Rodger That

Charlie Young is the CEO of SYNERGY HomeCare which is one of the largest franchisors of in-home care services.

“Our mission is to help people thrive at home,” Young says. “Benevolent probing minimizes that feeling of threat while making it possible for you to accurately assess how your parents are doing.”

It is common for seniors to strongly guard their independence and feel threatened when topics arise that risk the lifestyle they are comfortable living, so benevolent probing is a simple way for adult children to assess their loved ones' needs from a distance. It minimizes that feeling of threat while making it possible for you to accurately assess how your parents are doing Benevolent probing is a combination of careful observation and considered conversation designed to gather information in a gentle way to gauge a loved one’s condition, during virtual or physical gathering.

“Remember that there are amazing resources for senior care that allow your loved ones to remain independent while still receiving care, support, and companionship,” Young explains.

“The advice I would give to anyone who is looking to bring a caregiver into their home is that the first phone call is an important one,” Charlie explains. “And it is connecting with the person who's running the agency, talking to them about scheduling, and telling them what your needs are,” Charlie explains.

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Susanne White is the founder of Caregiver Warrior. She was blessed with the opportunity to care for her parents and ventured out on a caregiving journey that would change her life. Susanne blogs about this journey and shares her experience, strength, and hope with others so that they too may survive caregiving with grace and empowerment.

“I think caregivers are warriors and that their battlegrounds are in the health care system. I mean, we fight a battle every day. Caregivers are confronted with very scary things and we move ahead anyway,” Susanne says.

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Norrms, as his friends call him, was diagnosed with early onset dementia at age 50. In the 10+ years since his diagnosis, he has done more to educate the world about the disease than most of us can imagine doing in a lifetime.

"Dementia is one of the biggest health crises in this country at the moment, and we've got to try to understand it so we can deal with it,” Norrms says.

“Dementia is not forgetfulness. Dementia starts affecting your life skills, which means that when you sit there for lunch, you have forgotten what to do with your knife and fork. When you get up in the morning and have forgotten how to put a shirt on, or just walk out with nothing on. That’s dementia.” Norrms explains.

When diagnosed with a type of dementia,” Norrms says, “Always ask, How do they know it’s that type of dementia? How has the conclusion been arrived at, and how does it differ from other types of dementia.”

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Jennifer N. Levin is a writer and caregiver advocate. She has been published in The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, LA Weekly, and other publications with a focus on social and cultural issues both in the US and abroad. In television, she has worked in the writers' room on a variety of dramas, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

“My parents were divorced and I'm an only child, so really as my dad was navigating this, I was the one doing it with him. At a certain point, I was the one that took over his care,” Jennifer says.

“There are a lot of things that an older person might be able to learn from us as far as shortcuts using an app or something like that,” Jennifer observes, “and there are a lot of things that a younger person might learn from somebody who's been doing it longer.”

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Rabbi Michael Goldman is the Director Emeritus of Seivah, a non-profit organization whose work and mission is to create better emotional and spiritual lives for people with dementia and their care partners.

Rabbi Goldman began rabbinical school the year his grandmother, who had vascular dementia, died. Observing how she became less attached to worrying and more attached to nature, great grandchildren, and other things that she loved, Rabbi Goldman concluded that having dementia does not preclude having a spiritual life.

A Memory Minyan is a meditative, melodic, joyous Sabbath service, followed by a traditional meal.  It is tailored to a minyan – group – of people with dementia and their loved ones, joined by a group of volunteers.

“Prayer and music is just something that is best community experienced and that's part of the mission and work of my organization. It's hard for me to conceive of a definition of spirituality without that communal aspect,” Rabbi Goldman said.

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Gina Martin is the founder and executive director of the Bob and Diane Fund and the managing account executive, International Editorial Sales, for National Geographic Creative.

The fund honors Bob and Diane Martin, high school sweethearts married for 49 and a half years. In 2006, at the age of 65, Diane was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, and she passed away 5 years later. Bob, her husband, loyal partner, and devoted caregiver, died just 3 months later.

“When we first heard about my mom’s diagnosis, we know that we had to be there to support our dad too as he would be her caregiver and living with her. Our first thought was how it's harder on the caregiver than the person living with dementia, so we really had to make sure that we were supporting him.” Gina said.

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Ambiguous loss is a familiar experience for many care partners and families living with and/or caring for a person with dementia, even if they don’t know it. Being prepared to identify, address, and respond to ambiguous loss is an important facet of dementia services.

Lori Nisson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has spent more than 20 years specializing in leadership and clinical positions supporting the needs of patients and families coping with emotional, movement, memory, and behavioral problems. 

“I think for all families, whether their loved one is in early, moderate, or advanced stages of dementia, the key is to understand the changes that come with the disease. What to expect, when, and the critical importance of getting support and resources as the disease progresses.” Lori says.

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To find out more about Bobbi and Mike or the inspiration behind this podcast, Rodger That, head over to rodgerthat.show.

Terry Korth Fischer writes mystery, memoir, and short stories. Her memoir, Omaha to Ogallala, was published in 2019.

After a friendship that spanned more than a decade, Terry spent eighteen months as the primary caregiver for Anna Fogelman, a 95-year-old unmarried woman, who loved life and learning until she forgot her passions. Guiding Anna through stay-at-home care and then into assisted living, Terry became her friend’s lifeline in the baffling world around her.

“We like to say that we were sisters of the heart. People would always say, ‘Are you her daughter?’ Anna got a kick out of that, and then would say, ‘No, we're sisters of the heart.’” Terry said.

About 22% of older adults in the United States can be considered elder orphans or solo agers, or are at risk of becoming one. Elder orphans are older people who don’t have a spouse or children they can depend upon, while solo agers are older adults who are living alone and never had children.

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Dr. Melissa Armstrong is the Director of the Mangurian Clinical-Research Headquarters for Lewy Body Dementia at the University of Florida Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases.

In Lewy Body dementia, some of the things that make it different from diseases like Alzheimer are the hallucinations and delusions. The most common hallucinations in Lewy Body dementia are usually formed objects like bugs, pets, and people. The delusions involve someone believing something completely that is not true and absolutely nothing can convince them to the contrary.

“So, in people with mild cognitive impairment, or when the memory and thinking aren't quite what they are used to be but they are still independent, then the goal of shared decision-making is still to let them make their decisions with assistance from their team and their family,” Dr. Armstrong said.

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Robyn Etherington has a diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy and has been practicing throughout South East Queensland for over seven years. Philip Etherington is a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Disability Support Worker practicing in South East Queensland. He is currently studying Dementia Therapy at the University of Tasmania. 

“You don't need a hypnotherapist to come to your house and do the process. You can do it at home, be your own hypnotherapist, and it's not damaging. It's safe, you can't do anything wrong,” Robyn said.

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To find out more about Bobbi and Mike or the inspiration behind this podcast, Rodger That, head over to rodgerthat.show.