#caregiving

If you don't know  the preeminent caregiving champion, Christina Keys, you're in for a valuable treat! Christina was living her best life, enjoying a successful career, she was financially and spiritually healthy and happy -  when in 2013 her beloved mother suffered a devastating stroke and was given a 1% chance to live. In a blink of an eye Christina went from care-free career woman to full-time caregiver. With Christina’s dogged and loving support, her mother survived - but after 4 years Christina was bankrupt, financially, emotionally, mentally, and physically. And suddenly she was faced with a diagnosis of her own. Her body was shutting down from the stress and she was given 6 months to live. She knew she had to completely change her life…and she did. But she decided to not only transform her own life, but to help change the lives of other caregivers.  
Christina’s mission to make sure caregivers everywhere are seen, heard valued and appreciated and are never alone through her local work with Loving Them Forward , the Non Profit she founded, and the national work she is doing as the Director of Community Growth at Caregiving.com.  We can’t wait for you to hear more about her remarkable transformation and journey!
Connect with Christina: FACEBOOK  INSTAGRAM
Connect with Caregiving.com: https://www.caregiving.com
Apply and Learn more about the Caregiving.com Caregiver

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Caregiving is about taking care of others, but unpaid caregiving is a unique crisis in America. This holiday season, as we wrap up the year and end of Season 4, we connect with leadership at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island to explore what the growing lack of access to childcare, limited assistance for mental and physical disability, and outlived resources by the elderly means for individuals and communities- and what insurers and employers can do to help. Don’t miss Episode 24, Season 4. Happiest holiday wishes to you and yours!

ABOUT THE SERIES: Future of XYZ is a bi-weekly interview series that explores big questions about where we are as a world and where we’re going. Presented in collaboration with Rhode Island PBS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Follow @futureofxyz on Instagram, and visit www.future-of.XYZ or www.ripbs.org/XYZ for show links and more.

Approximately 5.7 million people in the U.S. currently have Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memories and thinking skills. It is the only top-10 cause of death in the United States with no known cure, with new cases developing every 65 seconds.* Alzheimer's is known as the "long goodbye," and no one knows this better than my guest and close friend, Michelle Guzman. Michelle joins us today to share a comprehensive guide to Alzheimer's for caregivers, patients advocates and patients.

In 2015, Michelle's dad started exhibiting concerning symptoms: Difficulty recalling plans and forgetting details, despite being a career CPA and riding his bike 50-100 miles each weekend. Mentally and physically, he had always been fitter than most. His family joked that he would outlive the rest of them, until the day easy-to-ignore signs turned serious: Michelle received a phone call from California Highway Patrol that her dad had turned up lost in Ventura County, CA, more than two hours away from his home. 

So began Michelle and her dad's abrupt journey into the world of Alzheimer's. As an only child, Michelle bore the weight of the entire responsibility of his care, his health, his residence, his whereabouts, and his wherewithal, all while slowly losing him to the depths of the disease. Today, Michelle is sharing publicly her story for the first time, getting into the minute details of what transpired, what she wished she knew, what she learned, and how she's managed to maintain her sanity over the past eight years. Michelle bravely and vulnerably shares:

• A definition of Alzheimer's in layman's terms
• A celebration of their relationship before Alzheimer's
• Her dad's medical, health and fitness history before Alzheimer's
• Why Alzheimer's is called "The Long Goodbye"
• The stages of Alzheimer's and what happens to the patient during each phase
• Early warning signs she missed and/or rationalized
• The medical evaluation process her dad went through to get to a formal diagnosis
• Tips and questions she wish she had known beforehand
• The types of doctors that were involved, and which type to ask about
• Her and her dad's reaction to his diagnosis and subsequent treatment plan 
• Defining Alzheimer's inevitable "step downs" and how to manage through them
• The detailed list of responsibilities she found herself in charge of
• How she found the right assisted living facility for her dad
• How she has maintained her sanity and support system
• What nobody sees from the outside in terms of what family's go through
• What she wishes doctors would have informed her of beforehand
• How and when she knew it was time to put her dad into hospice 
• Her perspective looking back on her eight year journey

*Source: US Against Alzheimer's 

Welcome to another episode of Heart of the Matter Radio/Podcast where we dive deep into important topics that impact our lives. In today's episode, we have a special guest, Carol Leathem who wrote Are You Ready to Find Joy When Life Gets Messy? 

Carole brings her personal experience and insights on caring for her husband who struggles with mental illness. She sheds light on early signs to watch for such as mood swings or anxiety, and she emphasizes the importance of getting professional help.

In addition, Carol offers coping mechanisams for family members, highlighting the importance of listening without internalizing. Join us as we explore this crucial topic and gain valuable information from Carol's inspiring story.

