Tag: alzheimer’s

Christina Drumm-Boyd and Amy LaGrant – Caring for a Loved One with Dementia

When facing Dementia, it’s hard to know what to do. If you have been touched by dementia, or are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, our personal journey with our parents may give you some guidance. This episode features Christina Drumm-Boyd, Owner and President of Care Connect of Hampton Roads, and Amy LaGrant, Gerontologist, Co-Founder BrandMETTLE, Ambassador Aging2.0, Walk2ENDALZ Committee Chair. These two leaders are passionate and dedicated to advising caregivers and families going through dementia. We cover topics like seeking services that can walk you through the difficult journey, dealing with grief, communication strategies as memory fails, legal issues that may arise such as guardianship and end-of-life decisions. Bios: Christina Drumm-Boydhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/christinadrummboyd/ Owner and President of Care Connect of Hampton Roads, Inc. Specialties: Have over 20 years of Healthcare Sales, Marketing, and Geriatric Care Management experience focusing in the Senior housing industry, property census development, and turnaround strategies for focus properties. Christina is also a licensed insurance agent in life, health and annuity products for the state of Virginia. She holds designation as a Certified Senior Advisor and is an Accredited Agent with the U.S. Veterans Administration, licensed to represent claims before the Office of General Council. ———————- Amy LaGranthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amylagrant/ Gerontologist, Co-Founder BrandMETTLE, Ambassador Aging2.0, Walk2ENDALZ Committee Chair Amy is a leading gerontology professional with over 15 years of experience marketing to baby boomers, seniors, and family caregivers. Amy has held leadership roles in some of the industry’s leading advertising agencies. Most recently, Amy was SVP, Brand Strategy for Bluespire Senior Living formerly Martino & Binzer.Prior to Bluespire, Amy led all marketing efforts for Virtual Health, a telehealth and family caregiver integration company. Before that Amy led strategy at multiple mature marketing and consulting agencies such as Continuum Crew, JWT Boom, and Age Wave. Specialties: Client Management, Strategic Planning, Baby Boomer Marketplace, and high-regulated products

Richard Lui – How and Why Living Selflessly Can Bring Joy Despite Difficulty

Do you want to make a difference in the world? In this episode, I share my conversation with Richard Lui. He explains how living selflessly can change your own life for the better too! Ordinary heroes can make small, practical choices and stop this selfish pandemic. Here are some tips on how and why living selflessly can bring joy despite the difficulty.  Living selflessly is not easy, but it can be rewarding. It’s about giving up what we think we deserve and instead focusing on what others need. We all have something to offer that could bring joy into someone else’s life. Living selflessly will help you find happiness in difficult times because it’s not about what you get out of it but what you give to others that counts. You’ll be surprised at how much more fulfilling your life becomes when you start giving back without expecting anything in return. So go ahead, do something nice for someone today! Timestamps:[00:00] Pre-Intro dialogue between Richard and Hanh[03:10] Introduction to Richard Lui[04:02] Tell us a little bit about how you became a caregiver and how that experience changed the trajectory of your career in life?[06:35] How did you decide to walk away from a dream job to help care for your father with Alzheimer’s?[10:32] You mentioned a little bit about the COVID impact. Now, what other effect has COVID had on your relationship with your parents?[13:26] You’ve written a book called “Enough About Me”. Now you detail, what you call is a selfishness pandemic. Can you explain what that means?[17:20] Your book talks about selflessness, as being like a muscle that needs to be trained? What do you mean by that? And how can we train ourselves to be more selfless people?[21:31] Growing up who, in your life was the model for selflessness?[28:33] What could someone who grew up in a very selfish environment do to change their attitudes?[35:06] What you describe is how selflessness and gratefulness are intertwined. Is that right?[37:50] How is this that you find rewarding to take your journey and helping others?[40:11] Where can the listeners find your book?[40:48] Do you have anything else that you would like to share?[40:59] Wrap-up Bio:Richard LuiVeteran journalist Richard Lui has more than 30 years in television, film, technology, and business. Currently, at MSNBC and previously with CNN Worldwide, he is the first Asian American man to anchor a daily national cable news program, and a team Emmy and Peabody winner. In addition to journalism, Richard’s 15-year business career involves a fintech patent and launching six tech brands over three business cycles. He has lived, worked, and volunteered on every continent. Richard is a Celebrity Champion for the Alzheimer’s Association, Caregiving Champion for AARP, and Caregiving Ambassador for BrightFocus Foundation. His first book, “Enough About Me”: The Unexpected Power of Selflessness, releases in March 2021. You can find Richard on these social media platforms:Skype: richkluiWebsite: https://richardlui.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rlui/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardlui/Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardLui You can find Richard’s book “Enought About Me” on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Enough-About-Me-Unexpected-Selflessness/dp/0310362393/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=enough+about+me&qid=1619373284&sr=8-1

Jasmine Travers – Healthcare Is a Right for the Whole Human Race, and That Should Be Upheld for Every Single Older Adult

