Eldercare Illuminated

Mark Resnick’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014. Five years later, as the disease progressed and COVID began to shut down the country, Mark was plunged into the intimate world of caring for a loved one with a dementia diagnosis in the middle of a pandemic.Mark learned more about himself and his dad than he ever anticipated. The result is Ten Days with Dad: Finding Purpose, Passion, & Peace During The Darkest Days of Alzheimer's and COVID-19.Join us for this episode of Eldercare Illuminated to hear Mark explain what those dark days revealed and how his lifelong ambition to write a book “happened.” Somehow, Mark’s journaling habit resulted in a book that shares life lessons through stories of his youth and his father’s Alzheimer’s journey. Part memoir, part homage to Dad, Ten Days follows Mark’s childhood, being raised with his two brothers by a single father in the suburbs of Boston to his days as his father’s primary caregiver. About Our Guest:Father, son, brother, husband, coach: Mark Resnic

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) is a U.S. law that requires covered employers to provide employees with protected, unpaid leave for certain medical and family reasons. Yet, many Americans are unsure of the ways in which FMLA could make a significant difference in their ability to meet parenting or caregiving responsibilities as a working person. Join Torchlight host Stefanie Boucher for a conversation with Teri Weber, a partner and Senior Vice President at Spring Consulting group and subject matter expert on employee benefits and absence management programs, including FMLA. In this episode, you’ll learn about:•FMLA basics, including who is eligible to use FMLA and what criteria must be met;•How to talk to your employer about using FMLA to meet medical or family needs;•What to do if you’re getting resistance from your employer; and,•More!About Our Guest:Teri Weber is a partner and Senior Vice President with Spring Consulting Group. She has over 15 years of experience in health and welfare plan

Are you caring for a seriously ill loved one? If so, perhaps there are moments when you feel overwhelmed or even powerless as you try to get (and give) your loved one the best possible care. In this episode, join Torchlight hosts Lenore Tracey and Stefanie Boucher for a conversation with Erin Mulqueen Galyean, author of Badass Advocate: Becoming the Champion Your Seriously Ill Loved One Deserves. Whether your child or loved one is hospitalized or at home, listen to learn how to:- Build a support team for you and the patient and ask for help when you need it;- Overcome fear of authority figures and ask doctors effective questions;- Balance self-care with patient care; and,- More!About Our Guest:Erin Mulqueen Galyean is an author and speaker who trains sales professionals in effective communication with healthcare providers. She lost her father to Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1997 and her sister to a rare lung disease in 2018. Fueled by these heartbreaking experiences, Erin helps others become powerful advocates f

People are encouraged to plan for retirement (Save money!) and dying (Make a will!). But many of us — maybe most of us — forget that there can be a long (and expensive) time in between. In this episode, host Lenore Tracey talks with author, humorist, and elder law attorney Cathy Sikorski. Cathy’s new book, 12 Conversations: How To Talk to Almost Anyone About Long-Term Care Planning gives caregivers and future care recipients — all of us — reasons to talk to each other about how we’ll pay for care and what types of care we want. Better yet, Cathy gives us the language to deal with these conversations, no matter who you’re talking to — Mom, Dad, your grown-up kids, your Uncle Fred, your doctor, or your mom’s doctor.Check out what long-term care care costs where you (or your loved one) live: https://www.genworth.com/aging-and-you/finances/cost-of-care.html. Best to be sitting down when you do this! Then commit to having those important conversations with the people you love.*Genworth Financial 2021 Cost of Care

If you’re looking for a book to create an engrossing TV series, Kate Washington’s Already Toast should be high on your list. Published in March 2021, the book chronicles Kate’s life as a caregiver after her husband is diagnosed with a rare cancer. Lenore Tracey, host of Eldercare Illuminated, spoke with Kate about what it was like for her as the trajectory of her life is turned upside down.Sailing into their 40s with no expectation of the disaster that was about to strike, Kate and her husband were raising two children, working, and enjoying successful careers in sunny California. This is the story of their family, plunged into the murky waters of caregiving. It highlights the distressingly inadequate systems that support American families when serious illness strikes. Kate learns caregiving while caregiving – scant on-the-job training for an unanticipated job. She shares how the experience enlightened her and changed her, how historical notions of women as caregivers fare in modern America, and how we might

