What are the early signs of Alzheimer’s and dementia that families often miss? In this deeply personal episode, we sit down with Madeline, a long-distance caregiver whose father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019, to talk about the subtle red flags, cultural stigma, advocacy battles, and emotional toll of caregiving.

Madeline shares how her father—once the life of the party in Puerto Rico—began isolating, experiencing depression, hallucinations, repetitive shopping behaviors, and personality changes long before an official diagnosis. From navigating long-distance caregiving between Puerto Rico and Seattle, to fighting for earlier neurology appointments, to advocating for proper medication management, this conversation highlights what it really means to become your parent’s caregiver overnight.

Together, we discuss:

Early warning signs of Alzheimer’s that are often dismissed as depression or aging

Long-distance caregiving challenges

Sundowning and behavioral changes

Hallucinations and dementia-related paranoia

How to advocate for faster specialist appointments

The emotional whiplash of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis

Why dignity and purpose matter in memory care

Creative, purpose-driven activities for mid-stage dementia

Madeline’s caregiving approach is both practical and beautiful. By giving her father small handyman tasks, music, dancing, and meaningful daily routines, she preserves his dignity and sense of purpose. Her joyful, viral videos show that connection is still possible—even in memory care.

Follow Madeline’s journey on Instagram: @andy.maddy.alz
Her videos are a powerful reminder that Alzheimer’s is not just loss—it’s also love, adaptation, and advocacy.

This episode is for anyone navigating Alzheimer’s, dementia caregiving, memory care placement, caregiver burnout, or the complicated grief of watching a parent change in real time.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Was that an early sign?” — this conversation will resonate deeply.

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What if dementia isn’t a care crisis — but a societal one?

In this powerful episode of This Is Your Brain on Mom, we sit down with Teun Toebes, a Dutch activist and global advocate who made an extraordinary decision at just 21 years old: he moved into a closed dementia ward.

Not as a researcher. Not as a staff member. But as a neighbor.

Born in the south of the Netherlands, Teun first visited a nursing home at 17 and was struck by what he describes as a “surreal nobody’s land” — beautiful people living inside a system that sorted them by their diagnosis. What followed was not a project, but a way of life. He chose to live alongside people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia to understand what life inside long-term care truly feels like.

In this deeply emotional and thought-provoking conversation, we explore:

What it’s really like inside a closed dementia ward

How nursing homes prioritize safety and control over individuality

The stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s and dementia

Why dementia is often framed as a “terminal disease” — and how that language strips humanity

The isolation so many residents face

The impact of intergenerational connection

Why Teun believes dementia is not a healthcare problem — but a societal issue

We also discuss Human Forever, the internationally acclaimed documentary Teun co-created with filmmaker Jonathan de Jong. After traveling to 11 countries, they uncovered a powerful truth: the greatest suffering experienced by people living with dementia often comes not from the diagnosis itself, but from how society treats them.

If you are caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s, supporting someone with early-onset dementia, or questioning how long-term care is structured, this episode will challenge and inspire you.

Dementia does not erase humanity.
Systems can.
But systems can also change.

🎧 Listen now to hear why Teun Toebes believes a better future for people living with dementia starts with all of us.

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Today’s episode is different — and deeply important.

We sit down with David Uhlfelder, an advocate & podcast host living with dementia. David was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s disease in April 2025, and from the moment of diagnosis, he made a conscious decision: this would be part of his story, but it would not be the part that silences him.

David is the host of David’s Alzheimer’s Fight, a podcast he co-hosts with dementia care specialist Dr. Karen Gilbert, where they explore what it actually looks like to live with clarity, purpose, and connection after a diagnosis. Together, they share practical guidance on brain health, caregiving strategies, community resources, and navigating life with Alzheimer’s — whether you’re living with it yourself or caring for someone who is.

In this conversation, David takes us back to the moment he received his diagnosis and walks us through the early signs that led him to seek medical answers — from forgetting long-standing routines and passwords to the fear of making critical mistakes at work. He speaks candidly about the emotional impact, the relief of finally knowing, and the mindset shift that allowed him to move forward with intention rather than fear.

We also talk about:

The early warning signs of Alzheimer’s and when to trust your gut

Why early diagnosis matters more than most people realize

Living an active, purpose-driven life after a dementia diagnosis

Anger, agitation, and emotional changes — and how awareness can help

Advocacy, research, and the hope behind early detection and trials

This episode is honest, empowering, and surprisingly hopeful — a reminder that a dementia diagnosis does not erase identity, agency, or the ability to help others.