Older adults are at increased risk for poor health outcomes and have higher rates of mortality than other groups. Research shows that older adults face disparities in access to care due to factors like socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender, and disability. Caregivers and nurses play a critical role in the provision of high-quality healthcare services to this population. To improve higher quality of care, we need to increase awareness through policy change so that our nation’s aging population can be provided with equal access to quality healthcare regardless of race or socioeconomic status. In addition, we must increase funding for research grants which will allow us better understand how best to treat diseases prevalent among older adults such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Finally, we must continue efforts aimed at improving vaccination coverage among vulnerable populations including older adults who may be less likely to receive recommended vaccinations because they are frail or live alone. Timestamps:[02:05]What are some of the biggest disparities that we see in the senior living space today? [04:17]Do most of these disparities come from a lack of access to quality health care? Or is it that once people have access to healthcare they’re not treated or they’re treated differently by the staff or is it both? [06:05]Have we been able to see the impact of healthcare disparities in situations like how COVID vaccine was disputed was dispute was distributed? [07:19]Can you talk a bit about your research and what you’ve discovered about improving health outcomes in the vulnerable older, older adult groups? [12:44]What is the importance of training the healthcare workforce to recognize and combat these issues? [19:23]What is the role of long-term care policy in resolving these issues? [22:50]How can older adults set goals and expectations around aging?——————— Bio: Dr. Jasmine Travers is an Assistant Professor at New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing. Her career is dedicated to designing and conducting research to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities in vulnerable older adult groups using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Over the years, Dr. Travers has built a strong foundation to address the health and well-being of a rapidly growing, diverse older adult population requiring long-term care. As a health services researcher, she has leveraged many datasets to investigate these issues and has published widely on the topics of aging, long-term care, health disparities, workforce issues, and infections. Prior to joining the faculty at NYU, Dr. Travers completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the National Clinician Scholars Program at Yale University and a T32 funded postdoctoral fellowship at the New Courtland Center for Transitions and Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She completed her doctoral training in health services research with a specialization in gerontology at Columbia University School of Nursing. You can learn more about Jasmine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-travers-phd-agpcnp-bc-rn-aa2032a1/

Judy Thomas – Making a Difference – Evidence-based Practices Can Improve the Lives of Older Californians

Older adults are at risk for poor health and functional outcomes because of the challenges they face. They often have multiple chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis that require complex care coordination to manage their symptoms and prevent complications. The Coalition seeks to improve the quality of life for older Californians by promoting evidence-based practices in medical homes (including palliative care) through education, training, technical assistance (TA), advocacy, research, and evaluation activities. The Coalition works with its members to develop innovative solutions that meet the needs of an aging population including improving patient safety; reducing hospital readmissions; decreasing emergency department use; increasing access to primary care services; improving medication management; implementing a program that helps providers deliver high-quality end-of-life care while saving money on unnecessary tests or procedures called Choosing Wisely®; and addressing disparities in healthcare delivery for low-income seniors who do not qualify for Medi-Cal but cannot afford insurance.—————————— Timestamps: [00:00]Pre-Intro remarks from Judy Thomas [01:37]Introduction to Judy Thomas [02:15]What are some things an average person can do to stay in control of their healthcare during the pandemic? [03:03]Who could consider completing an advanced directive? [03:37]In your state, it’s called an advanced directive. What state is that? [03:55]What are the benefits of completing an advanced directive? [04:27]What things should one keep in mind when filling out an advanced directive? [05:22]Walk us through POLST, P O L S T what does it stand for? What does it mean? And the importance of it? [07:08]For those of us that are not familiar with it, would you give a quick overview what palliative care and preparation, what we need to do for that? [10:39]What is so important about looking at patients holistically? [11:51]How does palliative care also involve the patient’s caregiver? [13:05]Where is palliative care provided? And is it usually in a hospital setting? [14:35]Can you just give a distinction between palliative care and hospice? [15:52]How far in advance should people begin planning and thinking through their care options? [21:24]What made you make the shift from law to focusing on the Coalition’s collaborative work? [22:42]How did your career in law prepare you? Not only the education or the degree but also your passion and your drive, for this current role? [23:59]What do you think is your biggest strength that enables you to have a unique, impactful effect on your clients? [24:42]Where can people go to get more information on compassionate care and palliative care? [25:10]Do you have anything else that you would like to share?—————————— Bio:Judy Thomas CEO of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, a statewide partnership of healthcare providers, non-profit organizations and associations, state agencies, and individuals working to ensure all seriously ill Californians receive quality, compassionate care. The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California brings together multiple organizations, often with divergent interests, to develop, implement, and promote improved health care practices and standards across the continuum of care. The California coalition also has a national impact on transforming the culture of care for people who are seriously ill through advancing the cause of palliative care in America. Learn about Judy on LinkedIn.

Marlon Sobol – The Power of Music to Heal Seniors with Dementia

Researchers have focused on how music can benefit those with Alzheimer’s. Anecdotal evidence shows that music can tap memories and reduce anxiety, pain, heart rate, and blood pressure. It can help accelerate healing, boost learning, improve neurological disorders and increase social interaction. Musical memories are often preserved in Alzheimer’s disease because key brain areas linked to musical memory are relatively undamaged by the disease. Listening to favorite music can trigger long-term memories and bring comfort to people with Alzheimer’s. Music therapy can also reduce agitation, anxiety, and aggression in people with dementia. For some people, music may help ease physical pain. And research suggests that group singing may help improve memory and social interactions. Today My guest is Marlon Sobol MT-BC, LCAT. Marlon is a highly energetic and engaging music therapist and musician with over 20 years of experience in the Healthcare industry and has toured America and Europe, playing some of the biggest stages. He chooses to make meaningful music experiences with people of all ages and walks of life! Keeping a high-performance bar helps create a strong music-centered therapeutic and immersive experience for the seniors. He believes capturing top group music therapy techniques on video creates a vibrant, healthy community. Find Marlon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlonsobol66297372/KOMITOMS: https://www.komitoms.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marlon.sobol