Answers For Elders Radio Network

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.