Backyard OASIS - Older Adults Seeking, Inspiring, Serving

You have a say when it comes to drugs you've been prescribed. So speak up. Ask questions. Don't be embarrassed. Know why a certain drug has been prescribed. Know if you'll have all those side effects you hear about on TV commercials. Know the risks and benefits of this drug. You must know as much you can about the meds you take because they only work as intended when used correctly. Here are 12 questions Shuman, a retired science writer who has worked alongside pharma companies most of her life, suggests you ask.

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard OASIS Podcast and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted and Produced by Denise Schwartz

Produced and Engineered by Alexander Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

There is so much we don’t know about the medications we take as prescribed or that we purchase over the pharmacy’s counter. My guest today will take us on the journey a medication makes from its creation in the lab, through testing and regulation, and into the pharmacy where you pick it up and take it home. It is a journey that takes longer than you may think…and there will almost always be some side trips along the way.

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard OASIS Podcast and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted and Produced by Denise Schwartz

Produced and Engineered by Alexander Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

Whether it's Candy Land, Pickleball, Tag or Mah Jongg, playing games taps into something deeply human. Denise and Jill explore how games sharpen skills, spark imagination, create connections with others and remind us that we humans love to have FUN!

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard OASIS Podcast and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted and Produced by Denise Schwartz

Produced and Engineered by Alexander Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

On this episode of Backyard OASIS, Denise talks with Gabe Temesvari, who was a sub-teen in Ohio listening to American Bandstand when Dick Clark introduced a song by a girl with a voice both "plaintive and sincere." There began Gabe's lifetime admiration of Connie Francis, hailed as one of the top-charting female vocalists of the late 1950s and early 1960s and one of the best-selling music artists in history. Today Gabe tells us about the Connie Francis he knew as an artist who attained fame, endured tragedy and was guided by a belief that one has to “try and try again.”

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard OASIS Podcast and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted and Produced by Denise Schwartz

Produced and Engineered by Alexander Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

Join your hosts Judy Raper, Jessica Niedbala, and Mackenzie Shanahan for their ninth deep dive into today's reality TV and pop culture!

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard OASIS Podcast and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted and Produced by Judy Raper, Jessica Niedbala, and Mackenzie Shanahan

Produced and Engineered by Alexander Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

Host Denise Schwartz might be a little anxious by the end of this episode. Why? Because today she's talking about... killing. And people who kill. Serial killers, mostly. Guest John Olszewski corresponded with and met many of society's most notorious killers. He'll tell us about them, why they kill, and about humans' obsession with true crime.

John Olszewski is author of true crime books Long Dark Walk and Serial Shorts, was born and raised in the historic city of Salem, Massachusetts. His fascination with true crime began at a young age, sparking a lifelong pursuit of understanding serial killers. John earned degrees in Criminal Justice, Behavioral Science and Counseling Psychology, leading to work in hospitals, jails, prisons and treatment centers. He has also shared his expertise on the lecture circuit while maintaining connections with some of the world’s most infamous murderers.

Listen to John Olzewski‘s podcast The Long Dark Walk on any of your favorite podcast platforms!

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard OASIS Podcast and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted and Produced by Denise Schwartz

Produced and Engineered by Alexander Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

On this episode of the Backyard OASIS Podcast, host Christine Copeland has a conversation Dr. Kate Clayton-Jones, founder and CEO of Footcare by Nurses, and Lee Wicks, a writer who translates Kate’s deep scientific knowledge into accessible language for the public, especially elders who can no longer care for their own feet. They talk about how understanding the health of your feet leads to understanding health in general, particularly issues of balance, posture and confidence. They also talk about the psychological benefit of the one-on-one relationship this nursing care provides for seniors.

Dr. Kaye Clayton Jones is the founder and CEO of FootCare by Nurses, a Greenfield-based company that provides foot care in Western Massachusetts, parts of Connecticut, Cape Cod, and the Islands. Kate and registered nurses who have received specialized training, attend to each patient with caring attention and a mission to improve quality of life and prevent more complicated health problems such as amputations.