In this episode, host Lenore Tracey and award-winning documentary producer Paula Sellars consider a question that caregivers don’t usually think about — What if I’m not willing, able, or happy to be a caregiver? And it’s obvious companion thought — But I have to do this anyway!Caregiving is an act of love, devotion, duty, and responsibility. We may have planned to care for our elders, and we may have vowed “in sickness and in health.” We may also have a troubled relationship with the family member or friend who needs our help. Or we may turn green at the sight of blood, need a full eight hours of sleep to be remotely human, or be raising four-year-old triplets. Listen to two eldercare professionals, (who are also caregivers who have “been there and done that”) discuss how to accept thinking the unthinkable and cope with the must-do’s of a caregiver’s life.About Our Guest:Paula Sellars, MSW is an expert in adult learning, training development, and training delivery, particularly in promoting large-scale social

Most people know that sleep is essential to good health. But what you might not know is that 60 to 80 percent of us aren’t getting nearly enough of it - not by a long shot. And that’s a big deal. Studies show that insufficient sleep can lead to poorer health outcomes and quality of life, an increased risk of accidents, diminished productivity, and even an inhibited ability to learn and solve problems. Fortunately, whether you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or simply stay up too late at night, most sleep problems are treatable. In this episode, join Eldercare Illuminated host Lenore Tracey and Exceptional Parenting Podcast host Stefanie Boucher as they discuss the beauty and importance of sleep - and the little known secrets to getting a good night’s rest - with clinical sleep educator and behavioral sleep therapist, Rick Clerici. You’ll find out how to use your body’s natural sleep pattern to maximize rest, how to begin preparing your body for sleep from the moment you wake up in the morning, an

Many families today are struggling with uncertainty and threats to home and hearth. Financial instability is a reality for people who have had their work hours reduced or lost their jobs completely. In this episode of Eldercare Illuminated, we’re exploring an idea that predates the country’s troubles of 2020 and has the potential to provide some relief to caregivers and the adults they love. That’s home-sharing.Housemates have been a standard for young people starting out after completing their education. What are the many benefits that may be available to an older adult when sharing a living space? Amy Ford, of Silvernest, discusses how this little known option can provide different kinds of support for your loved one. In this discussion, we cover:- What types of help can be built into a home-sharing agreement - Safe ways you and your loved one can find a housemate- Questions to consider when interviewing an applicant- The importance of creating a formal home sharing agreement to protect both your loved on

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the lives of young and old alike since March. For caregivers who are juggling work, children, and aging or disabled loved ones, the disruptions have been relentless.We open our first episode of the Fall season of Eldercare Illuminated with a far-reaching conversation about what the last few months have been like when a loved one lives in a memory care unit during a COVID-19 outbreak and beyond.You’ll be surprised to hear that it’s not all bad news:- Seniors who contract this virus can recover.- Flexibility lends grace when circumstances continuously change.- Children (and dogs) still bring joy.- Workplace support is key to making all the pieces fit together.Guest Amy Lyman shares the story of caring for a loved one with dementia during the coronavirus pandemic. We learn that loved ones who can only live in the moment may enjoy a special boon while the rest of us are bathed in anxiety.About Our Guest:Amy Lyman is Torchlight’s Director of Client Success. In addition

As if the coronavirus pandemic were not bad enough, it has spawned another epidemic. Testing and treatment scams, product delivery scams, tax identity theft, and a multitude of new and creative ways to get people to divulge private information or click on sites that load malware, ransomware, and other dangerous software onto their devices are on the rise. As our guest, Steve Weisman says, “Things aren’t as bad as you think, they are far worse.” But don’t despair. Steve joins Torchlight’s Eldercare Illuminated host, Lenore Tracey, and Exceptional Parenting Podcast host, Stefanie Boucher, for a discussion of what to beware of and how to avoid the clever ways these thieves seek to undermine our digital security. Steve alerts us to attacks and identity theft based on use of websites and apps targeted at students, younger children, seniors, and employees; he offers some surprising insights about how criminals are exploiting the tools and applications we use every day.Steve has helpful strategies to share for all o

