Podcasts for Caregivers
The Caring Generation® – Episode 38 May 13, 2020 Caregiving expert, Pamela D Wilson shares podcasts for caregivers from this live caregiving radio program showcase some of the best advice and proven solutions in these caregiving programs. Guest Dr. Mary George, Senior Medical Officer for the CDC Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention Division talks about stroke prevention.
To listen to the caregiving radio show, click on the round yellow play button below. To download the show so that you can listen anywhere and share it with family, friends, and groups, click on the button (the fourth black button from the left) below that looks like a down arrow. Click the heart to go to Pamela’s Spreaker podcast page to like and follow the show. You can also add the podcast app to your cellphone on Apple, Google, and other favorite podcasts sites.
Podcasts for Caregivers – The Caring Generation® Radio Show Transcript
00:00 Announcer: Caregiving can sometimes feel like an impossible struggle. Caregivers may be torn between taking care of loved ones and trying to maintain balance in life. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. The Caring Generation, with host Pamela D. Wilson, is here to focus on the conversation of caring. You’re not alone. In fact, you’re in exactly the right place to share stories and learn tips and resources to help you and your loved ones. So now, please welcome the host of The Caring Generation, Pamela D. Wilson.
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00:47 Pamela D. Wilson: This is Pamela D. Wilson, caregiving expert. I’m your host. You’re listening to The Caring Generation radio program coming to you live from the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn Radio. The Caring Generation focuses on conversations about health, well-being, caring for ourselves and loved ones, all tied together with a little humor and laughter that are essential to being a caregiver.
01:10 Pamela D. Wilson: The topic for the show is all about podcasts for caregivers by listener request, how to subscribe, download, listen, and show your family members how to do the same. I’ll do a review of my caregiving radio program by sharing information about favorite episodes that you can share with your family. The Caring Generation podcasts for caregivers do air as a live Internet radio show. If you’re listening live, show your family and friends how to join the show live every week. After the live radio show, the caregiving program becomes a podcast available on all of the major podcast sites. The caregiving program podcast is also on my website with the show transcript that you can read. Many podcasts for caregivers don’t air on live radio stations, but they’re recorded. More on all of this in a moment.
02:02 Pamela D. Wilson: Our guest for this live caregiving radio program is Dr. Mary George, who is a Senior Medical Officer and Associate Director for Science in the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention where she’s worked since 2005. She is an expert in the area of stroke prevention, with over 100 publications, articles, abstracts. She has a Master’s in Public Health from Emory University and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a fellow of the American Heart Association. Plus, she is board-certified in general surgery and plastic surgery. Amazing background.
02:46 Pamela D. Wilson: Strokes used to be considered an event that happened only to people over age 65. Today, people under the age of 40 are having strokes, which are called brain attacks. Do you wonder why? Dr. George will answer this information, and we’ll talk about stroke prevention, about the signs of stroke, the importance of getting medical treatment right away, and steps people who have had a stroke can take to recover, all in the next segment of this show.
03:17 Pamela D. Wilson: Let’s return to our conversation about podcasts for caregivers. Here are the reasons that people like caregiving programs and podcasts so that you can use this information to invite your family and elderly parents to listen to The Caring Generation caregiving programs. Podcasts have a theme and a focus on a specific topic. For example, The Caring Generation podcasts are for caregivers and aging adults. This means family caregivers plus caregivers working in the healthcare system, in hospitals, nursing homes, care communities, doctors’ offices, caregivers everywhere. The goal is to inform, educate, and entertain about health, caregiving, and family relationships. As you’ll notice, when we begin to talk about these caregiving programs—many of the caregiving radio program topics come from you—they come from my discussions with caregivers and the questions that you share with me on social media and in my caregiving group on Facebook, it’s called The Caregiving Trap.
04:25 Pamela D. Wilson: Most caregivers don’t realize that caregiving programs and support exist. Because let’s be honest, aging, and caring for elderly parents, these are not sexy topics. Those of us who work with the elderly are often asked, “Why on earth we do this?”—as if we’re crazy. For us, it’s easy: We love the elderly—can’t imagine doing anything else. But big surprise, not everyone likes the elderly. The healthcare industry has gaps in caregiving programs and a shortage of providers who want to work with the elderly.