Kate was motivated to start FootCare by Nurses because, as an acute care nurse, she saw too many people falling or having their toes or feet amputated from causes she thought were preventable with good nursing care. With a clear passion for better care of feet, a business background, and a mission of prevention, Kate began her journey to prove that nurses can take great care of feet and give everyone the best scientifically backed foot care possible.

In 2020 she received a PhD in nursing science from UMass, and in 2025 she graduated with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (UMass), and her capstone was on chronic pain and complicated grief.

She gave a TEDx talk in 2019 to raise awareness about caring for your feet and was nominated for the 2020 Massachusetts Woman’s Small Business Owner of the Year Award. Two years ago, she and two nurses greeted the walkers midway on Monte’s March for hunger and helped them tend to their sore feet. When she isn’t running the business, Kate can be found on the front lines developing out the science of foot care.

Learn more about Dr. Clayton Jones' work at https://footcarebynurses.net

Lee Wicks is a retired communications professional, a writer who has published a novel and a memoir, and a marketing consultant who works with Kate to help educate people about the vital importance of preventive ongoing footcare. She first met Kate at the end of covid-19 isolation when her neglected feet needed care. She was so impressed by the care and information she received that she approached Kate about a job just when Kate was looking for help with her marketing materials and the Footcare by Nurses website.

Lee is a retired person who still wants to be professionally engaged, and as a writer she relishes the challenge of translating Kate’s scientific knowledge into accessible language for the public, especially elders who can no longer care for their own feet.

In her free time Lee writes (she is working on a second memoir) spends time with friends, family and her giant dog Ziggy, swims, walks and takes classes at the Y.

Learn more about Lee Wicks' work at https://winningwriters.com/people/lee-wicks

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard OASIS Podcast, and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted and Produced by Christine Copeland

Produced and Engineered by Alexander Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

On this episode of the Backyard OASIS Podcast, host Judy Raper has a conversation with therapist and clinical social worker Brooke Donatone about scams on seniors – specifically what they look like in the digital era. They talk about warning signs that a correspondence might be a scam, the different forms modern scams can take, and how you can help older adults in your life who you suspect may be the victim of a scam.

Learn more about Brooke and their work at https://www.deliberatepsychotherapycollaborative.com/

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard OASIS Podcast, and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Photo credit: Deliberate Psychotherapy Collaborative

Hosted and Produced by Judy Raper

Produced and Engineered by Alexander Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

Astronaut Ron Garan's realization that humans' focus on economic systems is wrong aligns with beekeeper Dan's thinking about ways to save Earth's ecological systems. You'll hear part of Garan's stirring message read by Denise, followed by Dan Conlon's thoughts about how we can create economic systems that improve Earth's environmental system that we depend on for our existence.

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College Backyard OASIS Podcast, and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Hosted and Produced by Denise Schwartz

Produced and Engineered by Alexander Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA

On the southern slope of Greenfield Community College is a botanical garden of beauty and variety - a small orchard, native flowers, community vegetable beds, a boardwalk into a small wetland and views of the neighboring mountain forest. This quiet oasis delights visitors but more importantly is an outdoor learning lab for a wide variety of classes and workshops. Join Science Professor Teresa Jones and Natural Resources Program Coordinator Anthony Reiber for a conversation with Christine Copeland about how this community treasure grew and plans for the future.

Be sure to subscribe to the Greenfield Community College BackYard Oasis Podcasts, and check back regularly for new episodes as well as other enriching GCC content!

Photo credit: ecolandscaping.org

Links:

https://www.gcc.mass.edu/oll/about/

https://rss.com/podcasts/backyardoasis/

Contact Anthony Reiber at [email protected]

Outdoor Learning Lab media coverage:

"From Wasteland to Wildflower Meadow at Greenfield Community College" – Ecolandscaping

Hosted and Produced by Christine Copeland

Produced and Engineered by Alexander Audette in the Multimedia Studios at Greenfield Community College in Franklin County, MA