This podcast was recorded before the coronavirus pandemic. The need to understand the many faces of grief and how to treat each other kindly after a loved one dies is magnified under our current circumstances. Whether you are working remotely or on site, you, your family, and your co-workers may experience losses or be called upon to share condolences in this time of uncertainty.Join Eldercare Illuminated host Lenore Tracey for a conversation with Amy Tucci, President and CEO of the Hospice Foundation of America. Amy shares her knowledge, experience, and advice for individuals and families grieving after the death of a loved one. Whether someone you care about dies suddenly or after a long illness, the experience is painful; it requires time to understand and incorporate the loss into one’s mental and emotional framework.Download additional resources to help understand and deal with grief from the Hospice Foundation website at https://hospicefoundation.org/Grief-(1).Managers and employees can find specific in

In this episode of Eldercare Illuminated, Torchlight’s Eldercare Practice Leader, Lenore Tracey, answers questions about the limitations on visiting nursing homes and assisted living facilities as well as the importance of social distancing for caregivers and seniors during the coronavirus pandemic. Guest host Stefanie Boucher usually presents Torchlight’s Exceptional Parenting Podcast, when she’s not writing about the challenges of raising children and navigating education issues for children with and without disabilities. Today, she looks for ways to explain social distancing and how to convince a stubborn loved one that visiting the grandparents is just a bad idea.As promised in this episode, we’re including links to a couple of graphical representations and expert explanations of how social distancing works: This BBC video explains social distancing using dominoes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51989370A coronavirus transmission animation, from New Zealand’s online magazine, The Spinoff: https://upload.

Are you currently hesitant or unable to visit your loved one due to the coronavirus pandemic? Is your loved one feeling more isolated than usual as a result of social distancing? If so, music may be able to help him or her fight loneliness and even boost the immune system!Mary Sue Wilkinson spends her days bringing live music to assisted living facilities, memory care units, and nursing homes. In one of our most popular episodes of Eldercare Illuminated to date, Mary Sue shares her thoughts about the role of music in caring for someone with dementia — and the opportunity to enhance your loved one’s life in myriad ways through live and recorded musicalexperiences. The Rolling Stones’ lead guitarist Keith Richards has said, “Music is a language thatdoesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s inthe bones.” For individuals with dementia, music can spark what’s in the bones to riseto the surface for moments of clarity and happiness.About Our Guest:Mary Sue Wilkinson is

What do you do when your husband comes home with a surprise? He’s got cancer. Host Lenore Tracey opens Season Five of Eldercare Illuminated with a conversation about caring for a spouse with a serious illness. Life is going on with its usual ups and downs: kids’ ball games to cheer at, reports due at work, snow to be shoveled, and groceries to be bought. Then the universe throws a wrench in the works.Guest Rebecca Throop shares what she learned and how her family got through an unexpected caregiving challenge. Rebecca talks about both the practical considerations and the importance of community when a life partner becomes ill. Learn from one caregiver’s grace and fortitude. About Our Guest:Rebecca Throop, mother, wife, marketing professional, and caregiver extraordinaire, is responsible for fundraising, marketing, and communications for one of the 10 state-designated community mental health centers (CMHCs) in New Hampshire. She divides her busy life between work, family, friends, and Maggie — her four-footed,

Have you or your loved one gotten one (or more) phone calls from someone saying they are from Social Security? Join host Lenore Tracey and elder law attorney Cathy Sikorski to learn more about these scam calls and how to handle them.Need a concrete way to respond to this type of scam call? Consider the following:1. HANG UP - no need to say a single word!2. Try one of the following options; print it in big letters and place it by your and your loved one’s phones:“We don’t respond to telephone solicitations. Thank you.” HANG UP.“I will call the Social Security Office to verify this call. Thank you.” HANG UPSacrifice politeness to protect your social security number and other private information!About Our Guest:Cathy Sikorski has been a caregiver for the last 25 years for seven different family members and friends. A published author and humorist, Sikorski is also a practicing elder law attorney. Her legal expertise and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker where she tackles the legal issues that a