05:03 Pamela D. Wilson: My special guests on these caregiving programs are subject-matter experts on medical, health, relationships, law, and planning for care. Another benefit of these caregiving programs is that the podcasts, meaning the live show replays, are on demand. Which means you can listen at your convenience. If you have to stop in the middle of the caregiving program, turn it off, press a button, start, and begin listening where you left off. You can download the caregiving programs to a smartphone, a computer, a tablet. A lot of people listen to podcasts for caregivers while commuting to work, cleaning the house, working out at the gym, taking a walk, caring for elderly parents, and doing other activities. A caregiving podcast is, it’s like listening to a talking book. [chuckle]
05:53 Pamela D. Wilson: Let’s go through a few steps to listen to my podcast for caregivers, and then I’ll share information about caregiving programs that answer questions frequently posed by caregivers. If you are a podcast listener, you may already have an app installed on your phone, If not, you will find The Caring Generation caregiving programs on Apple, in the Google Play Store, on Spreaker, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora, Castbox, SoundCloud, and more. My podcasts for caregivers are also on my website at PamelaDWilson.com. Click on the Media tab, scroll down four to The Caring Generation. You can click on a show, then click on the download button—it looks like a cloud with a down arrow—the show will download to the desktop of your computer or your parents’ computer, and you can listen, or you can simply press the icon button that looks like a right arrow, or a play button, and the caregiving program plays like magic. You can bookmark the caregiving radio program page on my website, on the computer of an elderly parent, or install a podcast app on their cell phone with the show. I know a lot of caregivers have trouble with some of this technology, and our elderly parents have even more trouble. So the goal is to make it easy for you. These steps make it easy for an elderly parent or anybody who may not be tech-savvy to listen to new caregiving programs each week.
07:21 Pamela D. Wilson: If your parent likes to listen and read the caregiving program, the show transcript is on my website at PamelaDWilson.com. The podcast for caregivers that we talk about on this show are the caregiving programs you have asked for. Let’s start with why there’s never enough money to care for elderly parents that is on the show called Costs of Caring For Elderly Parents. Curious about what assisted living costs? The show called What is Assisted Living gives costs, plus offers insights on working with referral agencies who might not give you the real story about how they get paid. These caregiving programs offer information to help you manage care for elderly parents, reduce caregiving stress, unexpected surprises, common mistakes.
08:11 Pamela D. Wilson: In the second half of the show, we’ll talk about caregiving programs, some for working caregivers; some about family relationships. In addition to podcasts for caregivers on my website, PamelaDWilson.com, you’ll find caregiver videos, caregiving webinars, information about family caregiving video conferences, programs, and live question and answer sessions.
08:35 Pamela D. Wilson: Up next, we are going to be talking to Dr. Mary George from the CDC. She is an expert on the subject of strokes, stroke treatment, and prevention. Strokes used to be something that only happened with people over age 65. Now, people under the age of 40 are having strokes. Check out podcasts for caregivers on my website, PamelaDWilson.com. This is Pamela D. Wilson on The Caring Generation live on the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn Radio. Stay with me. We’ll be right back.
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11:23 Pamela D. Wilson: This is Pamela D. Wilson, caregiving expert. I’m your host. You’re listening to The Caring Generation radio show for caregivers, live from the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn Radio. With us is Dr. Mary George. Dr. George, thank you for joining us.
11:39 Dr. Mary George: It’s great to be here, thank you.
11:41 Pamela D. Wilson: Stroke used to be considered an event that happened to people over age 65. People under the age of 40 are now having strokes. What is contributing to that change?
11:54 Dr. Mary George: So strokes can happen at any age. We tend to think that they only happen to people who are older, but they can happen to infants, children, young adults, and the very elderly. So we’ve seen increases in the hospitalization rates for younger adults for about the past couple of decades and decreases in stroke rates among the elderly, which is good news. But there have been—as many people have heard over the last two decades or so—increases in the prevalence of high blood pressure, diabetes, tobacco use, high blood cholesterol, and obesity among younger adults. And it’s more common among younger adults who present to the hospital with a stroke than in the younger population in general.