Learn more about David’s work:
🌐 https://davidsalzheimersfight.org/
🎙️ Podcast: David’s Alzheimer’s Fight
📱 Instagram: @davidsalzheimersfight

Whether you’re living with Alzheimer’s, supporting a loved one, or simply want to better understand what early dementia can look like, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

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In this episode of This Is Your Brain on Mom, we’re joined by Kelly Baarley, a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) with over a decade of experience in the senior care industry and specialized training in Alzheimer’s and dementia education.

Kelly’s work is deeply personal. Her journey began as a family caregiver to grandparents living with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s, and that experience shaped her belief that there is no one-size-fits-all roadmap for aging. Today, Kelly helps families create their own roadmap—offering clarity, education, and guidance during some of the most overwhelming moments of caregiving.

We break down what a Certified Senior Advisor actually does (in plain English), including the licensing process, ethical standards, and the core areas of aging and senior care expertise—ranging from health and dementia care to financial planning and probate.

This conversation also tackles the real-life issues caregivers face every day:

When and how to talk to a loved one about stopping driving

Navigating family dynamics without blowing things up

Understanding the differences between assisted living, skilled nursing, hospice, and rehab

Why so many caregivers feel lost—and why that’s not a personal failure

Kelly explains how she works with families across the U.S. and internationally, offering virtual support that removes geographic barriers and provides non-biased, compassionate advocacy when families need it most.

If you’re caring for a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s, feeling overwhelmed by senior care options, or wishing someone could just explain things clearly—this episode is for you.

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Music has a way of reaching places that words — and even memory — sometimes can’t.

In this episode of This Is Your Brain on Mom, we explore the power of music as a caregiving tool for people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s. From singing in the car to hallway concerts in care facilities, we reflect on how familiar songs can spark joy, unlock memories, and create moments of connection even during the hardest seasons of caregiving.

After an emotionally exhausting year — and an especially difficult month — we talk honestly about what it feels like to give everything and still wonder if it’s enough. Inspired by family experience and research, we share how music isn’t a cure or a miracle, but something deeply human, accessible, and real that can make caregiving days gentler, calmer, and more connected.

We also discuss:

Why music often reaches people with dementia when other communication can’t

How familiar songs can trigger nostalgia, emotion, and joy

The role of music in nursing homes and assisted living settings

Simple ways caregivers can use music to connect with loved ones

Singing, memory, and the moments that still feel like them

If you’re caring for a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s — especially during times when the days feel heavy — this episode is a reminder that connection doesn’t always come from answers. Sometimes it comes from a song.

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In this episode, we’re joined by Edina, a lifelong caregiver whose story spans generations, diagnoses, and deeply personal responsibility.

Adina found herself caring for aging parents while raising children of her own—living squarely in the reality of the sandwich generation. From supporting a mother with chronic mental health challenges, to caring for a fiercely independent father who later developed dementia, Adina’s caregiving journey began long before most people even recognize the role.

She shares what it was like growing up as an only child, becoming a caregiver early, and navigating dementia alongside family history, trauma, and love. We talk about the moment she first noticed something was wrong with her father, the subtle signs of cognitive decline, and how dementia reshapes independence, identity, and family dynamics over time.

This conversation also touches on:

Caring for a parent with dementia later in life

The emotional weight of caregiving without siblings

Guilt, responsibility, and resilience in the sandwich generation

Dementia behaviors, safety concerns, and early warning signs

How humor shows up—even in the hardest moments

Most importantly, this episode offers a grounded, honest look at what long-term caregiving really feels like—before labels, before systems step in, and long after childhood ends.

Whether you’re caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s or dementia, supporting a loved one with mental illness, or balancing caregiving alongside parenting and work, this episode will resonate deeply.

🎧 Listen now for a candid, funny, and deeply human conversation about caregiving across a lifetime.

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Caregiving for a loved one living with Alzheimer’s often feels like trying to follow a script that keeps changing — sometimes minute by minute.

In this episode, Barry introduces the improv principle “Yes, And” and explains how the skills he learned in improv have become powerful tools for caregiving. While improv is often mistaken for being funny or quick, Barry and Wendy break down what it actually teaches: presence, flexibility, emotional listening, and acceptance — all essential when supporting someone living with dementia.

