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This podcast is dedicated to unpaid caregivers who take care of their loved ones, but unpaid doesn't mean there aren't costs to be covered. Either direct costs such as food and transportation needs for your loved one. There are also indirect costs like missed opportunities at work because you take time to be with your loved one. Catherine Cook with the Houston Area Agency on Aging joined our host, Marie-Pierre, to discuss these costs on a professional and personal level. She also talks about the challenges some people in the African American communities may face when caring for someone.

The AARP Prepare to Care podcast usually focuses on the Caregiver. We provide practical tips and resources to make your job easier as a caregiver. Sometimes it is easy to think that being a caregiver is a job and forget that the individuals receiving the care are part of the team too. They have their own feelings, stresses and desires. In this podcast our host, Marie-Pierre, speaks to Mary Jane Morgan to get a first account view of what it is like to be someone receiving care.

We did it! The Prepare to Care podcast has completed its first year, with 22 episodes and more than 8,000 listeners, we're very proud to have provided you with the tips and tricks for being a better caregiver in Houston. We've covered the 211 United Way Helpline, Legal Tips for Caregivers, how to keep your brain sharp, long distance caregiving, the future of caregiving, and much more.

We will take a short break and will return in January 2018. See you then.

Many caregivers at some point or another find themselves in a hospital waiting room. Either a loved one has had an unforeseen medical emergency and you anxiously await the results, or perhaps your loved one has a long-term medical issue that has you in and out of hospitals all the time.

Doctors, nurses and other hospital staff are often very helpful when at the hospital, bu what happens when something goes wrong or doesn't feel right? What can you do to advocate for your loved one as a caregiver, and what resources are available once you go home?

To answer those questions, 'Prepare to Care' podcast host Marie-Pierre is turning to AARP Outreach and Advocacy State director, Isabel Longoria, and local patient advocate, Bonnie Shereen.

Caregiving is a fulfilling and serious undertaking. Sometimes the caregiver and the person they're caring for must discuss delicate issues like power of attorney or guardianship. It is not an easy conversation, but in some cases it is a necessity. So what is the difference between these two actions? AARP 'Prepare to Care' podcast host, Marie-Pierre, spoke to Crystal Jenkins of the South Texas College of Law and got some answers.

We have been doing this podcast for several months now and it has been received well. This week we have a bilingual podcast focusing on Caregiving resources for Spanish speakers. Who do you turn to when you need in-language information and how easily is it attainable? Natalia Ballón with BakerRipley joined podcast host, Marie Pierre, to answer these questions and give us all some Spanish speaking options. The podcast is in Spanish.

The AARP Prepare to Care Podcast has looked at resources for caregivers in Houston and beyond. We've looked at everything from 211 to long distance caregiving to ho to deal with difficult family members. It has all been wonderful advice, but in honor of National Caregivers Month, we wanted to invite one of you, a caregivers, to share her story from the front lines. On this latest podcast episode our host, Marie Pierre, talks to Barbara Lewis. She is an extraordinary woman who has taken on the incredible journey of being the main caregiver for her mother in Houston. Barbara will be sharing her personal caregiving story and what actually works or what resources she wishes she had more access to in order to care for her mother.

The 'Prepare to Care' podcast has talked about the different resources available for people with Alzheimer's or Dementia, and the unique caregiving struggles they may present. The issue is how to tell when you're getting to that point. The brain works in mysterious ways, many of which science is only now starting to understand. So, how can we easily keep track of our brain health?

In this edition of the 'Prepare to Care' podcast, host Marie Pierre speaks to Dr. Yael Katz and her colleague Jordan Weinstein about the brain and how it works. They have tips on how to keep the brain healthy and how we can tell if something isn't working properly before it is too late. Believe it or not, the answer may lie in an app they are both developing called BrainCheck. The idea is to learn from football players and concussions to help track cognitive health as we age.

When it comes to getting caregiving information for a loved one who is a senior, there is no other place with the knowledge quite like AAA or the Area Agency on Aging. The agency plans contracts services for senior citizens throughout Harris County. Some people even consider them the central hub of information when it comes to caregiving. In this latest podcast, host Marie Pierre speaks to Paula Johnson and Suzanne Terry with the Harris County Area Agency on Aging.

People continue to recover from Hurricane Harvey. While the storm may have physically rolled through our area a few weeks ago, but the effects will be with us for many weeks to come. Many people are still sorting through typical long term recovery issues like cleaning out a home, finding a new school for your children to attend, or dealing with the emotional trauma. However, some people may have found themselves in a position of becoming a caregiver for a family member for friend whose home flooded. In this latest episode of Prepare to Care, host Marie-Pierre talks to Isabel Longoria. She's an AARP associate state director of outreach and advocacy and has some tips for emergency caregivers.