "And we're gonna provide up to four options for the executor for the estate, with the first one being selling the home off market. People say, well, why would you do that? Well, typically in a seller's market, sellers aren't gonna take that option and we would typically recommend not for an executor to do executor to do that. But if we're in a buyer's market or the property has a lot of deferred maintenance, it may be the best option for the estate. "Option number two would be do a pre-inspection on a home and disclose the issues, but don't do any work. And option three could be, do a pre-inspection and do some work so you're gonna increase the net proceeds. And number four would be to do a full remodel. So we give those options to the executor. "Typically, the decisions are made based on how much we return on investment and time. Those are the two big, you know, indicators I think for the person that's going through that process and making decisions. If there are multiple beneficiaries, there's a lot of family dynamics. So we not only work on the real estate, we not only work on the real estate side, but we're the, we're the, we're the problem solvers. We're coming in and we're, we're working with the executor honoring the deceased person's wishes. And, you know, we don't know the family dynamics and they share those with us. So we want to be really sensitive to everybody else that's part of the process." You can reach Juli Anne Gibson at (800) 964-1553 or https://realestate55plus.com/. Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seniors are waiting longer before they make a change. For many, they wait so long that they end up limiting their options. They have a fall, are injured to an extent that they're no longer able to live independently, and now have a crisis to move. Real Estate 55 Plus CEO Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about what holds people back, the biggest questions people ask about downsizing, and provides an example of a family that faced a moving crisis. Juli Anne says, “It's amazing what you don't see when you live in your own home. When you have somebody with fresh eyes coming in, we can see all of the possible hazards in somebody's home. That includes not just the house itself, but someone's physical presence. Oftentimes people are dehydrated, or malnourished, or their balance is off. And so they're not taking care of themselves in the way that they could so they could live independently longer.” What holds people back from downsizing? Juli Anne says, "I think it depends. I think a lot of it's not knowing, it's the unknown. And I think in the United States, we really pride ourselves on independence. When we're teaching workshops, one of the questions we ask is, have you made a plan for housing and aging and overwhelming? We hear people say, 'I want to stay in my home until you take me out feet first.' And I always say, what's the plan for you being able to stay in your current home? And what we find is a lot of times a senior is only living in maybe 25 - 35% of their home. And the reason they don't want to move it because they don't know how they could possibly do that and. Oftentimes when we come in, and we can show them these are the options available to you, and this is how you could do it, it's a relief for people. Our, goal is that someone make good decisions and proactive decisions about housing and aging." You can reach Juli Anne Gibson at (800) 964-1553 or https://realestate55plus.com/. Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're thinking about moving, Real Estate 55 Plus conducts valuable Aging With Choice workshops. Founder and CEO Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about working with families, real estate agents, executors, and estate planners. She talks about how the workshops work, then provides a great example of a senior who took the workshop and how it led to her moving choices. Juli Anne says, "We really are passionate about seniors and we would love for everybody to have a plan about housing and aging. That's really what we would love. And we understand that everybody is in a different stage in their lives when they come to us. So Aging With Choice workshops, we offer free, and we host them at retirement communities at fire stations, llibraries, anywhere that we can gather. It is a workshop in the sense that you're gonna leave with something that you're gonna be working on. But we're gonna give you the steps of what you're gonna be working on to make good decisions about housing and aging." "The first 30 years of your life, you're deciding what you want, what you like, and then you spend the next 30 years accumulating it. Then the last part of your life, you're getting rid of it. And for so many people, that process is what stops them from moving forward. We talk about how you can do that successfully, and we even have tools that you can use. And people can actually access that information on our website. They can download a request form and we'll mail out that packet to them." "We partner with senior housing advisors who really understand the different options that are available, how much they're gonna cost, what level of service they're gonna provide. And in 95% of the cases, those services are free to seniors. We're referring all the time to our senior housing advisors, because they do the leg work for our senior clients and their families. So once we meet with the family, and we have a really clear understanding of their finances, what types of services they're going to need for both physical or possibly mental, what they love doing, and what are their passions and desires, and then that senior housing advisor will say, based on that criteria, these are the communities or the options that are available to you." You can reach Juli Anne Gibson at (800) 964-1553 or https://realestate55plus.com/. Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're a senior living in a home that's not working for you, and you need to make a change, but don't know what the next steps are, specialized services for seniors are available at Real Estate 55 Plus. Founder and CEO Juli Anne Gibson joins Suzanne to talk about working with families, real estate agents, executors, and estate planners. She talks about creating a roadmap to minimize the stress involved in moving, particularly for those over 55. Juli Anne says, "Oftentimes people don't know the options that are available to them. So we teach those Aging With Choice workshops, and then we have clients that were really working more with the adult child, and there's been a crisis, mom or dad fell and are no longer able to go home and live alone by themselves. You get called in and really, it's kind of triage at that time. And then we work a lot with executors and executors for estates. So someone has real estate that they need to sell with the probate process. We step in and most people are just overwhelmed with what that emotionally and financially and all the above just trying to figure out how to deal with all of this overwhelm when you've had a horrible loss." "We actually have a client that's been living in a home for a long time and recently has moved to assisted living. And most of our seniors, their major asset is the equity in their home. They don't have the funds to pay for an assisted living or retirement community or memory care. So we offer gap funding, and we pay that directly to the community, so the senior can move in, and then we do any of the needed repairs or refresh on the property so we can maximize their net proceeds. And then we get reimbursed at closing for paying for that gap funding. And we don't charge an interest rate for that. There's not a minimum or maximum amount of time." Juli Anne adds, "We recommend to our clients that we do what we call a pre-listing inspection of the home. Not only will that provide information for our senior clients, so they can make good decisions on repairs, if it makes sense to do a refresh or make repairs, because they're gonna get a return on investment.But it's also really great to provide that information to a buyer, so they can make good decisions on writing offers. And then we know when we list a property, we can fully disclose any of the issues with the home." 8:30-9:10 set the stage... style of the home based on the buyer... work with the family... variety of products we can provide based on senior circumstance, save the most time, make the most money "50% of the seniors that we work with don't have their legal matters in place. And so their plan is no plan, and that is a plan. So they're waiting for a crisis to happen. They aren't aware of the documents that they need, and who they need to appoint for those..." "When they have a plan, number one, I think it just gives you peace of mind knowing, hey, if, if I'm no longer able to make decisions, this person's gonna make those for me and they know what my decisions are. So when we get called in to work with the senior, and all the family or the friends know what the plan is, we don't have to do a lot of the triage... We have about 72 different types of services organizations that we partner with, and depending on someone's unique road map for housing and aging, we plug in those services for them." You can reach Juli Anne Gibson at (800) 964-1553 or https://realestate55plus.com/. Learn more:* Real Estate 55 Plus: https://realestate55plus.com/* Juli Anne Gibson: https://realestate55plus.com/team/* Call 800-964-1553 to speak to a live person Hear more shows with Juli Anne Gibson: https://answersforelders.com/tag/juli-anne-gibson/

Will people hit their goal for retirement? Like getting out the good china, we rarely think about our post-retirement finances. Brynne Malone, the owner and founder of Aging Solutions NW, joins Suzanne to talk about how a financial manager considers the entirety of your situation. Brynne says, "They kick their feet up, and they might do some traveling and get very active initially,and then it's kind of like using the good china at Thanksgiving and Christmas twice a year. Every once in a while, you think about [finances], but you may or may not break it out. And what people tend to do as they get older, their energy level can drop, their motivations can drop and with that, their focus and their goals kind of go by the wayside. I think what a professional brings into that scenario is keep them focused and help give them focus and more goals. Like how long do you want to stay in your home? Do you have a goal for how long you want to live and try to get people engaged? Do you have a goal for your weight? Do you have a goal for staying healthy? Those kind of things. And to just to get mom and dad thinking about how they want to have a really high quality of life. We're all gonna end up in the same place at the end of the day, right? We're going to have an expiration date at some point. What do you want that journey to look like? And part of what I do is really talk to mom and dad about their life journey, and really try to document that, put it down on paper, have a witness, and help them get to that goal. And that brings in the care planning piece, as well as the financial piece. But they're symbiotic, they go hand in hand." Brynne adds, "We look at a person's life holistically, where other providers, they look at that specific issue. But we're trying to look at a paint a broad brush and what the problems could be going forward, and that's just so important, the quality of life. You want your kids to have a quality of life so you want them as involved as they need to be. But they don't want to feel like they have to be involved. I mean, 60% of caregivers suffer from depression and sacrifice, sacrificing their own time for their own family. Parents don't intentionally try to do that. So if parents are more focused and goal oriented, it's better for the entire family." Suzanne asks, "A great majority of the people out there including seniors, they live on a fixed income. They have and oftentimes they have no assets. Does that mean they don't need a plan?" Brynne says, "No, just the opposite. Planning is not immune to wealth. Everyone should have a plan. When you have restrictive funds and those type of things, you're still a human being, and there are still resources that will be avail available to you. We need to really sit down and, again, document what those are. Look at your resources ahead of time. It doesn't matter if you have $5,000 to your name." Aging Solutions connects people across the United States with resources to guide you through aging challenges. Brynne Malone offers a free 30-minute consultation for listeners to Answers for Elders. Reach Brynne at 509-981-1520 or https://agingsolutionsnw.com/. Learn more* Brynne Malone: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/about/* Aging Solutions NW: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ See more* Articles and podcasts about <a...

