Whole Care Network

Judy Cornish is an author, founder of the Dementia & Alzheimer’s Wellbeing Network (DAWN®), creator of the DAWN Method® and retired elder law attorney. Her two books (The Dementia Handbook and Dementia With Dignity) take person-centered dementia care from theory to practice by identifying the skills not lost to dementia. Through DAWN, Judy provides counseling, private classes and an online video program for families and home caregivers. Judy's goal is to help families learn how to truly support their loved ones and enjoy more companionship as they live with dementia. Listen in and learn how Judy is creating Healing Ties through a person centered approach to dementia care.

Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM is an occupational therapist who has spent her career advocating for and treating the needs of clients and caregivers. As an educator at Texas Woman's University Master of Occupational Therapy program, and as a clinician working in settings as diverse as the ICU, acute care, inpatient rehab, skilled nursing, home modification, home health, and outpatient clinics, Emilia came to see two well defined truths. Caregivers are foundationally vital to our healthcare system.Caregivers are rarely, if ever, given the tools, knowledge, and skill-set they need to safely care for others and themselves. Acknowledging her own ability to address this problem, Emilia set about creating an organization that could provide vital, practical, accessible training to caregivers all over the world. Using education to empower others, Emilia's mission is to improve the safety and quality of life of caregivers and the people they care for. Listen in and learn how Amelia is creating Healing Ties through he

We've all heard the phrase, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" ...cancer coach and motivational speaker is Revolutionizing Growth and making lemonade all over the world with his inspiring story of hope and love. As a two time cancer survivor and kidney transplant recipient , Jeff Studzinski shares his inspiring story that will warm your heart and fill you with hope. Listen in and learn about Jeff's "angel" and how he is creating Healing Ties all around us!

Irvine Nugent has spent the majority of his career helping leaders and organizations and people like me harness the power of their emotions. Irvine's new book Leadership Lesson's from the Pub was born out of the unique Irish wisdom Irvine learned growing up in his family’s pub in Northern Ireland. Journey through Ireland’s rich pub culture and back to the boardrooms and offices of the organizations you lead or manage. It’s a journey into the struggles and joys of leadership that will show you how to harness the power of your emotions to have deeper connections, make better decisions, and increase your influence. Listen in and learn how Irvine is creating Healing Ties by providing us with the skills to harness the power of our emotions.

Caregiving is not simply a local issue, Caregiving is a universal issue impacting the lives of millions of people from around the globe. Through their work at Care.ly and Caregiving.com Mike Eidsaune and Christina Best are providing Caregivers from across the globe the opportunity to gather valuable resources and share their stories to help manage their caregiving day. Listen in and learn how Mike and Christina are creating Healing Ties all around us!

Ben Rao is the author of Paying For Long Term Care , Co-Founder of Mom's House enterpriser, philanthropist, lover of music, art, and cool shoes whose positivity and energy are contagious. After going through the journey of placing his beloved step-father, Tom, in to long term care, Ben discovered how difficult and taxing the ordeal was and decided to use the experience he has gained working in the senior space, to help make other families’ journey easier, less stressful, and provide clear direction so that they can focus on what is important to them, and to him, family. Listen in and learn about Mom's House and how Ben in creating Healing Ties through is book and sincere efforts to make transitions to senior living easier for the entire family.

Melanie Maynor grew up in a small town in south Louisiana surrounded by the love and care of her grandparents and great-grandparents. That love and care lead Melanie on a path to become a Geriatric Care Manger who is a willing and capable advocate for her clients and families, because of her innate passion for everyone to Age Gracefully. Listen in and learn how Melanie Maynor is creating Healing Ties through her work as a Geriatric Care Manager in St. Louis, MO.

Memories are truly the heart of family history and the soul of every person. Realizing seniors have so many colorful stories and secrets to share, Authors Deb Holton-Smith and Jan Martin wanted to connect families, friends, and caretakers to spend precious time − possibly over a cup of tea − to reignite these memories. Deb and Jan passion for people as coaches and counselors sparked their desire to create The Teacup Project because some of the best conversations between family and friends are over a delightful cup of tea. Listen in and learn how Deb Holton-Smith and Jan Martin are creating Healing Ties by preserving your Keepsake Story

Today’s guest is Carol Bradley Bursack, an author, columnist, consultant, and speaker who provided care to a neighbor and six elderly family members over the span of two decades. This experience led her to write Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories, a portable support group for caregivers that is also used as a college text for gerontology and nursing home administration classes. Her websites Minding Our Elders and Minding Our Elders blog, include links to helpful agencies, articles rich with information and comfort, links to support groups, and resources for caregiver, boomer and elder needs. Carol also works as a consultant on aging and caregiving issues. Her newspaper column Minding Our Elders has run weekly for over 15 years, both in print and online. She is the spokesperson and writer for Egosan Products, where she writes the column “Ask Carol” on their EgosanCares.com website and manages their social media. She also moderates a paid forum for Dr. Leslie Kernisan’s website Better

It is a stressful decision. But you know that it will be the best decision for your loved one. You know that someday you may have to think about bringing your loved one in a place that can provide more care. It may be a rehab facility, an assisted living facility (ALF), or a nursing home. Your loved one comes first and most important. I want to help you to prepare NOW for the crucial questions. WHEN? WHERE? HOW? •When will be the right time? •Where is the best place? •How will you be able to afford it? YOUR FIRST STEP – Listen to this podcast of Toula’s Tips for Caregivers. My two guests are EXPERTS at helping you find the best answers for you and your loved one. The advice they share on this podcast will give you the answers and directions you need. Esther McMillan is the Daily Money Management Manager at Aging True Community Senior Services. She also is a National Certified Guardian. Aging True can help you to know when is the right time – or whether there are OTHER OPTIONS. (Visit their web sit

