The Agewyz Podcast

A few months after their 50th wedding anniversary, Helene Berger's husband Ady was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. When the doctor gave him the news, Ady replied, "I don't want to live anymore." From that moment on, Helene vowed to find creative ways to make their lives as joyful as possible for as long as possible. It wasn't always easy. But Helene learned a lot along the way, and she took notes which became the basis for her new book, "Choosing Joy; Alzheimer's: A Book of Hope." Helene tells us how she and Ady worked together to communicate in a positive way, which not only led to fewer instances of Ady's inappropriate behavior but allowed them both to feel empowered. She shares the mantra she developed for herself when Ady asked her the same questions over and over, and she tells us how she went from giving unpleasant aides the benefit of the doubt to sending them packing. We all have the power to respond to mental or physical decline in a positive way. Find out how in Helene's book, "Choosing Joy; Alzheimer's: A Book of Hope."

Explore Helene’s book: Choosing Joy

In the next fifty years the population of Americans over age 65 will double. Where do millennials fit in? That's the question posed by filmmaker and visual journalist Sky Dylan-Robbins in her documentary short for NBC Left Field titled, “Millennials Stepping Up: How Will We Take Care of Our Parents?” It’s a topic that feels close to home for Sky. A millennial and only child whose father died of colon cancer, Sky wants make sure her mother is well cared for as she ages. She's also slightly intimidated by the prospect of preparing for her own aging. Sky tells us how the characters in “Millennials Stepping Up: How Will We Take Care of Our Parents?” are navigating the art of adulting while they also handle caregiving responsibilities. She offers her take on how millennial caregivers differ from their baby boomer counterparts, and she drops a few hints about the film on dying that she's making with her mother, Ellie Dylan, who worked at NBC exactly 40 years before Sky began working at the network. Sky Dylan-Robbins is the founder of The Video Consortium and was chosen as one of Forbes Magazine's “30 Under 30” in Media in 2018. 

Note: this episode originally aired May 17, 2018.

Read Sky's piece and watch the documentary short: Millennials Stepping Up
Sky’s website: Sky Dylan-Robbins

Caregiving expert and author Jana Panarites engages with unsung heroes — people caring for family members, friends and relatives amid the demands of their own lives — plus professionals in the field of aging and writers, performers and artists who are using media to creatively address major health issues, foster dialogue and challenge widespread assumptions about aging.

If you’re having a hard time caring for a family member or friend, chances are there are lingering wounds in the relationship.  But choosing the path of forgiveness can heal even the most fractured bonds.  Take it from filmmaker Gayle Kirschenbaum, whose emotional abuse as a child made her feel like she was born into the wrong family.  Her relationship with her mother was especially harsh, but Gayle chose the path of forgiveness and chronicled her journey with her mother from enemies to friends in the film, "Look At Us Now, Mother!"  Gayle shares the back story on her funny, short film "My Nose" and tells us how audience reaction to the film led her to make "Look At Us Now, Mother!"  She explains how digging into her mother’s past helped to heal their relationship, and she tells us how she’s using what she learned from her experience to help people discover the power of forgiveness.  Gayle also tells us how her 96-year-old mother is handling her fame from the movie in her Boca Raton, Florida community, and why her mother is still the life of the party.

Watch the trailer for Look At Us Now, Mother!
Gayle Kirschenbaum website and TEDx talk
Sign up for Gayle's upcoming (6/23/19) workshop: transforming difficult relationships into healthy ones.

George and Carol Shannon were on their last night of vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico when Carol had a stroke.  A day later, in a hospital back in their hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, a million questions went through George's mind. He was still working.  How would he handle this? How would he be a caregiver? Would he be a caregiver? Who would take care of Carol? How long would she be in this condition?  Distant and selfish by his own admission, George realized he'd  taken his wife for granted during their entire 41-year marriage.  But he not only rose to the occasion and cared for his wife Carol, along with her he went on a remarkable journey of discovery which allowed him to fall in love with Carol all over again.  Jana talks with George and his son Chad, co-authors of "The Best Seven Years of My Life: The Story of An Unlikely Caregiver" about George's caregiving journey of redemption.