A professional finance manager can craft a life book to document your assets, income, and expenses – or for your senior loved ones – and how it insulates mom and dad from feeling like they're sharing too much with their family. Brynne Malone, the owner and founder of Aging Solutions NW, joins Suzanne to talk about life books. Financial wellness, knowing you have resources to maintain your life, is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured in the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Brynne says, "The first step really is to employ a professional like myself to sit down with you, and go through and do what I call the Life Book. And the Life Book is where we put all your assets together, and we look at three categories. We look at what your income is. We look at what your liquid assets or stocks, bonds, bank, bank accounts, CDs, those kind of things. And then we look at your expenses. And then we can get the family involved in that. And it does two things. It insulates mom and dad from really feeling like they're sharing too much information with the children. But it also gives the child, when they see that this has been done professionally, it gives the child reassurance that mom and dad are being supported. And if I need to step in because I'm the power of attorney or whatever role they might be, I can keep up with it... It allows everybody to act as a family, and give that love and support, and allows a professional manager like Aging Solutions to step in and ask the right questions, and help the families prepare a plan." Aging Solutions connects people across the United States with resources to guide you through aging challenges. Brynne Malone offers a free 30-minute consultation for listeners to Answers for Elders. Reach Brynne at 509-981-1520 or https://agingsolutionsnw.com/. Learn more* Brynne Malone: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/about/* Aging Solutions NW: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ See more* Articles and podcasts about Financial Wellness: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/financial-wellness/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/ Image: © Can Stock Photo / rmarmionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brynne Malone, the owner and founder of Aging Solutions NW, joins Suzanne to talk about trip wires when it comes to the financial plan for your aging years, or the finances of your senior loved ones. Financial wellness, knowing you have resources to maintain your life, is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured in the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Suzanne asks, "What are the modern-day dangers to a senior's financial well-being, that could cause a situation where they could run out of money?" Brynne says, "If you're a child, and you're going home, and mom and dad's mail is piling up, they may be getting behind on their bills. A couple of things, just historically, that are impacting where people are financially is inflation, it takes a huge bite out of a person's buying power. So they're not really sure, you know what they can afford, they don't ask the question, can I afford this? And how long can I afford this? Some other contributing factors, there's a number of folks who are out there, and I hate to say this, but they're preying upon the vulnerability of our aging population... So you want to have some insulation and barriers, and I think that's where having a third-party professional like myself [helps]." Suzanne adds, "There might be an HVAC person, a roof person, cable, internet, a caregiver – not going through a private caregiver. But also family members. I hate to say it, but the statistics show the number one statistic of elder financial abuse is through adult children." To protect yourself financially, Brynne advises, "First of all, admitting that you need help. And that you can look to a professional that can guide you through that. And that's not necessarily your investment advisor or CPA solely, but the team of your investment advisor and your CPA, and then a professional that can also bring in what the health care costs are going forward... If a person reaches age 65 their medical costs – even with Medicare factored in is – are gonna be over $440,000.... People's money is not going as far as it once did. And that is a huge challenge for families." Suzanne asks what happens if someone gets a catastrophic illness like Alzheimer's? Brynne says, "It's going to have a huge impact. What I advise my clients is, you want to have your emergency medical fund set aside. And at minimum, you need $25,000 liquid in there. That would buy you some time to sit back and analyze, and get your team together, where are we going from here? And you can do some longer-range planning. But if you're sitting there with $5000 liquid, that could be gone literally in two weeks." Aging Solutions connects people across the United States with resources to guide you through aging challenges. Brynne Malone offers a free 30-minute consultation for listeners to Answers for Elders. Reach Brynne at 509-981-1520 or https://agingsolutionsnw.com/. Learn more* Brynne Malone: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/about/* Aging Solutions NW: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/* Humana: https://www.humana.com/* Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/ See more* Articles and podcasts about Financial Wellness:...