12:47 Dr. Mary George: We can’t say for sure that these, what we call traditional risk factors, are the cause of strokes when we look at people that are hospitalized. And we look at that hospitalization data, but we can see an association between those who are having these strokes and the increases in these common risk factors for stroke. Strokes in younger adults can occur for many reasons, and some of these reasons aren’t very common. Some of those conditions make it more likely for the blood to clot. Some are thought to be related to trauma that causes damage to the inside wall of blood vessels that cause it to separate. And sometimes, it’s very difficult to determine the exact cause of stroke in younger adults.
13:41 Pamela D. Wilson: I read some of your research, so I know strokes are called brain attacks and that there are a couple types of strokes. Can you explain those?
13:49 Dr. Mary George: Sure. So there’s three different main types of stroke. The most common is an ischemic stroke, and that accounts for about 87% of all strokes. And that’s where there’s a blockage that occurs in the artery, either in the brain or going to the brain. The other two types of strokes are what we call hemorrhagic strokes, where there’s bleeding either in the brain or around the brain. One of those is when there’s bleeding within the brain tissue. It’s called an intracerebral hemorrhage, and that accounts for about 8%-10% of strokes. And the other type of stroke is much less common when there’s bleeding around the brain, such as what happens when an aneurysm ruptures. It’s called a subarachnoid hemorrhage. These strokes that are due to an aneurysm account for about 3%-5% of all strokes. Aneurysms are like a sac-like or pouch-like swelling on a blood vessel, and that becomes very fragile, and it can rupture. All three types of strokes are associated with high blood pressure.
15:14 Pamela D. Wilson: There is a, I guess it’s scale, it’s called a fast scale, F A S T. And that is supposed to help people notice if somebody’s having a stroke. Can you talk about that?
15:26 Dr. Mary George: Sure. Stroke symptoms typically occur suddenly. Fast, or F A S T, is an easy way to remember some of the common symptoms that happen with a stroke. F stands for face; A stand for arm; S stands for speech; and T stands for time. If you see someone who suddenly develops a drooping face on one side or a weak arm or leg on one side, or suddenly develops slurred speech or difficulty speaking, it’s time to call 911. There’s also a scale that’s very similar to FAST, it has two additional letters, so it’s called BEFAST where the B stands for having trouble with balance or coordination, and E stand her eyes, so suddenly having trouble seeing with one or both eyes. So either FAST or BEFAST.
16:35 Pamela D. Wilson: And we’re going to get ready to go out to a break, but let’s start talking about what if somebody delays treatment, what if they don’t get to the emergency room, why is it so important?
16:47 Dr. Mary George: When a stroke occurs, a part of the brain is affected by the stroke. It can’t get enough oxygen. And when that happens, brain cells die very quickly. Just as the heart muscle is injured quickly when a heart attack occurs. Getting to the hospital quickly is important in order to get treatment to open the blocked blood vessel or to stop bleeding in the brain. It’s why it’s so important to call 911 if someone has experienced signs and symptoms of a stroke. A clot-busting treatment that is used needs to be given within just a couple of hours after a stroke began. And as soon as the treatment is given, the better the chances of a good recovery. Strokes can also be treated by using a device to remove the blood clot, but that also needs to be performed within a few hours after the stroke occurs. So the sooner treatment is provided, the better the chances of a good recovery.
17:51 Pamela D. Wilson: And let’s say somebody doesn’t—does any hospital, can any hospital do these type of treatments or is it special—are there special stroke hospitals?
18:00 Dr. Mary George: There are special stroke hospitals that provide different levels of treatment. Very large hospitals are, there’s not a lot of them, but there’s a number around the country that can provide the clot removal treatment.
