Dementia Resilience with Jill Lorentz

Feb 15, 2022 – In this episode, my goal is to help you line out what you will experience in the late stage of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, when falls and eating issues become prevalent. This is the beginning of a number of steps that need to be addressed to make sure stress levels don’t reach an epic place and take you to a place of being completely overwhelmed. This is a how to deal with this podcast that could help save your sanity!

February 8, 2022

A question was asked of me this week that ruffled my feathers; is there a time in late stage when we should just stop feeding our person with dementia? Should we use feeding tubes? What if a doctor says we should let go and stop feeding? Listen to the show to hear my answers.

January 26, 2022 – The type of dementia known as Lewy Body is one of the toughest to diagnose and even harder to deal with from a symptom standpoint. The anger, the lack of judgement and reasoning, the laser focus and the delusions. Enough already! It’s enough to make their caregivers lose their minds! I will help as much as I can in this episode.

January 18, 2022 – When some has Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s or some other type of dementia disease, it is often difficult to know when they are in pain, sick, dehydrated, or have a urinary tract infection. It is also hard to know if they have fallen or broken a bone. This show will hopefully help you to access the situation and make the correct choices for care.

Jan 13, 2022 – Today my show is all about helping children through the tough times of living with various dementia’s. Kids are much more accepting and resilient when they are educated on what is transpiring. If you don’t know how to start the conversation, I have a full show of ideas for you! Children have the ability to have deep compassion and love, but also need to be protected from situations which could hurt their feelings, damage their positive disposition, or put them in danger. How do we navigate this…just take a listen to the show!

January 4, 2022 – My guest today is my friend Amelia Schafer, Senior Director of Growth and Engagement Strategy for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the national Alzheimer’s Association. She is working hard to build trust in communities where people have been overlooked and underserved with dementia care. She is using community forums to reach people of color, Hispanic and Latino, and LGTBQ, who have needed our help for years. She is creating partnerships with diverse organizations to reach the folks who need help. Community forums are created to be listening sessions to find out what is lacking and how to solve problems where they live and uncover specific needs to provide better education and assistance.

We also chat about our health program, Optavia, that we have undertaken to get ourselves in better shape!

December 28, 2021, Today my show is about learning what dementia is. There is so many misconceptions it blows my mind. A friend this week said her husband is glad he has Parkinson’s and not dementia, I just shook my head. Parkinson’s is a type of dementia disease, as is Alzheimer’s, Frontotemporal, Vascular, ALS, Lewy Body, Huntington’s and over a hundred more. Today I will spell all this out for you. Please listen and be informed. We have come to far to be ignorant of this subject. Dementia does not mean memory loss and it is not a disease. It is a definition which mean cognitive impairment serious enough to affect activities of daily living. Resilience is equally important, and it means overcoming obstacles and adversity to find a positive outcome, which is what I want to help all of you to embrace. Come along with me today and learn.

Dec 21, 2021 ~ The holidays are filled with people traveling (300 million this Christmas season in the USA) to be with their families and it is often the beginning of a confusing and heartbreaking time. The reality sets in that our loved ones are struggling with memory and cognition issues, and it happened when we weren’t looking. Families are at odds about it; oh, this person just wasn’t listening, they are argumentative, someone is being too critical. Today I will give you a short, 30-minute show about what to look for around the house, and clues that will help you determine if something is really going on that you cannot ignore any longer. My heart goes out to you if you find yourself in this situation.

December 14, 2021 – Today I present a wonderful, intimate and sweet conversation with Annabel (Baby Belle) Bowlen, daughter of National Football League Hall of Fame Owner Pat Bowlen and his beautiful wife Annabel. Pat Bowlen, affectionately known as Mr. B to fans, passed away in 2019 from complications of Alzheimer’s. He was such a beloved owner and he cared deeply about the fans of the Denver Broncos, and their experience when they attended a game. He was instrumental in many of the positive changes in the NFL over the years and was highly esteemed by other owners, and Roger Goodell. In 2014 Pat Bowlen stepped down from day-to-day operations and the Colorado community was devasted. Just before Pat’s death, December 2018 brought more heartbreaking news, his wife Annabel was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. There is not much harder than having one parent with the disease, and then tragedy struck twice. Baby Belle was sweet enough to join me in the studio and share what it was like growing up in a football family. She gives us an inside glimpse into what her parents were like when she was young, what impact she feels they have had on her life, and how they inspired her to be the best she can be.

The Denver Broncos won three Super Bowls under Pat Bowlen. He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame shortly after his passing. This was bittersweet but nonetheless a very proud moment for his family. We in Broncos nation thank this family for bringing a winning spirit and joy to fans, every Sunday and for so many amazing years.

Annabel Bowlen is a Communications Assistant for the Denver Broncos Football Club. She graduated from the University of Colorado Denver, earning a Bachelor of Art’s degree in Communications with a certificate in digital studies. Bowlen has profound experience being a caretaker for her mother and late father, who have suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. She is passionate about public speaking on how she has been touched by Alzheimer’s, hoping it will help those diagnosed or caretaking for someone living with the disease. She is a strong leader in advocating for research, support, and developments for those living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.