After experiencing the challenges of caring for her ailing grandmother as a teenager, Pam Reynolds became a passionate advocate for older adults. Pam is a Certified Aging Life Care Manager, a Certified Professional Gerontologist, and a Certified Dementia Practitioner with a diverse vocational background that includes assisted living facilities and nursing home management as well as owning a company that helps older adults age in place at home. She is also the author of Caregiving with Confidence: Take the Guesswork Out of Caregiving, a book designed to prepare caregivers for a better caregiving experience.

Pam joins us today to share her experience as a teenager caring for her grandmother with Alzheimer’s and how it inspired her to start her career in senior care, assisted living, and memory care. We discuss what motivated Pam to write her book and how it helps family caregivers find the tools, options, and resources they need as they navigate the caregiving journey. We discuss the importance of planning for the future and thinking proactively and how it can be a valuable gift for your loved ones. We discuss the importance of recognizing that cognitive decline is not a normal part of aging and what you need to consider if you notice your loved one struggling with cognitive impairment. We also discuss why many caregivers struggle to take a proactive approach to caring for their loved one and the value of building a team around you to help care for an aging parent.

“It takes a village to care for an aging parent.” - Pam Reynolds

This week on the Eye on the Caregiver Podcast:

●     Pam’s personal journey as a caregiver

●     What inspired Pam to start a home health organization

●     How Pam’s book helps family caregivers find the tools and resources they need to prepare and care for their aging loved one

●     The benefits of thinking proactively as a family caregiver

●     The importance of planning for the future

●     Understanding that cognitive decline is not a normal part of aging

●     Why it’s often challenging for caregivers to take a proactive approach to caring for their loved one

●     The number one obstacle most family caregivers face

●     Building a team to help care for an aging loved one

Connect with Pam Reynolds:

●     Book: Caregiving with Confidence: Take the Guesswork Out of Caregiving

Keeping Our Eye on the Caregiver

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Eye on the Caregiver Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

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Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more caregivers, families, and listeners, like you.

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Former U.S. Congressional Candidate, Rock Radio Hall of Famer, keynote speaker and author, Dayna Steele has a deep understanding of the challenges and emotional rollercoasters that caregivers endure. She is the author of multiple books, including Surviving Alzheimer’s With Friends, Facebook, and a Really Big Glass of Wine and the playwright and actor of The Woman In The Mirror Play, where she details her experiences as a caregiver through unfiltered observations, raw emotion, a bit of dark humor, and, of course, wine. Dayna is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Drama, Dramatics and Theatre Arts and is a staunch advocate for Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones.

Dayna joins us again today to share some of the funny stories and memories she has of caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s and the things she considered when searching for a long-term memory care facility. We discuss how our loved ones moods and behaviors change as their disease progresses, the importance of sharing your thoughts and feelings with others, and how caregivers can find additional support through local therapy groups. We discuss how reminiscing on the way our loved ones used to be before their Dementia and Alzheimer’s diagnosis can be joyful and healing and share some of our own happy memories of our parents. We also discuss how Dayna turned her book into a one-woman play and Dayna shares a sneak peek into what’s next for The Woman In The Mirror Play.

“It is an awful, awful disease. And it is okay to admit you have these feelings.” - Dayna Steele

This week on the Eye on the Caregiver Podcast:

●     What Dayna considered when finding a memory care facility for her mother

●     Dayna’s hilarious ‘cow-tipping’ story at Chick-Fil-A on the company’s anniversary

●     Dealing with the anger and ‘violent’ side of Alzheimer’s

●     The value of joining therapy groups

●     Reminiscing on the way our loved ones used to be before Alzheimer’s

●     Turning Dayna’s book into The Woman In The Mirror Play and what’s next for the one-woman play

Connect with Dayna Steele:

●     Play: The Woman In The Mirror

●     Book: Surviving Alzheimer’s With Friends, Facebook, and a Really Big Glass of Wine: A Caregiver’s Guide to Love, Humor, Patience, Confusion, Anger, and Wine

●     The Woman In The Mirror Play on Facebook

●     Dayna Steele on LinkedIn

●     Dayna Steele on YouTube

●     Dayna Steele on Instagram

●     Dayna Steele on Twitter

Keeping Our Eye on the Caregiver

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Eye on the Caregiver Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | Amazon Music

Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more caregivers, families, and listeners like you.

Join us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. For more exclusive content and information, visit our website.

 Dayna Steele is a Rock Radio Hall of Famer, a keynote speaker, and the author of Surviving Alzheimer’s With Friends, Facebook, and a Really Big Glass of Wine: A caregiver’s guide to love, humor, patience, confusion, anger, and wine. She is also an actor and the playwright of the one-woman play, The Woman In The Mirror Play. In her book and play, Dayna shares her experiences as a caregiver through unfiltered observations, raw emotion, and a touch of dark humor as she chronicled her mother’s journey with Alzheimer’s on Facebook.

Dayna joins us today to share what it was like to care for her mother with Alzheimer’s and her mission to educate others about the disease. We discuss how Dayna used laughter and social media as a therapeutic tool to get her though the tough times, the value of embracing humor and laughter when faced with challenging and emotional circumstances, and why it’s okay to give yourself permission to laugh. We share stories of some of the funny moments we experienced while taking care of our parents with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. We also discuss why Dayna decided to share her story about her mother’s journey with Alzheimer’s through her book and play.

“We’ve got to laugh… or you will cry.” - Dayna Steele

This week on the Eye on the Caregiver Podcast:

●     Dayna’s experience with caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s

●     Embracing laughter in the face of chaos, anger, and confusion

●     The importance of giving yourself permission to laugh

●     Leveraging social media as a therapeutic tool to find support

●     Dayna’s mission to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s through her book and play

Connect with Dayna Steele:

●     Play: The Woman In The Mirror

●     Book: Surviving Alzheimer’s With Friends, Facebook, and a Really Big Glass of Wine: A caregiver’s guide to love, humor, patience, confusion, anger, and wine

●     The Woman In The Mirror Play on Facebook

●     Dayna Steele on LinkedIn

●     Dayna Steele on YouTube

●     Dayna Steele on Instagram

●     Dayna Steele on Twitter

Keeping Our Eye on the Caregiver

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Eye on the Caregiver Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | Amazon Music

Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more caregivers, families, and listeners like you.

Join us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. For more exclusive content and information, visit our website.