18:22 Pamela D. Wilson: Okay, perfect. We will continue our conversation with Dr. Mary George after this break. I’m Pamela D. Wilson, your host for The Caring Generation live on the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn radio. Stay with me, we’ll be right back.
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20:56 Pamela D. Wilson: This is Pamela D. Wilson, caregiving expert, I’m your host. You’re listening to The Caring Generation radio program for caregivers, and aging adults coming to you live from the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn Radio. Let’s continue our conversation with Dr. Mary George from the CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. So Dr. George, can you talk about the after-effects of a stroke? What happens after somebody has a stroke?
21:23 Dr. Mary George: Well, strokes can leave people with weakness or paralysis of an arm or a leg, loss of coordination, numbness, and tingling sensations, trouble speaking, memory problems, pain, depression, difficulty walking or using your hands, or someone could even have a condition where they don’t seem to be aware of one side of their body. And these symptoms really depend on what part of the brain was affected by the stroke, how severe the stroke is, and how successful treatment is.
22:00 Pamela D. Wilson: That has to be life-altering for somebody who is in their 40s or 50s who has a stroke. How important is the rehab, so the physical, the speech, the occupational therapy, does that really help people recover?
22:15 Dr. Mary George: So, stroke recovery starts very soon after having had a stroke. And the rehabilitation, as you mentioned, can involve physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy. The rehabilitation helps you to regain strength, coordination, speech, and other skills that were lost with the stroke. That rehabilitation can go on for quite some time, but it’s very important in the first few days and weeks and months after having had a stroke in terms of being able to have a better recovery.
22:54 Pamela D. Wilson: Is depression common with strokes? I would imagine, I mean, it if this happened to me, I think I would be mortified and I don’t know that I could manage through it. Do people who have strokes, do they become depressed?
23:06 Dr. Mary George: They do. And that’s an important part of rehabilitation, is evaluating someone for whether they are having depression, and if they are getting treatment for that.
23:20 Pamela D. Wilson: And what about statistics, so, for people who recover, is it better if you’re over 65, is it easier for you to recover, or is it easier to recover if you’re younger?
23:31 Dr. Mary George: Well, according to an evidence review that was published a few years ago, 2013, I believe, younger and healthier stroke patients may continue to improve after having had a stroke for a longer period of time than very older people. The younger people tend to have a better long-term survival rate, too.
23:56 Pamela D. Wilson: And is ongoing medical care—so if I have a stroke—would I need to see the doctor every three months or six months, or what would my doctor’s care look like?
24:08 Dr. Mary George: So, you would probably be on some medications to treat high blood pressure or diabetes or cholesterol. In terms of how often you would need to see the doctor, it really depends on the individual’s recovery process.
24:32 Pamela D. Wilson: And then do doctors then talk about—let’s say I had a stroke, and maybe I was smoking, and my cholesterol is sky-high and have high blood pressure—what kind of lifestyle recommendations do doctors make to help people not have that next stroke?
24:46 Dr. Mary George: So there’s a number of things that are recommended. They say that up to 80% of strokes are preventable, and that’s really an amazing number of strokes that could be prevented. So prevention, whether you had a stroke or whether you haven’t had a stroke, it’s important that you develop that healthy lifestyle, even from the time you’re a child. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout life means being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains, low in saturated fats, low in sodium, low in added sugars, and avoiding too much alcohol can help reduce your risk for stroke.
25:41 Pamela D. Wilson: And this is…
25:41 Dr. Mary George: There’s a risk for high blood pressure or diabetes, high cholesterol, all of those things can be reduced, which can prevent the stroke.
25:51 Pamela D. Wilson: And this is a tough question to ask, but we hear everything that you’re saying, but yet for some reason, we as consumers don’t pay attention. What can we do to convince people that this is important?
26:13 Dr. Mary George: Just promoting the messages of living what we call, we call it a heart-healthy lifestyle, but it’s important for your brain as well. And to just promoting those messages of living a healthy lifestyle.
26:30 Pamela D. Wilson: And you mentioned the brain, so, this is from partly my experience, I’ve had a lot of clients who have had strokes who later, years down the road, maybe came down with memory problems or some type of cognitive issues. In your experience, is that very common?
