Eldercare Success

Host: Nancy May, Author How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, After!  Expert in managing the path of step-by-step caring for an aging parent or family member, even from over 1200 miles away, or more. For a Free File-of-Life to www.howtosurvive911.com. Nancy is also the Co-Founder of CareManity LLC, and the private FaceBook group, Eldercare Success.

Guest:  Shawn Yesner, Esq. has over 20 years of bankruptcy and real estate experience.  He built his firm, Yesner Law to help homeowner, borrowers, consumers and real estate investors buy, sell, protect and preserve the single greatest asset someone will own in his or her lifetime – their home.  Shawn and his colleagues are experienced in handling chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy, debt alternatives and other various real estate matters.   He says “you do not have to keep living with so much financial stress.  Shawn and his firm will help you get back to stability.”

Shawn is also the host of the Crushing Debt Podcast, and author of the book Crushing Debt: 9 Strategies to Eliminate Financial Bullies.

Show Overview: More and more people, old and young alike, are considering bankruptcy because of extraordinary and unexpected medical bills.  After working hard all their lives, it’s tough for our parents and loved ones to consider such drastic measures because they can’t afford to pay their doctors or the hospital.

After years of working hard, providing for families, unexpected medical situations can arise, and the fear of not being able stay financially afloat is frightening.  This happens more often than many of us realize.  As for our aging parents, some might be afraid or even embarrassed to bring their financial concerns to their adult kids. Sometimes financial difficulties don’t have to do just with medical bills. Memory declines, and depression can lead to ignored bills piling up on tables.  Or, excessive and extravagant purchases help feed or self-sooth the heart and ego can become fairly common.

What happens when the creditors start calling?  What happens when you’ve signed documents for loved ones without knowing you have assumed legal and financial responsibility for those expenses totaling in the thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars!? 

Bankruptcy for our older family members is trending higher here in the U.S.  However, in many cases there are ways to avoid these difficult dilemmas.  Understanding how to address such situations before they grow worse is one tactic.

Listen in Shawn Yesner, Esq. and I discuss some of these difficult situations and solutions to get you back on a better road.

Disclaimer: The views, perspectives, and opinions expressed in this show are those of the show guest and not directly those of the companies they serve or that of the host or the producer CareManity, LLC. Information discussed should not be taken as medical, legal, or financial advice. Please seek the advice or you own personal medical, legal or financial advisors as each person’s situation is different. (c) Copyright 2021 CareManity, LLC all rights reserved. CareManity is a trademark of CareManity, LLC.

Host: Nancy May, Author How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, After!  Expert in managing the path of step-by-step caring for an aging parent or family member, even from over 1200 miles away, or more. For a Free File-of-Life to www.howtosurvive911.com. Nancy is also the Co-Founder of CareManity LLC, and the private FaceBook group, Eldercare Success.

Guest: Mark T. Bertolini (full bio at the end of these show notes) is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest and most successful hedge fund. Based in Westport, Connecticut, Bridgewater manages approximately $150 billion in assets for sophisticated institutional investors across the globe, including public and corporate pension funds, university endowments, charitable foundations, supranational agencies, foreign governments, and central banks. Mark previously served as Co-Chairman of Bridgewater’s Operating Board of Directors, having served as an Independent Director of the firm’s Internal Board since 2019.

Show Description: What happens when the CEO of a Fortune 500 healthcare company faces a personal family crisis, with the likelihood that the medical system will fail him and his and family?  As his son’s death appears foregone, does he battle doctors and a seemingly nefarious medical system looking to give up on him? How did his own company respond to his needs? 

What does he do a year later, when unrelenting pain from a ski accident starts him thinking about creating his own demise while racing his sportscar around the city at high speed?

What lessons did he learn from each life crisis, how did he later apply them to the loss of his own mother to ovarian cancer?

Listen in to how Mark Bertolini former CEO of Aetna, and current Co-CEO of Bridgewater Associates, created a new program for families facing life and death decisions to overcome the obstacles placed in their way by unempathetic, business-driven medical systems. 

There’s much more in store! 

Guest Full Bio: Mark T. Bertolini is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest and most successful hedge fund. Based in Westport, Connecticut, Bridgewater manages approximately $150 billion in assets for sophisticated institutional investors across the globe, including public and corporate pension funds, university endowments, charitable foundations, supranational agencies, foreign governments, and central banks. Mark previously served as Co-Chairman of Bridgewater’s Operating Board of Directors, having served as an Independent Director of the firm’s Internal Board since 2019.

