In this episode of the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews Dr. Catherine Madison, a Bay Area neurologist who founded the Ray Dolby Brain Health Center and recently authored Navigating Memory Loss: Essential Questions and Answers on Alzheimer's and Dementia.

As Christoph and Catherine discuss the book, Catherine shares several insights about dementia diagnosis and care. Catherine provides an overview of different dementia types and their common symptoms. They discuss the phenomenon of anosognosia, where individuals with dementia are unable to recognize changes in their own cognitive abilities. And they discuss how "therapeutic fibbing" can help avoid agitation for the person living with dementia.

Catherine emphasizes the importance of early evaluation and neuropsychological testing for individuals with memory concerns, and highlights recent advancements in dementia treatments that can significantly slow progression of the disease.

Catherine describes how her visit to the Hogeweyk® Dementia Village in the Netherlands influenced the section of her book comparing a "medical model" of care, which is focused on diagnosis and treatment, to a "social model" of care, which prioritizes quality of life and comfort.

Catherine wraps up by emphasizing the importance of individuals documenting their wishes for end-of-life care in an advanced directive. She shares the tools in her book designed to help people communicate their priorities regarding interventions like CPR, feeding tubes, and antibiotics, especially as it relates to care choices if they have become cognitively impaired by dementia.

You can find Catherine’s book at Copperfield’s Books and on Amazon.

In this episode on the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews Andrea Tales, Professor of Dementia Research at Swansea University in Wales of the United Kingdom.

They discuss the book A New Approach to Dementia: Examining Sensory and Perceptual Impairment, written by Andrea and fellow researchers Jan Kremláček and Emma Richards.

The book focuses on the shifting perceptions with vision, smell, taste, and hearing that can accompany changes in the brain related to dementia. 

Andrea explains that sensory changes, such as hearing loss, can help early recognition of dementia. She goes on to explain that this book focuses on understanding the sensory changes that occur during the dementia journey and how this awareness can help caregivers develop more individualized and effective care strategies.

Christoph and Andrea discuss the self-reporting of the research participants at the foundation of this book. The participants’ personal stories describe the shifting perspectives and perceptions they have experienced as they have lived with dementia. These personal stories help the general public access the insights contained in the book.

They continue their conversation discussing environmental modifications families and businesses can consider to make their environments more dementia friendly. Andrea has been an advocate for way-finding signage to help prevent people living with dementia from getting lost. She also shares how removing clutter can be a simple way to help people living with dementia.

Christoph and Andrea wrap up their conversation talking about who can benefit by reading this book, which can be found at Routledge’s website.

In this episode of Living with Alzheimer's, Christoph interviews Martin Schreiber, former governor of Wisconsin, about his book My Two Elaines: Learning, Coping, and Surviving as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver. 

Marty and Christoph discuss the caregiving insights in Marty’s book and how his mindset had to shift as he transitioned from his role as a husband to that of a caregiver. They also talk about the real health risks for caregivers, and what Marty wished he had known early on in the role.

Marty goes on to describe how he endured the loss of his First Elaine as she was diminished by dementia, and eventually learned to share moments of joy with his Second Elaine.

Christoph highly recommends the book for any family member of a person living with dementia. Even family member who aren’t primary caregivers will gain many insights on how to support those who are.

You can learn more about Marty and his book at mytwoelaines.com.

In this episode on the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews Tina Sadarangani, ANP-C GNP-BC PhD RN, Assistant Professor at NYU School of Medicine and the Rory Meyers College of Nursing.

They discuss Tina’s research regarding natural disaster trends and its impact on caregivers for those living with dementia. 

Tina shares her recommendations for creating an evacuation plan for the natural disasters most likely in their region as well as how to create an evacuation kit. 

She also discusses ways to reduce agitation for people living with dementia during an evacuation. And she shares how CareMobi, a caregiving app her team has developed, can keep caregivers connected with family and medical providers during natural disasters.

CareMobi is available for both iOS and Android users.

In this episode on the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews Michael Loughman, Director of Sales for Holland Home, a nonprofit senior living and care organization in Grand Rapids, MI.

Michael and Christoph discuss how the Holland Home team helps families navigate the choice of staying at home versus moving to a senior living community. And they cover typical senior living options and how they differ.

They continue with Michael’s insights on how families can prepare for caring for aging parents, and recommendations for the first steps families should consider when there is evidence one or both parents no longer seems safe at home.

As they wrap up by discussing the dreaded question, “How can we pay for this?” Michael describes the main methods families use to cover the costs of senior living.

You can find more information about senior living options at Holland Home’s Resources page. On that page, you can also find their guide called Questions to Ask When Evaluating Assisted Living Options. In addition, you can find their downloadable Dementia Care Handbook.

In this episode on the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews Matt McCann, Chief Operations Officer and Master Trainer at McCann Insurance Services, focused on customizing long-term health care insurance plans.

