Around The Table With Vickie

Taking an aging parent to the doctor can bring difficult emotions and challenging decisions. In this episode of Around the Table With Vickie, Vickie and Chris discuss how adult children can help their parents communicate with clinicians while preserving their dignity, independence, and trust.They explore how to prepare for appointments, share important health concerns, recognize when a parent may be at risk, and navigate the delicate balance between respecting a parent’s wishes and making sure they receive the care they need. From managing anxiety and defensiveness to finding ways to keep parents involved in their own decisions, this conversation offers meaningful guidance for families navigating the challenges of caregiving.Grab your favorite coffee, pull up a seat, and join us around the table.

Caring for aging parents often means making decisions neither you nor your parents ever expected to face.

In Part 2 of Becoming Your Parent's Parent, Vickie and Chris continue the conversation about navigating role reversal with compassion. They discuss protecting a parent's dignity while keeping them safe, the challenges facing the sandwich generation, caring for the caregiver, and why parents should prepare their children for the decisions that may come with aging.

Most importantly, Vickie encourages parents to write the end of their story well by having the hard conversations, making their wishes known, and giving their children permission to make difficult decisions without carrying unnecessary guilt.

Grab your favorite coffee, pull up a seat, and join us around the table.

There comes a time when the roles begin to change. The parents who once cared for you may suddenly need you to care for them.

Vickie and Chris talk about the hidden realities of family caregiving, from doctor visits and medications to finances, sibling dynamics, caregiver burnout, and knowing when it may be time to ask for help. They also discuss how families can protect their relationships, share responsibilities, and approach this season as a privilege without allowing caregiving to erase who they are.

Grab your favorite coffee, pull up a seat, and join us around the table.

#AroundTheTableWithVickie #Caregiving #FamilyCaregivers

A fall can change everything, but recognizing the warning signs early can help protect mobility and independence.Vickie and Chris sit down with physical therapist Javier Acosta to discuss fall prevention, rebuilding confidence after a fall, the importance of staying active, and how tools like walkers and physical therapy can help seniors maintain their independence. Javier also shares practical signs families can watch for before a fall happens and why movement remains so important as we age.Grab your favorite coffee, pull up a seat, and join us around the table.

What if we looked at dementia differently?On this special episode of Around the Table With Vickie, Vickie is joined by internationally recognized dementia educator Teepa Snow, whose Positive Approach to Care has helped transform the way families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals understand Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.Teepa shares her insight into the changing brain, the importance of understanding what abilities remain, and how caregivers can respond with greater patience, dignity, and compassion.The conversation also explores Teepa’s GEMS Brain Change model, dementia care, communication, safety, caregiver challenges, family dynamics, and the importance of seeing the person rather than simply seeing the diagnosis.Runk & Pratt has incorporated Teepa’s approach into its memory care communities, helping caregivers better understand the people they serve and create environments where residents can continue to experience connection, purpose, and dignity.Whether you are caring for a loved one, working in senior care, or simply want to better understand dementia, this conversation offers practical insight and a completely different perspective on the dementia journey.Grab your favorite coffee, pull up a seat, and join us around the table.

Dolly Parton has given the world so much through her music, generosity, faith, and unforgettable spirit. But behind the spotlight was another role that millions of families can relate to: caregiver.

In this special episode of Around the Table With Vickie, Vickie and Chris reflect on Dolly’s life, her nearly six decade marriage to Carl Dean, and the caregiving journey she experienced when his health declined.

Through Dolly’s story, we explore the reality of caregiving and the importance of remembering yourself while caring for someone you love.

This is a tribute to Dolly Parton, her legacy of love and generosity, and the countless caregivers who give so much of themselves every day.

Grab your favorite coffee, pull up a seat, and join us around the table.

In Part 2 of our conversation on the impact of interior design in senior living, Vickie, Brian, and Chris continue discussing how thoughtful design can improve safety, independence, connection, and quality of life.From natural light and outdoor spaces to furniture, memory care layouts, and the expectations of the next generation of seniors, this episode explores why beautiful spaces also need to be functional and intentional.At the heart of it all is creating communities where residents feel loved, welcomed, and at home.Grab your favorite coffee, pull up a seat, and join us around the table.

What does interior design have to do with quality of life in senior living?

On this episode of Around The Table With Vickie, Vickie and Chris welcome back Brian Runk for a conversation about the importance of creating beautiful, comfortable, and functional spaces for seniors.

Vickie shares nearly 40 years of experience in senior care and explains how she discovered the powerful impact that colors, lighting, furniture, and thoughtful design can have on residents and their families.

From transforming an old assisted living home on a limited budget to designing spaces across Runk and Pratt, the conversation explores why senior living communities should feel inviting rather than institutional, how design can help residents adjust to leaving home, and why future generations of seniors will expect more from the environments they live in.

Vickie, Chris, and Brian also look ahead to how senior living design will continue to evolve as the baby boomer generation enters senior living.

Grab your favorite coffee, pull up a seat, and join us around the table.

Growing older isn't necessarily expensive. Getting sick without a plan is.In this episode of Around the Table with Vickie, Vickie Runk and Chris Runk discuss with Patrick Hurt why aging is becoming more financially difficult than ever before. From rising healthcare costs and inflation to Medicare misconceptions, long term care planning, and the growing loneliness crisis among seniors, this conversation is packed with practical advice every family needs to hear.They discuss why planning early protects your independence, why Medicare doesn't cover everything many people assume it does, and why families often regret waiting too long to have difficult conversations.Whether you're planning for yourself, helping aging parents, or simply preparing for the future, this episode offers valuable guidance to help you avoid unnecessary financial and emotional crises.Grab your favorite coffee, pull up a seat, and join us around the table.

Is America prepared for the financial realities of aging? In this episode of Around The Table With Vickie, Vickie and Chris Runk tackle one of the biggest challenges facing today's seniors and their families: the rising cost of growing older.From Medicare misconceptions and long term care planning to inflation, healthcare expenses, isolation, and the importance of preparing early, this conversation offers practical advice for anyone with aging parents or anyone planning for their own future.Whether you're in your 40s, 50s, 60s, or helping care for a loved one today, this episode will help you better understand the financial, emotional, and practical realities of aging before a crisis occurs.Preparation isn't about giving up independence. It's about protecting it.Grab your favorite coffee, pull up a seat, and join us around the table.