26:49 Dr. Mary George: What we’ve learned through some of the research is that high blood pressure, particularly if you have high blood pressure for a long time and it’s not treated, can lead to what we call vascular cognitive impairment, which is a mild form of dementia. That can be prevented by managing high blood pressure. So, the risk factors for stroke can lead to cognitive impairment. That’s pretty important.
27:28 Pamela D. Wilson: And one more question: If you have a stroke, do you have to see a specialist? Is it your general doctor, is it some, are there stroke doctors out there that people should see? Who do they go see for their care?
27:40 Dr. Mary George: So it may depend. Oftentimes when someone’s had a stroke, they will be cared for by the stroke team. They will be cared for by the rehabilitation specialist, and then when they return home, they may see the neurologist a couple of times and then less frequently. Still, then they pick up their care with their primary care provider for ongoing management of their risk factors.
28:11 Pamela D. Wilson: Dr. George, thank you so much for joining us. Up next, we’re going to have more on the subject of podcasts for caregivers that are a result of your questions on topics about health, caring for elderly parents, and caring for yourselves. Helpful information for caregivers is on my website, PamelaDWilson.com. This is Pamela D. Wilson, your host. You’re listening to The Caring Generation live on the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn radio.
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30:57 Pamela D. Wilson: This is Pamela D. Wilson, caregiving expert, I’m your host. You’re listening to The Caring Generation radio program for caregivers, and aging adults coming to you live from the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn radio. The Caring Generation is the place for tips about health and well-being. All of these live shows become podcasts for caregivers on my website at PamelaDWilson.com and on your favorite podcast apps, including Apple, Google, Spreaker, and others.
31:26 Pamela D. Wilson: Let’s talk more about caregiving programs. To answer the question of how to deal with stubborn aging parents, you can check out my caregiving radio program and podcast called My Parent is Stubborn. This podcast for caregivers features an interview with Dr. Allison Heide, who completed research on the relationships between adult children caregivers and elderly parents. This interview sheds light on why caregiving relationships can feel like a battle and gives tips on how to communicate with stubborn elderly parents.
32:02 Pamela D. Wilson: The next in favorite caregiving programs and podcasts for caregivers is a caregiver radio program called What is Making You Sick? You might be amazed to know that many family caregivers who help elderly parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles, don’t view themselves as being a caregiver. They see themselves as more of a helper, which means that they don’t realize that caregiving programs like The Caring Generation exist. Can you imagine that? Many helpers and caregivers experience physical and emotional stress from the role and responsibilities of being a caregiver. My guest for the caregiving radio program called What’s Making You Sick is Dr. Robert Kellum. He is a board-licensed naturopathic physician, a practitioner of classical Chinese medicine, and is a licensed bodyworker. When you listen to this and other caregiving programs, you’ll see how the physical body, the energy body, our mind, and our soul, interact with each other emotionally and physically to produce health or sickness. Dr. Kellum shares his story as a caregiver for his mother and stories of caregivers he treats in his practice who became sick because of dedication to the care of family members, all valuable lessons for our caregiving journey.
33:24 Pamela D. Wilson: Next in the favorite list of caregiving programs is the Emotional Roller Coaster. This podcast for caregivers talks about the daily ups and downs that caregivers experience because of unexpected caregiving situations with elderly parents. My interview with elder law attorney Michael Hackard is about elder financial abuse that happens within families and elderly who are abused by helpful people, who even include police officers. You can receive a free copy of Michael’s book. It’s called The Wolf at the Door, to help you identify and avoid financial abuse that happens within families by letting him know you heard about his interview on The Caring Generation radio show. You can send Michael Hackard an email, his email address is Hackard, H A C K A R D, @hackardlaw.com and ask for a copy of his book, The Wolf at the Door.
