Dementia Discussions

It’s amazing how much music comes up in these conversations where we delve into the experiences of those caring for loved ones with dementia. In this episode, James Savage shares his personal journey caring for his wife as her ability to converse fades, he finds himself feeling increasingly isolated and alone, with music providing a vital lifeline in filling the silence.

James is a songwriter and has turned his lyrics towards themes of loss and memory, reflecting on his experiences caring for his wife. He is even in the process of writing a musical about a support group, with the hope of bringing greater awareness to the often thankless and unnoticed job of caregiving. Through participation in our support group, James has found solace and support, and is building his capacity for empathy.

Despite his sadness at her diminishing ability to communicate and connect with loved ones, James remains hopeful for her future. He shares a poignant lyric from his musical that conveys the emotions of loss through his experience, reminding us of the importance of empathy and understanding in the face of such challenges.

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 terminally ill work through bereavement, adjustments and transitions. She tells Barbara about her journey to the field of geriatrics, sparked by a course she took through UCLA’s medical school on death and suicide. Bunni realized then how death impacts the person who dies as well as their entire family unit, and teaching families to deal with loss became her mission. Tune in to hear Bunni describe her training and work as an elder/family mediator, helping adult children in conflict with each other, with a second spouse, or with a resistant parent to find resolution and caregiving solutions.

Do you have a caregiving story to share? Barbara would love to hear from you! Please leave her a message at 310-362-8232 or send her an email through DementiaDiscussions.net.

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 terminally ill work through bereavement, adjustments and transitions. She tells Barbara about her journey to the field of geriatrics, sparked by a course she took through UCLA’s medical school on death and suicide. Bunni realized then how death impacts the person who dies as well as their entire family unit, and teaching families to deal with loss became her mission. Tune in to hear Bunni describe her training and work as an elder/family mediator, helping adult children in conflict with each other, with a second spouse, or with a resistant parent to find resolution and caregiving solutions.

Do you have a caregiving story to share? Barbara would love to hear from you! Please leave her a message at 310-362-8232 or send her an email through DementiaDiscussions.net.

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 diagnosed with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment. Sandra was Don’s sole caregiver for four years, until his condition deteriorated to the point that she needed to put him in a facility. She and Barbara talk about her experience along the way; how she “slipped into caregiving” not fully realizing it was happening. Sandra also shares valuable insights and advice, from the importance of long-term care insurance (especially if you have a family history) to why she believes every caregiver should have a therapist. 

Do you have a caregiving story to share? Barbara would love to hear from you! Please leave her a message at 310-362-8232 or send her an email through DementiaDiscussions.net.

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 diagnosed with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment. Sandra was Don’s sole caregiver for four years, until his condition deteriorated to the point that she needed to put him in a facility. She and Barbara talk about her experience along the way; how she “slipped into caregiving” not fully realizing it was happening. Sandra also shares valuable insights and advice, from the importance of long-term care insurance (especially if you have a family history) to why she believes every caregiver should have a therapist. 

Do you have a caregiving story to share? Barbara would love to hear from you! Please leave her a message at 310-362-8232 or send her an email through DementiaDiscussions.net.

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, Fullerton, and is the director of clinical services at Always Best Care Senior Services in Torrance, CA. David shares his personal story about caring for his grandmother, who was diagnosed with dementia when he was 15. He and his mother did their best, he says, but they didn’t have the right information, support, or resources.“Our hearts were always in the right place, we just didn’t know.” David entered the field to help others in this position, devoting his career to educating caregivers. In today’s special episode, Barbara and David share valuable insights and lessons they’ve learned from their formidable careers working in memory care and with caregivers. To learn more about David and his “caregiving bootcamp,” go to alwaysbestcaresouthbay.com or contact him at [email protected].   

If you would like to share your caregiving story, Barbara would love to hear from you! Please call her at 310-362-8232 or email her through DementiaDiscussions.net.

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, Fullerton, and is the director of clinical services at Always Best Care Senior Services in Torrance, CA. David shares his personal story about caring for his grandmother, who was diagnosed with dementia when he was 15. He and his mother did their best, he says, but they didn’t have the right information, support, or resources.“Our hearts were always in the right place, we just didn’t know.” David entered the field to help others in this position, devoting his career to educating caregivers. In today’s special episode, Barbara and David share valuable insights and lessons they’ve learned from their formidable careers working in memory care and with caregivers. To learn more about David and his “caregiving bootcamp,” go to alwaysbestcaresouthbay.com or contact him at [email protected].   

If you would like to share your caregiving story, Barbara would love to hear from you! Please call her at 310-362-8232 or email her through DementiaDiscussions.net.

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-and-a-half ago, and she’s been his full-time caregiver ever since. Sadly, her friend’s condition is deteriorating quickly, both physically and cognitively. They just finished home health (physical therapy) but it didn’t help, so now they’ll start hospice. Nancy talks about how much she’s learned in her caregiving support groups – valuable advice, insight and support. She and Barbara also discuss how important it is for caregivers to get a break, and some of the options for finding help and getting through the tough times.

Do you have a caregiving story to share? Barbara would love to hear from you! Please call her at 310-362-8232 or email her through DementiaDiscussions.net.

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-and-a-half ago, and she’s been his full-time caregiver ever since. Sadly, her friend’s condition is deteriorating quickly, both physically and cognitively. They just finished home health (physical therapy) but it didn’t help, so now they’ll start hospice. Nancy talks about how much she’s learned in her caregiving support groups – valuable advice, insight and support. She and Barbara also discuss how important it is for caregivers to get a break, and some of the options for finding help and getting through the tough times.

Do you have a caregiving story to share? Barbara would love to hear from you! Please call her at 310-362-8232 or email her through DementiaDiscussions.net.

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 Evelyn flew out to Los Angeles, she realized how bad things were: her mother was paranoid and forgetful, cried all the time, and wasn’t paying bills or taking care of herself. In June of 2020, Evelyn moved to Los Angeles to take care of her. Evelyn and Barbara talk about how hard it is to become a caregiver without any background or training. They discuss different methods and tricks to keep her mother moving forward with her day – “otherwise she just cries,”  Evelyn says. Evelyn shares how difficult it’s been for her, doing all the caregiving by herself with no one in her family offering to help. She also shares how painful it is to watch her mother’s memory decline. Each time she notices a new problem – most recently it was her mother not recognizing her – she cries too, just not in front of her mother so she won’t know there’s something wrong.

If you would like to share your caregiving story, Barbara would love to hear from you! Please call her at 310-362-8232 or email her through DementiaDiscussions.net.