 Mark is also a national health care thought leader, and the former Chairman and CEO of Aetna Inc. At Aetna, Mark assumed the role of CEO in November 2010, and of Chairman in April 2011. In November 2018, he stepped down as Chairman and CEO and served as a Director of CVS Health Corporation upon completion of CVS Health’s acquisition of Aetna, valued at $69 billion. Throughout Mark’s tenure at Aetna, he led the company’s transition from a traditional health insurance company to a consumer-oriented health care company focused on delivering holistic, integrated care in local communities.

 Before joining Aetna, Mark held executive positions at Cigna, NYLCare Health Plans, and SelectCare, Inc., where he was President and Chief Executive Officer. He serves as a director of Verizon Communications Inc. (communications and technology solutions), Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (insurance and investment products), Thrive Global (sustainable, science-based solutions to enhance well-being, performance and purpose), and the FIDELCO Guide Dog Foundation (non-profit organization that breeds, trains and places German Shepherd guide dogs with people who have visual disabilities).

Disclaimer: The views, perspectives, and opinions expressed in this show are those of the show guest and not directly those of the companies they serve or that of the host or the producer CareManity, LLC. Information discussed should not be taken as medical, legal, or financial advice. Please seek the advice or you own personal medical, legal or financial advisors as each person’s situation is different. (c) Copyright 2021 CareManity, LLC all rights reserved. CareManity is a trademark of CareManity, LLC.

Episode Overview: In this episode, my guest Sue Brayne and I address new ways to think, behave, live more consciously, and help others right to their very last breaths.  We dive into different ways that near death/out-of-body experiences may change our quality of life and help us to better understand and cherish our own mortality.

We discuss how to make caring for someone we love a bit more comfortable for them, as well as us as caregivers.  The episode also covers research on psychedelics being tested to comfort the terminally ill, and the positive impact that Death Cafés are having on the hearts and souls of so many around the world. 

Yes, life is beautiful! Join me as Sue shows us how to live better with what we know and have now.

Guest: Sue Brayne originally trained as a state registered nurse. She has an MA in the Rhetoric and Rituals of Death (King Alfreds, Winchester), a second MA in Creative Writing (Oxford Brookes), and was an honorary researcher for Dr. Peter Fenwick’s five-year retrospective study into end-of-life experiences through the Clinical Division of Southampton University. She is the author of several books on death, dying, and mortality, including Nearing the End of Life: a guide for relatives, friends, and carers. This has now been translated into six languages, most recently Finnish and German. For many years Sue worked as a psychotherapist, specializing in trauma, end-of-life issues, bereavement, and grief.  She has also facilitated numerous Death Cafes in many different settings and hosts the Embracing Your Mortality podcast. Recently she published Granny Mo, Is Teddy Going to Die? her first early years picture book helps young children and adults talk together about death and dying. Suebrayne.co.uk

Host: Nancy May, Author How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, After!  Expert in managing the path of step-by-step caring for an aging parent or family member, even from over 1200 miles away, or more. For a Free File-of-Life to www.howtosurvive911.com. Nancy is also the Co-Founder of CareManity LLC, and the private FaceBook group, Eldercare Success.

Disclaimer: The views, perspectives, and opinions expressed in this show are those of the show guest and not directly those of the companies they serve or that of the host or the producer CareManity, LLC. Information discussed should not be taken as medical, legal, or financial advice. Please seek the advice or you own personal medical, legal or financial advisors as each person’s situation is different. (c) Copyright 2021 CareManity, LLC all rights reserved. CareManity is a trademark of CareManity, LLC.

Show Host: Nancy May, Author How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, After!  Expert in managing the path of step-by-step caring for an aging parent or family member, even from over 1200 miles away, or more. For a Free File-of-Life to www.howtosurvive911.com. Nancy is also the Co-Founder of CareManity LLC, and the private FaceBook group, Eldercare Success.

Guest: Dana Griffin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Eldera.ai, the purpose driven global platform for older adults, on a mission to tap into the time and wisdom of 1 billion elders around the world as a new natural resource for the next generation. It's all about bringing forth the Era of the Elders. She envisions Eldera as a virtual multigenerational village where kids benefit from social-emotional learning and increased resilience, elders benefit from a sense of purpose and expanded community, and most importantly everyone experiences more joy. 