34:22 Pamela D. Wilson: If you have a family member who has high blood pressure or any type of heart disease, my interview with Dr. Melissa Walton-Shirley on these caregiving programs called It Takes More than Love to Keep Your Heart Healthy shares information about managing heart disease that most people don’t know. During this podcast for caregivers, I share information that answers the question why caregiving takes more than love. Some of us know that. Many dedicated caregivers tell me that they love their husband, wife, mom, or dad, but they are emotionally and physically exhausted by being the caregiver. I understand. I work directly with family caregivers, elderly adults, and disabled adults for more than 20 years. If caregiving involved only caring for a loved one, might be easier. But we all know caregiving involves managing relationships with other family members, working with doctors and the healthcare system, pharmacies, insurance companies, and a long list of other people. Which is why helpful caregiving programs are necessary. Being a caregiver is complicated. It’s like having a part-time job or a second full-time job in addition to the job that you already have, which to leads me to talk about a couple of caregiving programs for working caregivers.
35:43 Pamela D. Wilson: The first of these podcasts for caregivers is called Managing Work-Life Balance and Health. On this caregiving radio program, I share information from research about caregivers in the workplace. Nearly 80% of working caregivers admit that being a caregiver affects their work productivity. Yet most corporations don’t recognize working caregivers or have caregiving programs for working caregivers. It’s shocking. Advocating for working caregivers and talking to corporations about the importance of offering caregiving programs is a mission of mine.
36:23 Pamela D. Wilson: The program Managing Work-Life Balance and Health has an interview with Dr. Carrie Karvonen-Gutierrez who shares information about women’s health issues that arise in middle age that result in physical disability. And in this term, physical disability is, “what I could do this six months ago; I can’t do it today.” It’s not the traditional disability. Women who are caregivers are more likely to develop chronic diseases, including heart disease, and experience depression because let’s face it, 60% of caregivers are still women. Caregiving is viewed as women’s work.
37:04 Pamela D. Wilson: Another caregiving radio program for working caregivers is called When Work and Being a Caregiver Collide. These caregiving programs focus on women caregivers. You’ll hear statistics from Women and Financial Wellness, a Merrill Lynch report. Women caregivers are unaware and very naive about the long-term financial effects of taking time off work to raise children and care for elderly parents and a spouse. Which means that many women are shocked when they retire about not having enough money saved or what they do and how they survive when a husband passes away. On that caregiving radio program is an interview with Michael Collins, who talks about the legal aspects of probate, the wills of elderly parents, and the complications that arise in settling estates.
37:53 Pamela D. Wilson: We are also have a program, it is called Why is Being a Caregiver so Exhausting? That has an interview with Rita Choula of the AARP Public Policy Institute Research that confirms that caregivers are continuing to do more and more for elderly parents and family members, which again, takes me back to the question, why aren’t corporations doing more to support working caregivers?
38:17 Announcer: Share The Caring Generation radio show podcast for caregivers and all of the caregiving programs on my website with your elderly parents, your spouses, and everybody that you know. This is Pamela D. Wilson, caregiving expert, advocate, and speaker on The Caring Generation live from the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn radio. Stay with me. We’ll be right back.
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40:58 Pamela D. Wilson: This is Pamela D. Wilson, caregiving expert. This is The Caring Generation coming to you live from the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn radio. We’re back talking about podcasts for caregivers that answer the questions you and other caregivers ask.
41:14 Pamela D. Wilson: Let’s talk about memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other types of cognitive disorders. If you think a loved one has memory loss or dementia, but you’re not quite sure, the caregiving program will help you identify normal memory loss from memory loss that might be a more significant issue. It is called The Signs of Dementia Checklist. On that show, I share common signs of memory loss based on my one-to-one work with the elderly as a court-appointed guardian and power of attorney. An interview with Dr. Jonathan Graff-Radford, a neurologist from the Mayo clinic. He talks about risk factors for dementia, and the importance of being proactive, not waiting to get a diagnosis, not waiting to plan. A perfect match for this program about memory loss in my line-up of podcasts for caregivers is the caregiving program called How to Talk to a Parent with Dementia.
