Marianne Suicco is a registered nurse, dementia daughter, and author of the novel Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer’s love story. She is also a founding member and manager of AlzAuthors.com, the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experiences. On Alzauthors.com you’ll discover hundreds of inspirational stories which span all Alzheimer’s and dementia stages to off you keen insights and better understandings of this insidious disease.Marianne also hosts and produces the popular Untangling Alzheimer's and Dementia podcast.Listen in and learn how Marianne and the entire team of contributors at AlzAuthors are creating Healing Ties all around us!

Dr. BJ Miller is a longtime hospice and palliative medicine physician and educator. He currently sees patients and families via telehealth through Mettle Health, a company he co-founded with the aim to provide personalized, holistic consultations for any patient or caregiver who needs help navigating the practical, emotional and existential issues that come with serious illness and disability.BJ has worked in all settings of care: hospital, clinic, residential facility, and home. Led by his own experiences as a patient, BJ advocates for the roles of our senses, community and presence in designing a better ending. His interests are in working across disciplines to affect broad-based culture change, cultivating a civic model for aging and dying and furthering the message that suffering, illness, and dying are fundamental and intrinsic aspects of life. His career has been dedicated to moving healthcare towards a human-centered approach, on a policy as well as a personal level.Listen in and learn how BJ and the staff at Mettle Health are creating Healing Ties all around us!

Award-winning author Trish Laub’s expertise is derived from the full-time care of her parents, one with Alzheimer’s and one with stage 4 cancer, for whom she delivered the care and end of life they desired. She served not only as a hands-on caregiver but also as the manager of both of her parents’ daily and medical care, as well as their in-home caregivers and overall care team. She has gone on to assist many others through their care journey. Trishs' "Comfort in Their Journey" book series provides the clear, concise, and easily accessible information that she wishes had been available to her. She now leads presentations and workshops and offers consulting services on the subjects covered in the books, and hosts a bi-monthly live radio show A Cup of Comfort™ during which she and her guests talk about everything related to providing dignified care, including sometimes the uncomfortable topics.Listen in and learn how Trish is creating Healing Ties all around us!

Dr. Hsien Seow and Dr. Samantha Winemaker have worked their entire careers helping those who are facing serious illnesses. For years, they often heard patients and families say they felt unprepared and overwhelmed. Despite years of education, research, and advocacy, they continued to hear patients and families say “Why didn’t anyone tell me that sooner…”They started the Waiting Room Revolution movement because they wanted to improve the patient and family illness experience. They wanted to educate …and build a community to share deeply human stories about caring for others.  Because Palliative care shouldn’t be a scary word.Listen in and learn how Hsien and Sammy are creating Healing Ties all around us!

Ellen Prober Rittberg is an award-winning journalist whose humorous essays and features have appeared in the NY Times, HuffPost, Reader's Digest, and other major platforms.After being a caregiver to her mother for six years and realizing even though as an attorney she'd represented senior citizens for many years and had written reports and recommendations for judges on other cases, she felt overwhelmed and largely clueless when she began caregiving.From her personal and professional experience ….Ellen wrote Why is Grandma Naked? Caring for Your Aging Parent….in a practical and humorous way because of her belief that all caregivers are stressed to some extent, and humor can lighten the burden. Listen in and learn how Ellen is creating Healing Ties by sharing her story and special humor in a practical and humorous way because of her belief that all caregivers are stressed to some extent, and humor can lighten the burden.

LGBTQ seniors are among the most important and rapidly growing segment of our community. Understanding LGBTQ history can help us be better caretakers and advocates for LGBTQ older adults. Our guest, Amy Whelan has been a Senior Staff Attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) since 2011 and works on NCLR’s full range of litigation, policy, and public education work. Amy litigates complex civil cases around the country regarding marriage equality, employment discrimination, Title IX, family law, access to healthcare, prisoners’ civil rights, the First Amendment, and other constitutional matters.Amy and the entire staff at NCLR keenly understand the special needs of the LGBTQ community, especially our LGBTQ seniors and their caregivers. Listen in and learn how Amy and the National Center for Lesbian Rights are creating Healing Ties all around us!

Susie Singer Carter is a writer/director/producer who has an intense passion for projects that emphasize girl power of all kinds - for all ages. Above all that... Susie is an extraordinary caregiver too!Featuring the late great Valerie Harper, Susie's critically acclaimed film…My Mom and the Girl is based on her true story of caring for her Mom, is a heart-warming, uplifting film that gives an unexpected and joyous look at Alzheimer's, diversity, and caring.Listen in and learn how Susie is creating Healing Ties through her Love Conquers Alz podcast and awarded winning film My Mom and the Girl.

Elissa Lewin is a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, who has been in practice over 30 years, and she’s the Founder and Executive Director of Nancy’s House. Nancy’s House is a program designed to break the isolation and exhaustion that can come with being a family caregiver. The program evolved from Elissa’s own experience as a “serial caregiver”.Nancy’s House is a unique program in the US. It combines rest and nurturing with self-care skills, connection and support for caregivers in 1-day and 3-day retreat.Throughout the episode you'll learn about all the wonderful programs available at Nancy’s House, the annual conference (virtual this year) on Saturday, Nov 6, and bi-weekly informal call-in support groups.Listen in and learn how Elissa and the entire staff at Nancy's House are creating Healing Ties

At any age, a dementia diagnosis is difficult to grasp... But a dementia diagnosis at age 42? This episode of Healing Ties features special guest David Benedetto who shares his important story about being diagnosed with Early Onset Dementia at 42 and Dementia Care expert Gary Joseph LeBlanc from the Dementia Spotlight Foundation .Listen in and learn how David and Gary are inspiring other and creating Healing Ties by sharing their stories and critical resources to help those with faced with this diagnosis be better prepared for their own personal journey.

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.