Christoph and Matt discuss what long-term care insurance is and how it can be structured to cover the long-term care needs both at home or in a senior living community. They also discuss how people can determine whether long-term care insurance is a good fit for them, what options should be considered, and the age or health status people should typically speak with a specialist about purchasing a plan.

Matt shares some resources for people to start their research, including LTCnews.com, a website dedicated to helping people learn more about long-term care insurance and to find long-term care insurance specialists who serve your area.

For more information, you can visit The American Association for Long Term Care Insurance at aaltci.org, LTC News at LTCnews.com, or you can contact Matt at the McCann Insurance Services website or by calling 866.751.7957.

In this episode on the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews Amanda Bulgarelli, Chief Operations Officer and Master Trainer for Positive Approach to Care, an organization focused on creating a more positive dementia care culture.

Amanda is the daughter of Teepa Snow, a nationally known dementia care specialist who founded the Positive Approach to Care (PAC) organization to help caregivers be more successful by using Teepa's therapeutic approaches and care techniques.

Christoph and Amanda discuss the issues that PAC is focused on solving for families facing dementia and dementia care needs. They talk about some care techniques PAC teaches, how caregivers can be more successful when they better understand how to enter the world of the person living with dementia, and how families can engage PAC to help them navigate the caregiving landscape.

They also discuss signs that may indicate cognitive decline versus normal aging, as well as two cognitive screening tests that individuals can use to help detect cognitive changes early. Those two tests are the Animal Fluency Test and the Trail Making Test.

For more information about Positive Approach to Care and the resources they offer caregivers and families dealing with the impacts of dementia, please visit teepasnow.com or call 877.877.1671.

In this episode on the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews licensed master social worker Megan Cowan about her work as Social Work Team Lead for Corewell Health Hospice & Palliative Care West Michigan.

Megan describes how the caregiving journey changes during late-stage Alzheimer’s and how she and her team of medical social workers help families and individual caregivers navigate the shifting care needs.

Christoph and Megan discuss recommendations for environmental changes to address safety needs related to restricting access, bathing, toileting, and diet.

Christoph stumbles over the word comorbidities ... other medical conditions that can coexist with a person’s dementia diagnosis. Megan explains how these other conditions can significantly impact caregiving needs, and she outlines the services hospice provides that can help with the unique needs of a person in late-stage Alzheimer’s.

Lastly, Megan describes what caregivers should prioritize for themselves regarding self-care as the person they're caring for progresses into later stages of dementia. And she recommends that caregivers use techniques from Teepa Snow and resources available from Alzheimer’s Association.

To learn more about Corewell Health Hospice & Palliative Care West Michigan, you can contact them at 616.391.4250.

In this episode on the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews social worker Deb Langer and advisor Julie Capra of Hospice of Michigan. They discuss what hospice is and dispel common myths about it. 

Deb and Julie describe who is eligible for hospice, how it’s paid for, and the many resources available to support people living with dementia and their caregivers. 

They also discuss the importance of medical and financial legal documents like advance directives, wills, trusts and power of attorney designations.

A nationally recognized leader in end-of-life care, Hospice of Michigan is the original and largest not-for-profit hospice in the state. For more than 40 years, the organization has served patients and their families across Michigan providing palliative and end-of-life care to patients wherever they call “home” – nursing homes, assisted living facilities, family residences, hospitals and more. 

As a founding member of the NorthStar Care Community, Hospice of Michigan also offers grief support and counseling, caregiver education and support, pediatric hospice care and support, and educational programs for physicians and health care professionals. Hospice of Michigan is there for patients and their families, respecting their wishes, preserving their dignity, and providing the highest level of compassionate and personalized care. 

For more information about Hospice of Michigan, please visit hom.org or call 888.247.5701.

If you want to learn more about other hospice providers, please contact Alzheimer’s Association at 800.272.3900. They can help you identify hospice providers that serve your area.

In this episode on the Living with Alzheimer's podcast, Christoph interviews Max Sherman, author of Releasing the Butterfly: A Love Affair in Four Acts. 

The book shares many insights about caring for a spouse with Alzheimer’s while telling the story of Max and his wife Gene Alice (Genie) who met as teenagers in the 1950s while volunteering at a jail in the Texas Panhandle. 

Max tells the story of how he and Genie created a partnership that enabled Max to become a lawyer, state senator and university president while Genie earned her doctorate to become a professor of music. The story continues as he tells how their shared love of literature, theater, film, and music became a critical connection after Genie was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

In the episode, Max shares many of the insights he has gained as a caregiver, and thoughts on how to maintain connection even while grieving the losses of the fading abilities of a spouse living with Alzheimer’s.

Max wanted to be certain to share that, in honor of Genie, all proceeds from the book go to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary's program in sacred music.