42:12 Pamela D. Wilson: Adult children caregivers for elderly parents express concerns that siblings don’t know how to talk to mom or dad. Caregivers become frustrated with brothers and sisters who might be insensitive in their actions toward parents with dementia, and understandably so. Some brothers and sisters refuse to admit that mom or dad isn’t the same mom or dad. These brothers or sisters want mom and dad to take an interest in them or to still be the parent. How to Talk to a Parent with Dementia helps family members understand the changes in parents with dementia and how to create positive relationships that focuses on the needs of the parent with dementia. Not adult children who drag their heels because they refuse to learn about how to talk to parents with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Being a caregiver for a parent with dementia takes a special person with unlimited patience, empathy, and compassion. Dr. Stephen Post on this program shares tips for caregivers of parents with dementia and Alzheimer’s.
43:15 Pamela D. Wilson: Since many parents have health issues that require interactions with the healthcare system, we can talk about podcasts for caregivers that focus on working with the healthcare system. The first caregiving program is called Is Healthcare Forgetting the Elderly? On this program, Dr. Mary Wyman from the University of Wisconsin shares situations where bias from the healthcare system prevents the elderly from getting the care that they need, including doctors who don’t refer the elderly for certain types of treatment that would be beneficial. This bias can extend to family caregivers who lose patience with mom or dad’s health concerns or who buy into the idea of, “well, this is just what happens with old people.” My belief is that being old and sick is optional if we learn about how to be proactive with health like Dr. George shared with us. I’ve had my own issues with doctors who refused to treat my elderly clients or other doctors who disagreed with the treatments that my clients wanted simply because my clients were old. As adult children caregivers and spouses, you can’t let this happen. You have to learn to advocate and not take no for an answer. Your elderly parents and spouses depend on you to speak up for them.
44:30 Pamela D. Wilson: Being an advocate for elderly loved ones leads to the caregiving program called Why is Patient Education and Engagement so Important? This is another favorite podcast for caregivers that is so important. On this program is an interview with Dr. Mayer Davidson, who talks about diabetes prevention and management. As we’ve learned from the coronavirus, people with chronic conditions, including diabetes, are more susceptible to the coronavirus and other illnesses. Many consumers don’t even realize that they have diabetes because they don’t attend regular doctor appointments. My mission in providing caregiving programs and podcasts for caregivers is to increase knowledge about health and the risks of chronic disease so that fewer people become sick so that fewer people suffer from poor health and are diagnosed with chronic disease, and if our elderly parents have a chronic disease, we know what to do.
45:27 Pamela D. Wilson: Because of my work doing this for more than 20 years, I’ve seen how poor health affects daily lives, and I know that a lot of this can be prevented when we become aware of the consequences of not taking care of health. My mom died at the young age of 69 because she didn’t know how her daily habits resulted in severe life-altering health changes. Watching her become sick and die is one reason that I am inspired to create this variety of caregiving programs. This radio program and podcast for caregivers, my Caring for Aging Parents blog, my caregiving library, Caregiving TV on my YouTube Channel, I stay busy, on all of these. I share specific steps that caregivers and aging adults can take that are on the program, Why is Patient Education and Engagement so Important?
46:14 Pamela D. Wilson: Following up on this subject is the caregiving radio program called I Am So Tired of Being a Caregiver. This caregiving program is another one of my favorites. It features Dr. Brooks Cash from the University of Texas Health Science Center who talks about smoking and digestive issues. This caregiving radio program talks about the gap between health issues caused by smoking and what consumers know about how smoking or don’t know about how smoking relates to stomach problems, GERD, indigestion, hiatal hernias, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s, and other diseases. My mom was a smoker. She suffered from many of these stomach problems, and we had no idea that smoking was the cause. Back then, doctors didn’t give us that information. We didn’t know any better. If you know anyone who smokes, this is one of the top podcasts for caregivers that does offer surprising information about the effects of smoking from Dr. Brooks Cash, based on his extensive medical career and research.
47:18 Pamela D. Wilson: I am so grateful to all of the experts who support these live shows and informative and educational podcasts for caregivers. We all need to know about health and how we can be proactive because all of this relates to being a caregiver for aging parents. I learn something new from every one of these guests.
