In anticipation of Medicare Open Enrollment that begins October 15th, Val Guzman, AgeGuide's Benefits Access Specialist, interviewed Jennifer, a Senior Health Insurance Program client. Jennifer called AgeGuide looking for help to find a Medicare plan that fit her unique medical needs. Val and Jennifer talk about the ins and outs of Medicare and Medicaid while giving tips on how you can navigate Open Enrollment this fall. 

Take the AgeGuide Community Needs Assessment Survey:
http://www.ageguide.org/community-needs-assessment 

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Podcast: ageguide.org/the-age-guide-podcast
Website: ageguide.org

In this episode of the Age Guide podcast, we continue our series, shining a light on Veterans and the services available to them. We want to draw attention to the unique needs of the heroes in our community who fought for our country and the people who care for them. We interviewed Jacob Zimmerman, Superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kane County. He works tirelessly to maximize benefits for more than 18,000 veterans in Kane County to ensure veterans are cared for holistically.   

https://www.countyofkane.org/pages/veterans.aspx
https://www.veteransbenefitsillinois.org

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Podcast: ageguide.org/the-age-guide-podcast
Website: ageguide.org

In this episode we listen in on a conversation with Lance Corporal Frank, a former Marine, who served in Vietnam and now participates in the Veterans Directed Care Program (VDC), which allows Veterans to continue to live in their homes for as long as possible through home and community-based services. Frank shares his personal story and the profound pleasure of remaining at home with his dear friend as his caregiver.  #veteran #caregiving #marines #theageguidepodcast

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Podcast: ageguide.org/the-age-guide-podcast
Website: ageguide.org

Our next series will shine a light on Veterans and the services available to them through the Veterans Directed Care program. This program allows Veterans to continue to live in their homes for as long as possible by receiving home and community-based services. We want to shine a light on the unique needs of the heroes in our community who fought for our country and the people who care for them. In this episode, we interviewed Pat O’Connor, who was on the underwater demolition team in the Navy and his wife, Peggy, who is his caregiver. #podcast #theageguidepodcast #veteran #usnavyveteran

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Podcast: ageguide.org/the-age-guide-podcast
Website: ageguide.org

Women’s History Month celebrates the contributions women have made in our history and the contributions they continue to make today.  This year’s theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” In this episode, we interview Cathy Howard, a trailblazer who held many significant roles in her life. She broke barriers and helped pave the way for other women; her journey was not easy, but her perseverance and dedication led her to overcome countless obstacles. Hear Cathy’s amazing story about being a female officer in the Navy in the Vietnam War, and her life after, working in various male-dominated fields. Her story is truly inspiring and will captivate you until the end. 

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Podcast: ageguide.org/the-age-guide-podcast
Website: ageguide.org

For the month of March, which is both Disability Month and Women’s History Month, we honor the many older adult women caring for a loved one with disabilities.  Today, there are nearly one million households in which someone aged 60 or older is caring for an adult with an intellectual or developmental disability and the vast majority of those caregivers, 75%, are women. They spend, on average, 40 hours week, the equivalent of a full-time job, in caregiving.   

In the next and last episode of our caregiving series, we interview Nancy Hamilton, just one of the many women caregivers. Hear Nancy’s story about caring for her adult son who has a developmental disability and the many challenges, emotions, and rewards of her journey. Nancy puts a face on caregiving and gives her unique perspective on the intersection of disability, caregiving, and aging.

Paws Giving Independence:
https://givingindependence.org/ 

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Podcast: ageguide.org/the-age-guide-podcast
Website: ageguide.org

On this  episode we interview John and Sandy Miller, Co-founders of the Sounds Good Choir to learn how this unique choir offers respite to caregivers of all ages while helping people with dementia and other disabilities connect to music and artistic expression. We’ll also introduce our new Caregiver Specialist, Caitlyn Tolentino to share other resources and supports for caregivers. And of course, you’ll get to hear clips from the Sounds Good Choir woven throughout the episode. We hope that this leaves you with a song in your heart and a better understanding of the difference caregiver and dementia support programs can make. 

https://soundsgoodchoir.org/

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Podcast: ageguide.org/the-age-guide-podcast
Website: ageguide.org

In this series of our podcast, we want to shine a light on the commitment and dedication of more than 44 million family caregivers in the United States who provide personal assistance to loved ones with disabilities and other care needs. These caregivers, also known as informal or unpaid caregivers, make up 21% of the adult population today. Most also work full-time jobs in addition to their caring duties and 6 out of 10 report that caregiving has affected their ability to do their jobs. In fact, 15% have taken a leave of absence, and 14% have had to reduce work hours or change jobs as a result of their caregiving responsibilities. 

On Thursday December 1st, AgeGuide is hosting a virtual caregiver seminar called, “The Caring Economy: Supporting Your Employees Who Care for Family”. The keynote speaker, Ellen Birchander, Director of the Gerontology Department at University of Massachusetts, will talking about the importance of supporting employees who provide essential care for a loved one. We invited Ellen to join us for a one-on-one conversation ahead of the seminar, to get her thoughts on why caregiving is so challenging in America today and how it affects all of us. 

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Podcast: ageguide.org/the-age-guide-podcast
Website: ageguide.org

We want to shine a light on the commitment and dedication of the more than 44 million family caregivers who take care of loved ones, providing 4.7 million dollars’ worth of care every year.  A family caregiver is defined as an individual who cares for a loved one with a short-term or long-term disability or illness. Also known as an informal or unpaid caregiver, they provide invaluable care to those who need some degree of ongoing assistance with everyday tasks on a regular basis. 

On October 3rd, AgeGuide hosted its first Aging Summit, where we created a space for meaningful conversations around age, longevity, and inclusive communities. On this episode, the “Creating The Care Economy We Need” panelist will explore how we can support informal and paid caregivers and grow this important sector of the Aging Community. The panel included Marla Fronczak AgeGuide’s CEO,  Paula Basta the Director of the Illinois Department on Aging, Philippe Largent the State Director of AARP Illinois, Amy Brennan who is the Executive Director of the Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition and Katie Fielmann, the owner of Comfort Keepers. Let’s listen in Marla Fronczak, AgeGuide’s CEO, Kicks off the event. 

Facebook: facebook.com/AgeGuide
Twitter: twitter.com/AgeGuide
Instagram: instagram.com/theageguidepodcast
Podcast: ageguide.org/the-age-guide-podcast
Website: ageguide.org

We want to shine a light on the commitment and dedication of the more than 44 million family caregivers who take care of loved ones, providing 4.7 million dollars’ worth  of care every year.  A family caregiver is defined as an individual who cares for a loved one with a short-term or long-term disability or illness. Also known as an informal or unpaid caregiver, they provide invaluable care to those who need some degree of ongoing assistance with everyday tasks on a regular basis.

Sometimes a Caregiver isn’t full time or hands on, sometimes it’s something that fills in the gaps and creates a connection with the outside world. In this episode we’ll be shining a light on the Music and Memory program, a program that connects seniors with dementia to local high school students by sharing music from their era to help invoke memories and allow communication between older and newer generations. 

Check out Namish's podcast "5 AM Hustle Podcast" on all streaming platforms.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4JDEKnaNhWAL0ceZmZ7dsx
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/5-am-hustle/id1509484022
Instagram: @5amhustlepodcast

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Podcast: ageguide.org/the-age-guide-podcast
Website: ageguide.org