In this episode of Eldercare Illuminated, host Lenore Tracey talks about her own experience bringing her mother home to live with her toward the end of her Alzheimer’s journey. The decision to bring a family member home to live with you is a big one. It works for some families, and it doesn’t for others. It may work in the beginning, but not at the end of your loved one’s journey; or it may work only at the end. Lenore shares how her family made the decision and the ten items they considered each time they contemplated moving mom home: - Amount and type of care needed- Amount of supervision required (especially with a dementia diagnosis)- Safety- Activities and opportunities for the caree’s social engagement - Physical environment: stairs, bathrooms, noise, privacy, etc.- Family members’ schedules and availability to help- Impact of professional caregivers coming and going in your home- Expectations and needs of relatives and friends for visiting- Pets- Respite for yourself and other family members who are he

Entrepreneurs Joy Zhang and Madeline Dangerfield-Cha observed the anxiety and stress caused by social isolation and loneliness on college campuses. Smartphones notwithstanding, many college students find themselves aliens in a new world when they begin campus life. At the other end of the arc of life are older adults. Mobility problems, hearing or vision impairment, the devastating loss of a spouse, or a sense of alienation from the fast-paced, technology-drenched environment leave many seniors challenged by social isolation and loneliness.Joy and Madeline recognized the problem and envisioned a solution. What started as Visiting Students Services for Hire in the San Francisco Bay area is now Mon Ami – a business that pairs young people with adults who need a companion, technology support, an exercise buddy, or household help.Join Eldercare Illuminated to explore an exciting cross-generational approach to addressing social isolation and loneliness.About Our Guests:Graduates of the Stanford University Graduate

Join this episode of Eldercare Illuminated to learn what an elder law attorney or an estate attorney can do for you — and how to choose the right attorney for your situation. Host Lenore Tracey interviews elder law attorney Cathy Sikorski to get the inside scoop on the tools and documents these professionals use and when you might need them. Cathy also shares three important questions to ask when you or your loved one are selecting an attorney to work with.About Our Guest:Cathy Sikorski has been a caregiver for the last 25 years for seven different family members and friends. A published author and humorist, Sikorski is also a practicing elder law attorney. Her legal expertise and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker where she tackles the legal issues that affect those who will one day be or need a caregiver (which is everyone).Cathy’s first book is a humorous memoir Showering with Nana: Confessions of a Serial (killer) Caregiver. That was followed by Who Moved My Teeth? - a humorous and inform

Eldercare Illuminated launches its fourth season with an interview of professionalmusician Mary Sue Wilkinson, who spends her days bringing live music to assistedliving facilities, memory care units, and nursing homes. Mary Sue shares her thoughtsabout the role of music in caring for someone with dementia — and the opportunityto enhance your loved one’s life in myriad ways through live and recorded musicalexperiences.The Rolling Stones’ lead guitarist Keith Richards has said, “Music is a language thatdoesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s inthe bones.” For individuals with dementia, music can spark what’s in the bones to riseto the surface for moments of clarity and happiness.About Our Guest:Mary Sue Wilkinson is the founder of Singing Heart to Heart™ and the Young at Heart Music Program. As a career educator and professional musician, she discovered the power of music to awaken memories and bring joy. Today she specializes in using music in dementia care. Her

When handling the bills and the paperwork are just too much for your loved one and you are too busy or too far away, consider hiring a Daily Money Manager. Professional money managers are advocates who help people sort out bills, health insurance, magazine subscriptions, and more to create a system that works for everybody. Host Lenore Tracey meets up with Money Manager Barbara Boustead to learn what these professionals do – and don’t do – and how to find one.Enjoy the podcast and check out the American Association of Daily Money Managers (https://www.aadmm.com/) to learn more.About Our Guest:Barbara Boustead, LCSW is a social worker who shifted her focus from working with youth to helping seniors and older adults, military personnel, Veterans, and people with disabilities and chronic illness, including mental illness.After learning first-hand how important it was to organize and stay current with medical, legal and financial documents for her aging mother, Barbara founded her company, Mary’s Daughter LLC in