Lauren Dykovitz became a caregiver for her mother who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s when she was in her twenties. In the beginning, she says, she had a difficult time coping with her mom’s disease and felt she had nowhere to turn for advice and support. As a younger caregiver, it was difficult to find anyone who could relate to what she was going through. To help herself understand and process her dementia journey she started sharing her story on a Facebook page, then on a blog, both called Life, Love, and Alzheimer’s, and finally in a book, titled Learning to Weather the Storm: A Story of Life, Love, and Alzheimer's. Her goal was not only to share her story and the lessons she’s learned but to let others know they are not alone. In many ways, the blog serves as her online journal. She finds it therapeutic to write down her thoughts and feelings as she navigates her way through life with this horrific disease and the aftermath of her mother’s death. The name of the blog says it all: She tells st

We begin season 9 of Healing Ties with best selling author Ken Stern. Formally the CEO of National Public Radio is is the founder and Chair of the Longevity Project, which he founded in collaboration with the Stanford Center on Longevity. The Longevity Project fosters public conversation and research on the impact on longer lives on civil society. Ken is the host of multiple podcasts, including When I’m 64, from the Stanford Center on Longevity and is launching a National Conversation on Caregiving starting on March 31 to highlight the challenges facing family caregivers. Listen in and learn how you can participate in the National Conversation on Caregiving, and how Ken is creating Healing Ties all around us by his words, actions and deeds!

The tables have turned for you. Are you okay? It used to be that work was the most important duty in your life. Your family and loved ones were there for love and support. Now, you are caring for that most important loved one. But you still have to work. I understand. The tables turned on me in 2012, when I became the main caregiver for my parents. But I still had to work, providing outreach and support for caregivers in Northeast Florida. And I still had to do my live radio show, every week. I admit. Sometimes the stress almost overcame me. The tables turned in this podcast of Toula’s Tips for Caregivers, also. I am the “guest” of the day, being interviewed by Nicole Egan, Care Services Director for Aging True. She wanted to hear more of my caregiving stories with my parents, especially while still working. As we talked, I shared some important tips that helped my success as a working caregiver. You are not alone. There are others going through what you are. There is help and support. Some of

Paula Spencer Scott is a long-time journalist and health and family-life specialist focusing on self-care, eldercare, and baby care. She's the author of the bestseller “Surviving Alzheimer's: Practical Tips and Soul-Saving Wisdom for Caregivers” and the recently released “When Your Aging Parent Needs Help: A Geriatrician's Step-by-Step Guide to Memory Loss, Resistance, Safety Worries, & More” with Dr. Leslie Kernisan. Paula experienced dementia in five of her immediate family members, including her live-in father-in-law, and took on a variety of caring roles. This gave her the precious insight and advice that flows throughout her caregiver guides. Paula’s work may be familiar to you. She’s been published in a variety of mainstream magazines and online platforms, including Woman's Day, Parade, AARP Bulletin, Newsweek, PBS Next Avenue, Glamour, Reader's Digest, USA Weekend, Caring.com, and WebMD, to name a few. She has earned writing awards from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Arthr

People are getting Covid-19 vaccinations. But there's still much we don't know about what is safe and what isn't in our daily activities. Join the conversation!

Today’s guest is Susan Straley, author of the dual memoirs "Alzheimer's Trippin' with George" which memorialize her 10,000-mile cross-country trike trips after her husband’s dementia diagnosis. When Susan and George semi-retired from their machine design and manufacturing business in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 2008, they moved all their belongings into storage except for what they needed for a long bicycle trip on their recumbent tricycles and pedaled around Wisconsin for 40 days. Throughout their travels, Susan uploaded pictures and stories to an online journal to keep family and friends informed of their whereabouts. This journal began her writing career. Born with an urge to wander, Susan thought it only natural to want to run away when dementia entered their lives in 2015, so she and George took off on their trikes for a three-month trip around the States. She again kept an online journal of their adventures, but this time she included the deepest, most personal details of the progression of George’s dise

When both of her parents were diagnosed with dementia, Vicki Tapia, a lactation consultant who had coached around 10,000 mother-baby pairs, found her energies redirected to the other end of life. A lifelong writer, she soon began journaling as an outlet for the stress and strain she encountered as their long-distance caregiver. Over time, this journal became a book-length work, a memoir detailing her family’s rocky road through this devastating disease. She was inspired to seek publication after many friends told her that reading her words helped them on their own dementia journeys. Her story was then published by Praeclarus Press as Somebody Stole My Iron: A Family Memoir of Dementia. It became a finalist in the 2015 High Plains Book Awards and was named "One of the best Alzheimer's books of all time" by Book Authority. Vicki is a co-founder and manager of AlzAuthors, happily serving as treasurer, acquisitions editor, and whatever else is needed. She’s a lifelong traveler and has been all over the globe

Today’s guest is Gerda Saunders, author of the mesmerizing memoir Memory’s Last Breath: Field Notes on My Dementia, in which she describes in great detail her descent into cerebral microvascular disease, a precursor to dementia. A gifted writer, she is also a woman of many talents and has had a remarkable career in higher education. She grew up in South Africa during apartheid, the child of a farmer in a family of six children. In spite of her family’s lack of resources, she succeeded in earning a B.S. in Math and Chemistry from the University of Pretoria. She then worked as a research scientist at the South African Atomic Energy Board for three years and left that to become a teacher. She taught Science and Math at Kempton Park (Afrikaans) High School, and Math and Physics at the Kempton Park Technical Institute. In 1984, she emigrated to the United States and settled in Utah with her husband Peter and their two children. She continued her education at the University of Utah and earned a PhD in English wh

For too many people, it's hard to get an appointment for a Covid-19 vaccination. The system needs to be improved, but there are a few tips to help in the meantime.