Do you have a financial plan to move forward in your aging years? Do your senior loved ones have a plan? Sometimes it's hard to bring up those topics with them, but if you get asked to serve as power of attorney for a family member, it's your business to find out. Sitting down with a senior finance manager might be a great way to bridge you to this information in a non-invasive way. Brynne Malone, the owner and founder of Aging Solutions NW, joins Suzanne to talk about how to talk to your parents about their family finances. Financial wellness, knowing you have resources to maintain your life, is one of the 8 foundational principles of wellness featured in the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. 45% of children do not know who their senior parents' doctor or health care provider is. Brynne says, "I think it's just kind of a lack of communication and more so than that, how to communicate how much do I want to put it on my children in these circumstances, particularly when it comes to finances... As people get older, there tends to be a role reversal, and sometimes there could be a lot of friction with that. Parents who are thinking I'm in charge, and I need to be in charge, but they don't continue that goal setting, that goal planning, because they've already met the goal of retirement. And the kids are like, mom and dad are taking care of themselves, and I don't need to intrude." 36% of adult children actually live more than 100 miles away from their senior parents. How can they be in touch on a day-to-day basis? Brynne advises, "I think the best way to do that is [for the parent to] know what your assets are, and know what your liabilities are, so you can have a position of power, and where to start to start having these conversations. If there's any ambiguity at all in speaking with your children, it'll get to a point where there can be some conflict. As the parent, you want to be as specific as possible. You're the bus driver, not the passenger. So know where you are, get your assets documented, get your income documented, and get your expenses documented." How do we begin discussing this topic with senior loved ones? Brynne says, "Just talking about finances is such an important thing and I think oftentimes it gets kind of tucked away on the back of the closet as we get older and we are retired. How I approach it with the families that I have the pleasure of working with is, let's ask mom and dad what their goals are. Are their goals to stay in the home? Are their goals to move to a supported living situation? Really, what are their goals? And then let's look at the cost of whatever those goals might be bringing in, in home care, or moving to an assisted living. And then being just really honest about where mom and dad are medically, and what that looks like. It's incredible how much life expectancies have increased since 1900. I mean, 48 years old was old in 1900. Here we are in 2023, and 83 is the new number, right? So it's a challenge." Aging Solutions connects people across the United States with resources to guide you through aging challenges. Brynne Malone offers a free 30-minute consultation for listeners to Answers for Elders. Reach Brynne at 509-981-1520 or https://agingsolutionsnw.com/. Learn more* Brynne Malone: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/about/* Aging Solutions NW: https://agingsolutionsnw.com/* The Vitality Revolution podcast series:...

Resident Diane Miller at Era Living's Gardens at Town Square retirement community joins Suzanne to talk about her story, why she moved into senior living, what surprised her most about moving in, the encouraging support she got from residents, and important things she was looking for in senior living. Diane says, "I moved to Seattle when I was in high school. And after college I married my husband, who had been born and raised in Seattle. We had a wonderful home, but ... we had to change. There were signs of dementia coming, very faint signs, but we knew it was coming. And I also knew that my eyesight was changing and I would have to give up driving. We'd lived in a place where we needed a car, and maintenance was getting harder. I did not want my husband climbing up that ladder one more day, which men tend to do. And so it was time for us to look around, while we were in charge, while we made the decision, and we could make up our minds what to do with our things." "One of the things that we that sold us here was that there's a lot of walking area. With fading eyesight, you need to be very careful where you walk. So being level was important, and we just had the freedom to come and go. We were in independent living, so that was our plan. It didn't turn out that way, but for two and a half years, that's the way it was. And we looked at several places. I think that's good to compare. I think one of the things that sold us here probably the most was the friendliness, not just of the staff, which was very friendly and very welcoming. But the residents themselves, and I think that spreads from the staff setting the example, and it was very easy to meet people. They were very, very welcoming and quickly got us connected with people, with activities. And that's another thing we have enjoyed so much. Not being able to drive, to keep up what we have been doing before, the activities that are offered are absolutely wonderful." Diane says, "I think you need to recognize that it's gonna be an emotional time, but you have a lot of support system and, and we had some help, a lot of help from our sons and grandchildren. And so breaking up a home you lived in for 50 years with all your stuff, and all your junk, things you had to give up. We had time to think about that, to make some choices. And I think having that time of thinking about it was very helpful." The Gardens at Town Square is located at 933 111th Ave NE, Bellevuw, WA 98004-4486. Learn more:The Gardens at Town Square: http://www.eraliving.com/communities/bellevue/Era Living: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/Era Living's website: https://www.eraliving.com/ Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network:: https://www.seniorresource.com/Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks: https://alzheimersspeaks.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.