The Agewyz Podcast

Dr. Victoria Walker used to shy away from politics; as a healer she didn’t want to alienate people, and she didn’t think she could make much of a difference politically. But as her career evolved, the physician shifted her stance. In today’s episode she explains why, and how the project she’s helming—the Family Caregiver Platform Project—plans to get caregiving issues included in political party platforms in every state in America. Ahead of the 2016 presidential election, Vicki and her team are hitting the ground running, helping family caregivers connect with legislators across the country. Music: "Set the Dogs" (Instrumental) by Yeyey | CC BY NC | Free Music Archive

At age nineteen Evelyn Godwin was thrust into the role of caregiver for her mother and her younger brother, when her father—a captain in the New York City Fire Department—was killed in the line of duty. Years later, while she worked as both a nurse and a healthcare executive, Evelyn lost her mother to cancer and her husband to heart disease. In today’s episode: learning from loss, healthcare from an insider’s perspective, and the healing power of everyday exchanges. Music: “Upbeat” by Jon Luc Hefferman | CC BY NC | Free Music Archive

Attorney Maria Anastas is spending a lot of time lately flying back and forth between her home in Los Angeles and her parents’ house in Phoenix, Arizona. With her father’s health rapidly declining, she’s juggling the needs of her clients with taking action on her father’s behalf, as her mother and her brother—who lives with their parents—handle dad’s everyday needs. In this episode, Maria talks about coming to terms with her father’s imminent death and how the process has rekindled past losses, the gratitude she feels for her tight-knit family, and why focusing on her own health has become a top priority. Music: “Is That You or Are You You?” by Chris Zabriskie | Free Music Archive

Emptying out a family home is exhausting, especially after a parent dies: items in the house become much more than just objects, and letting go of them can be as hard as letting go of the person you lost. In today’s episode, professional organizer Lisa Woodruff talks about what it was like to empty out her dad’s house after he died, and how, in her line of work, she helps people decide what to keep and let go of during stressful times.

Film industry veteran Kassi Crews spent a year searching for a script to produce that spoke to her heart. She finally found it in "Broken Memories," a well-told, serious yet at times funny story about a son who returns home to the family farm to care for his Alzheimer's-stricken father. In today's episode Kassi gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the film and shares her emotional journey of taking the story from script to screen.

Author and innovator Kay Bransford left her corporate career because she couldn’t work full time, be a mom AND an effective medical advocate for her parents, who both had dementia and were in denial about their condition. In this episode, Kay shares her tough yet at times comical caregiving journey with mom and dad, and how it affected her relationship with her siblings and her kids. Caring for her parents not only changed Kay’s perspective on life, it led to a new career: the organizational book she created to manage her parents’ lives—and her own sanity—became the basis for MemoryBanc, an award-winning system Kay created to organize and protect documents, accounts, and assets.

To learn more about MemoryBanc, winner of the AARP Foundation’s “Older-Adult Focused Innovation” prize, click here: http://www.memorybanc.com

Growing up in Natchez, Mississippi, Courtney Timm spent a lot of time hanging out with the seniors in her neighborhood, mostly to escape the chaos of life with five-siblings. Now 26 years old, Courtney is a healthcare administrator at Lourdes Noreen McKeen, a retirement community in West Palm Beach, Florida. Tune in for an inside look at the competitive field of senior living, from the perspective of a millennial who is passionate about her career.

Journalist Desa Philadelphia grew up in Guyana, in a multigenerational household. The set-up was common in her country, but being a teenager wasn’t fun for her with a meddlesome grandmother in the mix. Now living in Los Angeles, married and mother to a 5-year old, Desa seeks out opportunities for her daughter to interact with older people. In this episode: life lessons from multiple generations, managing parental health problems from afar and the upside of living in nip-tuck LA. Check out Desa's book here: http://www.amazon.com/Shops-Angeles-That-Must-Miss/dp/3954516152/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462475782&sr=1-1&keywords=desa+philadelphia

Diane Buhler’s parents were living in Florida when she moved there from New York. She saw the move as temporary—a chance to recover from a rough patch in her life and help her parents after her father’s stroke. A lifelong adventurer who was still single at age thirty-nine, Diane planned to eventually leave Florida for New Zealand. But then her life took some unexpected turns. A tale of marriage, motherhood, and keeping up with mom. To learn more about Diane’s non-profit click here: http://www.friendsofpalmbeach.com

Baby boomer Ralph Delia grew up in Lindenhurst, New York, surrounded by cousins in a tight-knit Italian family. His parents lived life to the fullest, and didn’t dwell on their mortality—rarely going to the doctor, stubbornly enduring ailments. So when his father received a life-shattering medical diagnosis at age ninety, Ralph scrambled to take charge of his dad’s healthcare in a way he hadn’t anticipated. In this episode we hear how his experience of caring for both parents affected the way Ralph handles his own healthcare needs, how he and his wife are changing their lives to feel more connected to people they love, and how living in Florida has given Ralph a unique perspective on aging.