All Home Care Matters

All Home Care Matters was honored to welcome a special guest to the show, Spencer Bishins. Spencer is an author and former attorney for the Social Security Administration.

Spencer Bishins has a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, and a law degree from Florida State University. After law school, he worked in the private sector for two years prior to joining the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2010. He worked at the Appeals Council for almost four years, reviewing thousands of disability decisions for compliance with SSA’s complex rules and procedures. He then worked at the hearing level for seven years, where he drafted almost 2,000 decisions for SSA Administrative Law Judges.

After working for SSA for more than 10 years, he wanted to help demystify the complicated disability system. His first book, Social Security Disability Revealed: Why it’s so hard to access benefits and what you can do about it, explores the obstacles that disability claimants face as they try to access benefits.

All Home Care Matters was honored to welcome a remarkable mother, wife, speaker, and author to the show Kim Hamer. Kim Hamer is the author of 100 Acts of Love: A Girlfriend's Guide to Loving Your Friend through Cancer or Loss, an easy-to-read book filled with 100 practical, quick, and effective ways to support a friend or coworker. She’s also an HR leader and speaker who lives in Los Angeles where she tries not to bother her relatively well-behaved college-aged children. About the Book: The book is about how to deal with a loved one who has Cancer, it also talks about how to deal with coworkers or colleagues who have cancer and/or coworkers or colleagues who have loved ones who have cancer.

All Home Care Matters was honored to welcome a wonderful friend of the show, Elizabeth Miller. Elizabeth is the founder and owner of The Happy Healthy Caregiver.

Elizabeth Miller is a family caregiver advocate, speaker, author, and Certified Caregiving Consultant. Elizabeth’s personal experiences caring for aging parents with chronic and terminal illnesses and for a sibling with developmental disabilities inspired her to create Happy Healthy Caregiver in 2015. Through her coaching services, speaking, award-winning podcast, book, and online community, Elizabeth helps family caregivers infuse caregiving and self-care with their busy lives.

Elizabeth is the host of the Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast on the Whole Care Network, author of Just for You: a Daily Self-Care Journal, and facilitates an Atlanta support group for family caregivers called the Atlanta Daughterhood Circle. Elizabeth is also an ambassador and retreat leader for the No Barriers USA Caregivers Program. 

All Home Care Matters was honored to welcome Liza Berger and Diane Eastabrook from McKnights Home Care for an in-depth discussion about McKnights Home Care and the home care industry.

Liza Berger is editor of McKnight's Home Care, a two-year-old business-to-business brand for the home care industry. In this position, she oversees the brand's website (mcknightshomecare.com ) and daily e-newsletter, which offer legislative, regulatory, financial and clinical-related news and features related to the personal care, home health and hospice industries. Prior to her current position, she served as senior editor of sister brand McKnight's Long-Term Care News. She also has worked in custom publishing and for a daily newspaper.

Diane Eastabrook is the staff writer for McKnight’s Home Care Daily, covering home care, home health, hospice and hospital-at-home. Since joining MHC in March 2021, her work has been recognized by the Society of Business Publication Editors. Diane previously managed the Chicago bureau for PBS Nightly Business Report and was a correspondent for Al Jazeera Media Network. She is 2021 Columbia University Age Boom Academy fellow and a 2020 Journalist in Aging fellow from the Gerontological Society of America.

All Home Care Matters is honored to welcome a remarkable guest to the show, Malika Moore. Malika Moore, MSW, LICSW, LCSW-C, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the District of Columbia and Maryland.

Ms. Moore is the Founder of Aging & Amazing, a company that strives to support older adults, caregivers, and the networks that surround them.

She has over 10 years of experience as a professional, clinician, public speaker, and business owner and has a genuine passion for older adults and caregivers. Malika’s work in behavioral health, community education, and healthcare have prepared her for her current venture of serving the aging population, their caregivers, and professionals who specialize in aging. Malika has served in several different capacities in her professional career, including clinician, geriatric care manager, medical social worker, psychotherapist, support group facilitator, and adjunct professor. She is a leader who enjoys uplifting and inspiring others. Malika holds dearly and values her family and friends and is personally invested in ensuring we all know that it is possible to live and be Aging & Amazing!

All Home Care Matters was honored to welcome Ramie Liddle to the show for an interview about the viral sensation, "Driving Miss Norma" and to learn about saying "Yes" to living.

Ramie Liddle is the best-selling co-author of Driving Miss Norma: An Inspirational Story About What Really Matters at the End of Life (HarperOne, 2017) and is a dynamic a public speaker. As well as being a high school counselor, ordained minister, long-distance boat captain, and one-time cherry farmer, Ramie is foremost a nomad. She has traveled extensively by land and sea throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada with her husband, Tim, and their standard poodle and therapy dog, Ringo.

The traveling team became fortuitous caregivers for Tim’s 90-year-old mom, Norma, after she received a cancer diagnosis only two days after her husband, Leo, suddenly died. The approach they took toward Norma’s end-of-life care attracted the attention of millions around the world. Ramie has since become a vocal advocate for positive end-of-life experiences for both the dying and those who care for them.

This is the final installment of our mini-series with Dr. Edward Smink that explores the many aspects of caregiving. This installment explores experiencing caregiving as a spiritual practice. For the previous two installments from this series please refer to our official YouTube channel.

The concert violinist or Olympic athlete did not arrive at the pinnacle of their success by simple will power. From their first dream to entering and making them real, each entered into a particular journey of practice. Flat notes and aching muscles became the learning opportunities for each to excel. Practice became routine, in fact often the center of their lives. Caregivers too, dream, and achieve different Licensures, experiences and educational opportunities. Insights are learned because of trials, struggles, joys and achievements. What keeps each committed, centered, and dedicated to live out their dreams Dr. Smink asks? In so many ways, he suggests that this is an Campbellian or heroic journey.

The task before the caregiver is to remain steadfast as they are sent into the arena of human joys and sufferings. Where Soul leads one to find reverie, refreshment and solace, the sinew that allows the caregiver to enter into the depths of their experiences is the art of reflection. Smink expands the notion of reflection as a normal human experience. Caregivers reflect on the needs of their patients, logos or rational side of caregiving. Little attention, however, is giver to the mythos or creative side of caregiving, where the caregiver meets the archetypal strengths of the hero, of the wounded healer, of the spiritual nature of caregiving, and the importance of practice. He explores the ancient history of the wounded healer and how it relates to the present age of the caregiver. Dr. Smink concludes that the art of caregiving is a spiritual practice as both the caregiver and the one being served are affected, and indeed transformed. He asks: “Are you a better person because of your work as a caregiver?