Episode Overview: Life presents us all with challenges, and especially to those who care for family members as they grow older and more frail.  Family members are important to us, yet they may not always be available improve quality of our lives.  Fortunately, there are other ways to bring the communities of young and old together to combat and even reverse the symptoms of mental decline and even dementia.   

Listen to this next episode as we discuss how to transfer the value and wisdom of over 1 billion elders down to legacy generations.  Learn how communities that never met before in person are starting to create richer qualities of life for parents, families, and caregivers.

Life doesn’t stop until we all stop. Every day should count since every day can bring joy to everyone.

Disclaimer: The views, perspectives, and opinions expressed in this show are those of the show guest and not directly those of the companies they serve or that of the host or the producer CareManity, LLC. Information discussed should not be taken as medical, legal, or financial advice. Please seek the advice or you own personal medical, legal or financial advisors as each person’s situation is different. (c) Copyright 2021 CareManity, LLC all rights reserved. CareManity is a trademark of CareManity, LLC.

Show Host: Nancy May, Author How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, After!  Expert in managing the path of step-by-step caring for an aging parent or family member, even from over 1200 miles away, or more. For a Free File-of-Life to www.howtosurvive911.com

Guest:  Yale School of Medicine, Joan Monin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Public Health, Social & Behavioral Sciences. Professor Monin's research examines how emotional processes affect health in older adult relationships. Her research combines survey methods and laboratory experiments to understand the mechanisms (e.g. emotional contagion, cardiovascular reactivity) and moderators (gender, individual differences in attachment) involved in these processes. Currently her research focuses on understanding how caregivers and care recipients support one another in the context of early stage dementia.

All things considered, we as caregivers are really a special group of individuals. In this episode, I discuss with Professor Joan Monin, Ph.D, from the Yale School of Public Health, the research she’s been doing to better understand how families support parents and spouses going through dementia and Alzheimer’s.  She has managed to flip some of the traditional assumptions on how stress impacts us and how to deal with it.  She describes the differences between husbands and wives as caregivers, and well as generational understandings.  She also mentions how to better partner – yes, “partner” with someone who has dementia, and gives some great tips for more open communication that, in turn, could bring more joy and understanding into your family and your own life.

You can also participate in, and benefit from the studies she’s currently doing now.  Here’s a link to those details.  Yale Caregiver Study.

It’s a power packed, yet enlightening, show you’ll definitely want to hear.

Disclaimer: The views, perspectives, and opinions expressed in this show are those of the show guest and not directly those of the companies they serve or that of the host or the producer CareManity, LLC. Information discussed should not be taken as medical, legal, or financial advice. Please seek the advice or you own personal medical, legal or financial advisors as each person’s situation is different. (c) Copyright 2021 CareManity, LLC all rights reserved. CareManity is a trademark of CareManity, LLC.

Finding a good home healthcare agency can be a challenge for any family caregiver, especially for those living in suburban and rural areas.

In this episode, I speak with two special guardian angels who seem to know just how reduce the fear and loneliness that comes from caring for an elderly parent or frail spouse. In-home care does not have to be just for the wealthy. In our discussion, we dive into how caregivers can effectively research and successfully hire a home care agency. We also talk about when NOT to hire an agency, how to manage your own loneliness and stress as a caregiver; what happens when things go wrong, and more.

My guests, Julie Brubaker and Inga Lake are the founders of EPAGA Home care in Bigfork, Montana. They’ve combined their personal and professional experience, heart, and love of farming (think sheep, cattle, apple pie, and more) and family, and their Christian faith to build the foundation of their values-based homecare agency. Part of that is their rule that every hire must meet their “Grandma Test.” Listen and learn more on this and other guidelines they live and work by.

Extra bonus:  Checklist on how to hire an agency.  

Show Host: Nancy May, Author How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, After!  Expert in managing the path of step-by-step caring for an aging parent or family member, even from over 1200 miles away, or more. For a Free File-of-Life to www.howtosurvive911.com

Guests:  Julie Brubaker and Inga Lake, Co-CEOs, EPAGA Home Care, Inc, Kalispell, Montana. The EPAGA is Agapé spelled backwards, which was not not picked randomly or without purpose. The Biblical definition of “agapé” exemplifies what Inga and Julie believed to be the key reason for their mission and service to others in the home care setting. Agapé is “love”, the highest form of love, especially brotherly love – the love of God for man and of man for God. They felt their choice of such an agency name was essential to convey to the world the true meaning and mission of their business.