Dr. Mark Croley, neonatologist, CAMP Medical Director talks with Caregiver SOS on Air guest co-host Tina Smith, manager of Caregiver Program Operations for the Caregiver SOS program, WellMed Charitable Foundation, and veteran broadcaster and attorney Ron Aaron, about what caregivers and others should know about Caring For The Special Needs Community -- children and adults with special needs. For information on CAMP (Children's Association for Maximum Potential) visit https://campcamp.org. Nationally known gerontologist, Co-Host Carol Zernial was on special assignment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barry J. Jacobs, Psy.D., clinical psychologist, family therapist, and principal for Health Management Associates, a national healthcare consulting firm, who earned his doctorate in psychology from Widener University, talks with Caregiver SOS on Air Co-Hosts Tina Smith, M.A., social gerontology, (filling in for Carol Zernial) and veteran broadcaster and attorney Ron Aaron, about what every caregiver should know about practicing self-care.

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Jessica Zitter, M.D., MPH, specializes in Critical Care and Palliative Care medicine, and Producer/Director of Caregiver: A Love Story discusses with Caregiver SOS on Air co-hosts Carol Zernial, nationally known expert on gerontology, and veteran broadcaster and attorney Ron Aaron the difficult challenges facing family caregivers and new approaches to caregiving. For more visit: www.caregiveralovestory.com. 

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Loretta Woodward Veney is an inspirational speaker, author and 2021 Caregiver Summit speaker. Tina reached out to have her as a guest to help promote the Summit. Loretta will discuss her book “Being My Mom’s Mom” which is a memoir about being her mother’s caregiver. Although we will touch base on her book and her experience, we also want to use this time to promote the Caregiver Summit happening on November 4th which Loretta will be a guest speaker for. We will direct our audience to our Caregiver Summit page on our website - www.wellmedcharitablefoundation.org/summit or to call (866) 390-6491 to register.

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Jessica Zitter, M.D., MPH, specializes in Critical Care and Palliative Care medicine, and Producer/Director of Caregiver: A Love Story discusses with Caregiver SOS on Air co-hosts Carol Zernial, nationally known expert on gerontology, and veteran broadcaster and attorney Ron Aaron the difficult challenges facing family caregivers and new approaches to caregiving. For more visit: www.caregiveralovestory.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amy Goyer, Speaker, Consultant, and Author of Juggling Life, Work and Caregiving; also AARP’s Family and Caregiving Expert, talks with Caregiver SOS on Air co-hosts, Carol Zernial, nationally known expert on seniors and caregiving, and veteran broadcaster and attorney Ron Aaron, about juggling life, work, and caregiving.

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Author and caregiver Kate Washington discusses caregiver burnout and coping skills with Caregiver SOS on Air cohosts Tina Smith (filling in for Carol Zernial) and veteran broadcaster and attorney Ron Aaron.

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Tena Scallan, “The Ultimate Caregiving Expert” and author talks with Caregiver SOS on Air co-hosts Tina Smith, M.A., and attorney and veteran broadcaster Ron Aaron discuss Scallan’s believe that both home and lifestyle can be preserved by compassionate caregiving in the face of aging or illness. Smith was filling in for regular co-host Carol Zernial, M.A.

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We are coming out of a time when those who cared for others became our new heroes- those in the medical profession, from the doctors to the nurses, the long term care home staff, the janitors, chefs, cooks and cleaners. These jobs finally acknowledged and recognized for their real value and putting their own health at risk to care for others.

Prior to COVID, this health care worker also came in the form of a caregiver- the reality is however, not all caregiver are given that title- they are family members and close friends often finding themselves in a new role. It's not always the easiest thing to balance- someone elses well being as well as your own.

Dawn Renee is the founder of Traveling Caregivers, a pioneer holistic caregiver herself, complimenting her work by integrating herbal medicine, ayuerveda, energy work and emotional guidance. She bridges the gap between balance of life while navigating a multitude of caregiving concerns with health, a holistic lifestyle, administration and advocacy.

Over the past decade she has been instrumental in helping individuals reclaim their health and lives on their own terms, in their own way. Dawn joins us from Nashville Tennessee.

You can learn more about Dawn and her work at http://travelingcaregivers.com/

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Amy Goyer, nationally known writer and speaker and AARP caregiving expert, discusses her personal multi-generational caregiving experiences, and then hones in on caregiving tips and advice during the current COVID-19 pandemic. She's joined by WellMed Radio cohosts Dr. Marissa Charles, WellMed @ Ingram and veteran broadcaster and attorney Ron Aaron.

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Gary Barg, founder caregiver.com and Editor-in-Chief Today's Caregiver Magazine, joins Caregiver SOS on Air cohosts Dr. Joshua Beck and attorney Ron Aaron for a discussion of everything you need to know about caregiving and more. Barg describes the Fearless Caregiver, a designation he created.

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