Learn more about "The Best Seven Years" and connect on Facebook: Best Seven

We hear a lot about how the opioid crisis is destroying families and communities. But the scope and impact of medication overload is much bigger: in the last two decades the number of older adults taking five or more medications has increased 300 percent.  There’s also been a spike in the number of serious adverse drug events (ADEs).  These alarming facts and others are outlined in a new report from the Lown Institute titled, “Medication Overload: America’s Other Drug Problem.”  Jana talks with the report’s co-authors: Judith Garber, a Health Policy and Communications Fellow at the Lown Institute; and Shannon Brownlee, Senior VP at the Institute and author of the book, “Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer.”  Judith and Shannon talk about the dangers of medication overload, what’s driving the practice, solutions that have been effective in tackling the problem and what you can do to prevent adverse drug events.

Read the Lown Institute report: Medication Overload
Check out the Lown Institute website

TIPS FROM JUDITH AND SHANNON...
Before adding another medication, ask your doctor these questions to avoid unnecessary medications and set a “stop date” for medications that aren’t meant to be taken long-term:

• What is this medication for? What disease is it treating?
• Is there evidence that this drug is effective for patients of my age and with my medical conditions?
  • Out of 100 patients like me, how many are helped and how many are harmed by this medication?
• How will we know when the medication is working or not working?
• Can I start on a lower dose and see if that works?
• How long should I take this medication? When should I stop taking it?
• Do you know how this medication might interact with other drugs I’m already taking?
• Are there side effects I should watch out for if I take this medication?

Jaime Estremera-Fitzgerald is a CEO on a mission. As head of South Florida’s Area Agency on Aging (known locally as Your Aging and Disability Resource Center), Jaime leads a team that serves seniors, adults with disabilities and the people who care for them in Palm Beach, the Treasure Coast and Okeechobee Counties. Jaime explains how the Center connects people with a vast array of home and community-based services designed to help people continue to age in their homes. Their services include directing people to respite care services, providing tools to fight the exploitation of elders and guiding people through the maze of Medicare and Medicaid enrollment. Jaime also talks about caring for his own parents, his complex emotions around moving his father into an assisted living facility (ALF) and how his father’s Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage influenced their choice of ALF. There is an Area Agency on Aging in every county in America. Find yours here: Area Agency on Aging. 

Note: this episode originally aired December 15, 2016.
Call the South Florida Area Agency on Aging Toll Free Helpline: 866-684-5885

58-year-old Brian LeBlanc is an international Alzheimer's advocate who speaks at conferences, workshops, symposiums, and even on dementia-friendly cruises.  He's got a sense of humor that will knock you over.  But don't call him an Alzheimer's patient.  And don't call him an Alzheimer's sufferer.  Brian explains why, and he tells us how he's living well with Alzheimer's disease in this lively conversation.

Brian's website: A Bit of Brian's Brilliance
Connect with Brian on Facebook
Connect on Twitter

No one knows what it’s like to be old until they get there. That’s the view of Ronni Bennett, a former radio producer in her 70s who also spent over two decades as a writer and producer in network television in New York City. These days Ronni is busy with her acclaimed blog "Time Goes By," where she explores aging with humor, compassion and uncommon candor. Ronni tells us about the evolution of her blog and what’s good about getting older. She explains how media fuels America’s rampant ageism and she reflects on the Op-Ed piece, "Am I Going Blind?" by New York Times writer Frank Bruni. Ronni also tells us why she decided to write about her 2017 diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. 

Note: this episode originally aired March 8, 2018. We have an update at the end of the show on Ronni’s condition and how cancer has changed her life. For a transcript of the episode that aired March 8, 2018 and a complete list of updates click here.

Ronni’s website: Time Goes By
Ronni’s March 1, 2019 Cancer Update
”Am I Going Blind?” by Frank Bruni (2/23/18)
Ronni’s blog piece in response to the Bruni piece

Much of the research on dementia in the United States has overlooked African Americans, but the prevalence of dementia in this population is more widespread than you might think. PhD candidate Kalisha Bonds is doing a deep dive into the subject as a student at Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU). Her research is focused on decision-making and the use of formal medical care by African Americans with dementia and their care partners. Kalisha tells us how being raised by her grandmother inspired her career path and what she’s uncovered so far in her research. She tells us how she finds research participants in the Portland area, and how the culture compares with the rural Tennessee town where she was raised. She also defines a word you’ll find hard to forget: dyad. Kalisha Bonds, MSN, PMHN-BC, is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Nursing at OHSU.

Also mentioned in the interview:
“Formal Service Use by African American Individuals with Dementia and Their Caregivers: An Integrative Review” – Journal of Gerontological Nursing (K. Bonds and KS Lyons)
Medical Apartheid (Harriet A. Washington)
Alzheimer’s Association

Contact Kalisha: [email protected]
Connect on Twitter: @future_drbonds
Kalisha on Facebook