Through real, unfiltered caregiver moments — frantic phone calls, imagined locations, repeated questions, and emotional distress — this episode explores why correcting facts often escalates agitation, and how meeting your loved one in theirreality can preserve dignity, reduce stress, and strengthen connection.

The conversation also touches on the emotional toll caregiving takes, sibling dynamics, and the ongoing challenge of choosing emotional truth over factual accuracy — especially when fear, confusion, or panic take over.

This episode is for caregivers who feel overwhelmed, unsure of what to say, or exhausted from trying to “fix” situations that can’t be fixed. It offers practical mindset shifts and real-life examples that show how caregiving is improvisation, whether we realize it or not.

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What happens when siblings aren’t just siblings—but part parents, part roommates, part emotional support systems?

In this episode, Wendy & Barry pull back the curtain on their complicated (and often hilarious) sibling dynamic, shaped by age gaps, birth order, resentment, love, and decades of unspoken roles. From being mistaken for a couple in public (gross 😬), to joking about “giving orders since 1980,” they unpack what it really means to grow up in the same family—but in completely different realities.

They explore:

How being raised by different versions of the same mother shaped them

The impact of becoming a “third parent” before adulthood

Why sibling relationships take effort, grace, and brutal honesty

And how humor became their survival language

This episode is part family history, part therapy session, and part comedy routine—revealing how years of growing pains ultimately laid the groundwork for how they now show up together while caregiving for their mom.

If you’re navigating sibling dynamics while caring for a parent, feeling the weight of old roles resurfacing, or wondering why caregiving brings everything to the surface—this conversation will feel painfully familiar, validating, and unexpectedly funny.

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The holidays are supposed to be magical — but when you’re caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, they can be anything but.In this heartfelt and honest episode of This Is Your Brain on Mom, siblings Wendy and Barry talk openly about navigating the holidays while supporting their mom through Alzheimer’s and dementia. From therapeutic lies and disrupted traditions to anxiety, exhaustion, and the grief that comes with celebrating without the person you’re slowly losing, this episode explores what holiday caregiving really looks like behind the scenes.They share personal stories about Hanukkah, family gatherings, decorations, performances mom can no longer attend, and the emotional weight of doing familiar traditions without her — even though she’s still very much alive. Wendy reflects on decorating without her mom for the first time in 16 years, while Barry opens up about performing during Hanukkah knowing his mom won’t be in the audience.This episode is for caregivers who:* Are navigating holidays with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s or dementia* Feel conflicted about traditions, celebrations, and “doing what’s best”* Are grieving someone who is still alive* Need validation, honesty, and permission to feel it allIf you’re struggling with dementia caregiving during the holidays, feeling the loss in real time, or trying to balance joy for your family with grief for what’s changed — you’re not alone.

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This episode opens with a family classic: Barry admits (for the second time) to leaving Mom at the airport — “like a matzo ball” — setting the tone for a conversation that swings between laugh-out-loud moments and the brutal reality of caregiving during the holidays.

As the jokes land, the heaviness follows. Wendy breaks down a recent interdisciplinary team meeting (ITM) that felt less like collaboration and more like a trial — where Mom’s “behaviors” were listed, her comfort items questioned, and her rapid cognitive decline following a UTI was minimized. We talk about medication cocktails, overstimulation in care facilities, fall risks, and what it feels like to be blamed for a system stretched beyond its limits.

We also get honest about burnout — anxiety, exhaustion, and what happens when you’re showing up every day but still feel unheard. This episode isn’t polished or perfectly structured. It’s raw, messy, and real — because that’s what caregiving actually looks like.

If you’re listening while caring for someone with dementia, navigating confusing care meetings, or just trying to survive the holidays — please know you’re not alone.

Topics include:
• Dementia & Alzheimer’s caregiving
• Interdisciplinary team meetings (ITMs)
• Caregiver burnout & anxiety
• UTIs, medications & sudden cognitive decline
• Sensory overload in care facilities
• Sibling dynamics & family caregiving
• Laughing through dysfunction

From our dysfunctional family to yours —
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year.
Subscribe, follow, leave a review, and tell a friend who needs to hear this.

🎧 This Is Your Brain on Mom — where caregiving is messy, emotional, sometimes funny, and never done alone.

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