Today Barbara is joined by her friend and colleague Bunni Dybnis. A licensed marriage and family therapist, Bunni worked as an Aging Life Care Manager for years and is now a mediator, helping families of the aging and termin…
Today Barbara’s guest is Sandra Hunnicutt. Sandra shares her story of taking care of her husband, Don, a brilliant UCLA professor who was a “man on fire” until 2018, when he began to show signs of memory impairment and was d…
Today Barbara is pleased to welcome David Hart, a professor and clinical psychologist who specializes in dementia and caregiving. David is a faculty member in the Department of Counseling at California State University, Full…
Nancy Tahara joins Barbara to talk about caring for her friend of 40 years. Now 81, he suffers from Lewy body dementia , Parkinson's disease , and REM sleep behavior disorder . He asked her to come take care of him a year-an…
Today Barbara is joined by Evelyn Garcia, who cares for her mother who has younger-onset dementia . Evelyn was living in Virginia when she got a call from her mother’s doctor, saying she couldn’t live alone any longer. When …
Dani Klein Modisett is the founder and CEO of Laughter On Call which pairs comedians with Alzheimer’s patients. She’ll reveal the story behind the formation of this brilliant idea and explain why laughter really is the best …
Katie is a new caregiver, taking care of her mother who is in the early stages of “advanced cognitive decline.“ She’s also caregiving from a distance. She’ll discuss trying to navigate through this new experience and how she…
Today Barbara is joined by her friend and colleague Natalie Stanger. Twenty years ago, Natalie started a company to “help seniors do the things they could no longer do or didn’t want to do,” and it’s kept her busy ever since…
Today Barbara is joined by Heidi Artman, who is caring for her husband, Lee. Heidi first noticed Lee’s memory problems in 2015, but it wasn’t until recently that he received a diagnosis. Because Lee has struggled with bipola…
Today Barbara welcomes Denise to the podcast. An only child, Denise says she never saw herself as a caregiver, but when her mother was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s, everything changed. She and Barbara discuss the …
Barbara and her guest, colleague & friend discuss ethnic and cultural disparities and how money is consistently the biggest barrier to adequate resources and support....
Today Ed Mount joins Barbara to talk about his ongoing journey as a caregiver. Ed’s father died from Alzheimer’s in 2012 and his mother Judy is now suffering from the disease. He and Barbara discuss the different phases of A…
When Adam Steinman’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s four years ago, his kids were two and six. Adam joins Barbara to share his experience caring for younger children and aging parents, a phenomenon known as the…
Today Barbara is joined by Gary Zembow and Marcy Lebovitz to discuss Gary’s mother, Esther. Now 94, Esther was born in Poland, and was the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust. Gary and Marcy describe Esther as…
Paul Spiegelman joins Barbara to talk about caregiving for his mother, Lila, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2015. At first, Paul’s father did all the caregiving while Paul, who lives in Dallas, did what he could to su…
Steve Johnson joins Barbara to talk about caring for his wife of 22 years, Bonnie. In September of 2020, Bonnie was diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. He says the onset was radical – they’d taken a family trip in J…
Are you a caregiver with a story to share? Please call Barbara at 310-362-8232. Today Barbara is joined by Kimberly Cruelle, whose husband was diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer’s six years ago at the age of 47. She tells…
Barbara kicks off today's episode with a question for you: Would you (or someone you know) like to help other caregivers by sharing your caregiving story on Dementia Discussions? If so, Barbara would love to hear from you! C…
Today Barbara welcomes back Dotti McLean, whose husband Brian was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease seven years ago. They talk about how the disease has progressed, and all the things Dotti has learned along the way. Dotti …
Today Barbara is joined by Marty Stevens-Heeber, founder and CEO of Clear Home Solutions . An accomplished business woman and entrepreneur, Marty tells Barbara why she was drawn to working with older adults. They discuss her…
Today Barbara is joined by Bobbie Schwarcz to talk about Bobbie’s father-in-law, Chuck, who died several years ago. When Bobbie met Chuck, he’d already been diagnosed with dementia. Bobbie describes Chuck as an intelligent, …
Today Barbara is joined by social gerontologist Benjamin Surmi. As director of culture, training and Koelsch Innovation Lab for Koelsch Communities , Benjamin focuses on seeking the most effective ways to support family care…
A lot has happened since Ted Snyder was Barbara’s guest on Dementia Discussions last April. Today he tells Barbara how his wife Rena’s condition has progressed from mild cognitive impairment to late-stage Alzheimer’s; how sh…
Today Barbara welcomes back Owen Frances. Owen lost Rhonda, his precious wife of 52 years, to Alzheimer’s disease last year. In a beautiful, heartfelt, and extremely moving tribute, Owen shares memories and stories about Rho…