Disclaimer: The views, perspectives, and opinions expressed in this show are those of the show guest and not directly those of the companies they serve or that of the host or the producer CareManity, LLC. Information discussed should not be taken as medical, legal, or financial advice. Please seek the advice or you own personal medical, legal or financial advisors as each person’s situation is different. (c) Copyright 2021 CareManity, LLC all rights reserved. CareManity is a trademark of CareManity, LLC

Show Host: Nancy May, Author How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, After!  Expert in managing the path of step-by-step caring for an aging parent or family member, even from over 1200 miles away, or more. For a Free File-of-Life to www.howtosurvive911.com

Guest:  Jessica Juchau-Scott, a no nonsense daughter, in the UK, working to help families impacted by Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.

We’re all challenged in getting the best care for those we love. Sometimes things just don’t work as we want.  In this episode, we dive into how Lewy Body Dementia impacted one remarkable former Scotland Yard Detective, Ray Scott, and his entire family.  System shortcomings with his care while frustrating, galvanized his daughters and wife to create better care solutions for other families in the UK.  Thanks to his daughter Jessica Juchau-Scott and wife Sylva, many families will have an improved way to work with dementia care managers, work the system of care in the UK better, and hopefully create memories that generate more smiles than tears.

It only takes one person to start a wave that can impact an entire industry.  This episode is one that I hope will inspire you and others to find strength from adversity, particularly for those caring for someone with dementia. 

Our strength is powerful when we all work together. Yet, it takes a first spark to light a fire.

• Photos of Ray Scott and his wife, Sylvia, and daughter Jessica.

The approach that Jessica and her family have worked on to further improve the original National Health Service (NHS) strategy for supporting carer families in the UK is based on an initial program that was established in 2015.  The Scott family has worked to  improve how families are considered and supported, together with their ailing loved ones, in the UK.  In addition to improvements to this program, Jessica and her sister are working together with the NHS to co-present Carer Awareness training and mental health staff training to further support the initiative improvements and help carer families. 

The baseline information can be found here: NHS Foundation Trust, Service User and Carer Involvement Strategy. 

Show Host: Nancy May, Author How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, After!  Expert in managing the path of step-by-step caring for an aging parent or family member, even from over 1200 miles away, or more. For a Free File-of-Life to www.howtosurvive911.com

Guest:  Doug Levy, Author, Public Emergency Communications Expert and CEO Doug Levy Communications, LLC

Ever wonder who first responders and healthcare authorities turn to when they need to reach and talk with those of us at “street level” during a large public emergency? Doug Levy is the pro to whom the healthcare responders and local and state government groups turn to for advice.  

Doug will relay tips on how to increase your chances of a better outcome if you ever face a natural or manmade disaster.  He even gives us an inside view of how medical facilities determine who to care for when their own systems get overwhelmed, and what you can do to get care in those times.  Knowing how your healthcare system will respond to your needs could result be a life saver (or not, if you don’t know). 

Doug Levy is the author of The Communications Golden Hour, When Every Minute Counts. He has spent his career in the middle of emergencies, bringing calm to chaos. He has been a firefighter, emergency medical technician, lawyer, award-winning reporter, and communications executive at three top universities. One of the first to embrace social media as an emergency communications tool, Doug developed the Communications Golden Hour to streamline emergency communications planning and response so that it works effectively and efficiently. An adviser to public safety agencies, he’s trained emergency officials in how to get clear messages to the public when minutes count. He was a health and technology reporter for USA Today, and his investigative reporting won a Peabody Award in 1987.

Disclaimer: The views, perspectives, and opinions expressed in this show are those of the show guest and not directly those of the companies they serve or that of the host or the producer CareManity, LLC. Information discussed should not be taken as medical, legal, or financial advice. Please seek the advice or you own personal medical, legal or financial advisors as each person’s situation is different. (c) Copyright 2021 CareManity, LLC all rights reserved. CareManity is a trademark of CareManity, LLC

Show Host: Nancy May, Author How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, After!  Expert in managing the path of step-by-step caring for an aging parent or family member, even from over 1200 miles away, or more. For a Free File-of-Life to www.howtosurvive911.com.

