Join us on Full Circle for a powerful, no-holds-barred conversation with Pamela D. Wilson — entrepreneur, court-appointed guardian, expert witness, and one of the most seasoned voices in elder care advocacy. With 25 years and three companies behind her, Pamela has seen every corner of a system that too often fails the people it's supposed to protect. In this episode, she exposes the financial scams targeting older adults, the invisible signs of elder abuse hiding inside families, and the systemic failures of Medicare, Medicaid, and Adult Protective Services. She also challenges the healthcare industry's incentive to treat illness rather than prevent it — and offers hard-won guidance on powers of attorney, caregiver burnout, and what families can do right now before a crisis hits. This is the conversation every family needs to have before it's too late.

0:04 Introduction — Meet Pamela D. Wilson, 25-year elder care entrepreneur and advocate

0:42 A lifelong calling — growing up surrounded by grandparents, aunts, and uncles

1:03 The corporate detour — and why she returned to elder care after 15 years

1:26 Guardian and conservator — why families hire professionals for the hardest decisions

2:30 Expert witness work — standards of care, family disputes, and elder abuse cases

3:38 The biggest financial threats — phone scams, email fraud, and exploitation by family

4:55 Living alone with undiagnosed dementia — the silent medical risk hiding in plain sight

5:29 Estate planning essentials — financial and medical powers of attorney, done early

5:45 Non-visible elder abuse — power, control, and intentional isolation within families

6:49 Transparency in care — why doctors should always interview seniors privately

7:20 Early family conversations — care planning before burnout sets in

8:20 Cultural pressure on family caregivers — and how to break the generational cycle

9:28 Building empathy between exhausted caregivers and parents facing daily physical loss

10:11 Medicare and Medicaid's limits — the brutal reality of applying for government support

11:27 A broken incentive — why the insurance industry profits more from sick people than healthy ones

11:47 Siloed policymakers — duplicate research spending and the cost of government fragmentation

12:54 Adult Protective Services and the justice system — when well-meaning families become suspects

13:48 Free resources on Pamela's website — chronic care, power of attorney, and guardianship

14:11 What to do without an attorney — reporting self-neglect and pursuing guardianship through APS

Guest: Pamela D. Wilson | Elder Care Expert, Guardian & Advocate

Learn more: pameladwilson.com