47:39 Pamela D. Wilson: Please do share the podcast for caregivers by listening on your favorite podcast app, Google, Apple, Spreaker, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, there are so many. Install an app on the cellphone of your family members, or your elderly parents. Make it easy for them to listen and to access all of this information. You can also put a link on the computer of an elderly family member to my website, PamelaDWilson.com, and The Caring Generation Radio show page. Together, we can make sure that elderly parents get the care that they need. After this break, more podcasts for caregivers about improving family caregiving relationships. I’m Pamela D. Wilson, your host. This is The Caring Generation live from the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn Radio. Stay with me. We’ll be right back.
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51:37 Pamela D. Wilson: This is Pamela D. Wilson, caregiving expert, I’m your host. This is The Caring Generation radio program for caregivers, and aging adults live on the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn Radio. Visit my website PamelaDWilson.com for podcasts of all of The Caring Generation radio programs for caregivers and aging adults.
52:00 Pamela D. Wilson: We’re back to talk about podcasts for caregivers that focus on improving family relationships. Let’s begin with the caregiving program, How to Manage When Families Don’t Get Along. In my experience, no family is perfect, and that includes my family. I met with many family caregivers who were embarrassed to tell me that their family didn’t get along. These meetings were held in my office. And this aspect is so common when you have children and parents who have been independent for so many years who are now thrown into what I say a blender, and expected to come out shaken, stirred, and perfect. [chuckle] It doesn’t always work out that way. This caregiving radio program offers tips for how to improve dysfunctional and difficult relationships with brothers, sisters, and elderly parents. My guest on that program is Attorney. Spencer Crona. He shared stories of families who don’t get along and why they end up in nasty court battles. As a court-appointed guardian, I testified in court many times on behalf of my clients at contested court hearings where families disagreed, knock-down, drag-out fights about the care of elderly parents. These are very difficult and highly stressful situations.
53:21 Pamela D. Wilson: Another favorite in the list of podcasts for caregivers is a caregiving program called My Mom Is Crazy. An interview with Dr. Erlene Rosowsky from William James College provides rare insights into relationships between adult children caregivers and elderly parents who have undiagnosed personality disorders. Dr. Rosowsky shares a very heart-warming story of an adult child caregiver who is struggling to respond positively to her mother’s behaviors. She offers some great suggestions. On that caregiving program, I share ten tips for managing emotional triggers that set off our emotions and distract our attention from work and life. As caregivers, we know how easy it is to let that single phone call from an elderly parent or an argument within the family take our entire day off-track. It’s as if we can’t take our mind away from caregiving situations that are upsetting. That program does share tips on how to manage emotional responses to upsetting situations so that they don’t derail your entire day.
54:26 Pamela D. Wilson: Another caregiving radio program about family relationships is Siblings Won’t Help with Elderly Parents. What do we do with brothers and sisters who have every excuse in the world for why they can’t help mom or dad? Why they can’t visit, why their lives are more important than our life who is the primary caregiver? On podcasts for caregivers, I share tips for having conversations with elderly parents who unintentionally enable adult children not to take responsibility, and to help the primary caregiver talk to brothers and sisters to gain their participation in caring for elderly parents.
55:08 Pamela D. Wilson: In the coming weeks and months, we have more great topics by request of listeners of these podcasts and caregivers that I meet through my work and my social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. Please do share The Caring Generation radio program and podcast for caregivers with everybody that you know. Next week, we’ll be talking about taking care of elderly parents at home. Thank you all for being proactive and interested in caregiving, aging, and health. I’m Pamela D. Wilson. You’re listening to the Caring Generation radio program for caregivers and aging adults coming to you live from the BBM Global Network, Channel 100, and TuneIn Radio. God bless you, sleep well tonight. Have a fabulous day tomorrow and a great week until we are together again.
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55:54 Announcer: Tune in each week with for The Caring Generation with host Pamela D. Wilson. Come join the conversation and see how Pamela can provide solutions and peace of mind for everyone, here on Pamela D. Wilson’s The Caring Generation.
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