Guest:  Ron Clifford, master photographic storyteller. 

What’s the difference between a snapshot and photograph?  The answers are revealed in this episode as my guest, Ron Clifford, explains how to capture memories that will touch your heart forever – even if only on your cell phone camera.   Ron gives us excellent tips on how to connect with the person being photographed and reveal their character.  You’ll hear about simple ways to have more fun and take the pressure off in getting that best photo. He even helps us understand how our brains interpret a visual image. It’s different from you might think.   Even the tone of Ron’s voice will put an image in your mind. 

 Ron Clifford is a professional Newmarket portrait and branding photographer known for his innate ability to capture the inner soul of a person or subject.  His work has reached and touched the hearts of millions, and has been featured by Google and National Geographic.com. 

Learn more about Ron and his work at https://ronclifford.com/about/#

Disclaimer: The views, perspectives, and opinions expressed in this show are those of the show guest and not directly those of the companies they serve or that of the host or the producer CareManity, LLC. Information discussed should not be taken as medical, legal, or financial advice. Please seek the advice or you own personal medical, legal or financial advisors as each person’s situation is different. (c) Copyright 2021 CareManity, LLC all rights reserved. CareManity is a trademark of CareManity, LLC.

Show Host: Nancy May, Author How to Survive 911 Medical Emergencies, Step-by-Step Before, During, After!  Expert in managing the path of step-by-step caring for an aging parent or family member, even from over 1200 miles away, or more. For a Free File-of-Life to www.howtosurvive911.com.

Guest:  Kelly O’Donnell, J.D., Associate, Pullman & Comley, LLC

 If you’ve ever heard of, or watched the Netflix film “I Care A Lot,” then you’ll want to tune into this episode where my guest Kelly O’Donnell, an attorney with Pullman & Comely, and I dive into the frightening where a family member or parent’s rights and assets can be taken away and given away by the courts. Fortunately, in the state where Kelly practices law, there are many hurdles for professional guardians and conservators to jump over and/or adhere to. Such regulations help protect the elderly and infirmed. However, this does not hold true in all states. Some are more lenient with who and how others can take control over the health care and financial wellbeing of someone you love. It’s important to understand – in detail - the laws that protect or make it difficult to protect an aging parent, spouse, or anyone you love and care for. Should you ever have any concerns or fears that your parent, or you, could run into these types of challenges, it’s important to find and consult with a reputable eldercare attorney in your jurisdiction. While this show covers just the tip of the iceberg, it’s better to be forewarned than become a victim.  You’ll find our discussion fascinating.  Promise!

 Here’s a link to the Netflix show: I Care a Lot.  If you haven’t seen it, you may want to take one evening to watch.  Although a fiction story, made for entertainment, it is based on research, a 2017 article from New Yorker Magazine titled How the Elderly Lose Their Rights, and other public cases. 

Kelly F. O’Donnell is an attorney in the Business Organizations, Finance, and Trusts and Estates practice areas with the law firm of Pullman & Comely, LLC. Kelly advises clients regarding business succession planning, healthcare decision-making, and estate planning. On the corporate practice side, she works with businesses of all sizes, on mergers and acquisitions, contract review and negotiation, corporate formation, customer and vendor agreements and negotiations, protection of intellectual property, corporate succession planning, and tax planning. She has represented private, family owned businesses and international publicly-held companies in their acquisitions and related tax planning. 

 She was recently recognized in The Best Lawyers in America with the “Ones to Watch” award, 2021 Super Lawyers “2019 Rising Star,” and the Connecticut Law Tribune “New Leader in the Law” award 2018, among other awards and recognitions.

For more details about Kelly’s expertise and experience please go to: https://www.pullcom.com/people-KellyODonnell

Disclaimer: The views, perspectives, and opinions expressed in this show are those of the show guest and not directly those of the companies they serve or that of the host or the producer CareManity, LLC. Information discussed should not be taken as medical, legal, or financial advice. Please seek the advice or you own personal medical, legal or financial advisors as each person’s situation is different.  (c) Copyright 2021 CareManity, LLC all rights reserved. CareManity is a trademark of CareManity, LLC.