Rachael Wonderlin tackles common challenges in dementia caregiving and seeks to make everyone a better care partner and professional by promoting education and empathy. Rachael has a Master’s in Gerontology and owns Dementia By Day, a dementia care consulting firm. She is the author of 3 books with Johns Hopkins University Press. You can find her on Instagram @dementiabyday and download her “16 Things I’d Want If I Got Dementia” list from rachaelwonderlin.com
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The experience of living in dementia care environments hasn’t evolved in 30 years – and we think it’s time for change. Conversations with disruptive operators, policy shapers, and designers examine how new thinking is shaping the places people living with dementia call home. Each episode, we’ll elaborate on a single pattern of innovation in dementia environments - some focusing on physical spaces, others highlighting care philosophies and procedures. Join Max Winters and Jennifer Sodo, senio ...
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Welcome to the Financial Advocate Podcast - Formerly known as "The Special Needs Connection" & "Caring For Aging Parents." We found ourselves sharing podcasts to both shows so we decided to combine them into one podcast! You will continue to find strategies, resources and connections for dealing with the emotional, physical, and financial challenges of aging parents and raising children with special needs. Hosted by Colin Meeks, a Certified Financial Planner focusing on Eldercare Financial P ...
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This is the first and only episode of my Mini Podcast series that we'll be uploading to public channels! Want more? Visit our Patreon and sign up for only $5 a month to hear more of these episodes, dropping weekly on our channel! Join today!Por Rachael Wonderlin
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on how to convice dad he has dementia, in 2023. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Y…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on what if you say the wrong thing, in 2023. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6EtGX…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on when to move her into memory care, in 2023. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kG…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on why he is having trouble speaking, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Wk…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on how you can convince your brother to let you move mom, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spo…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on how to know if you're getting burnt out, in 2023. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episo…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on how do you tell her that her sister died?, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/epi…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on how to improve dementia care with improv, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/epis…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on if it's a hallucination or a delusion?, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episod…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on if it's Depression or Dementia?, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/02lkF…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on what to do when they think they're still working, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on the changes, feelings and worries after the dementia care move, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https:/…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on what ambiguous loss really is and why it's important to understand that term, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Ep…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on the activities every care partner needs to know, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.c…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on how my 16 Things poem almost disappeared. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/29Bpc…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on what the 3 questions you need to ask in dementia caregiving, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://op…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on what Timeline Confusion™ really is, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4V…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on what it really means to Embrace Their Reality™, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original Episode: https://open.spotify.co…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on the #1 reason a routine will save you some drama, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original episode: https://open.spotify.…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on the worst move-ins, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/32OdyMLRFTF52NZ0jU…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on answering the question of going home, in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/…
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Hello and welcome to Season 5, the All-Star Season, where I share my favorite episodes from the past...with a fresh take! Stay for the entirety of this episode to catch my take on mini-reorientation in 2022. Visit https://rachaelwonderlin.com/products/ for more in Dementia Care. Original episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/55TUmpAZ433bVedZsUi…
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Hey guys, this is our last episode of season 4! Thank you for joining me on this journey. “Wanting to go home” is a really common phrase for people living with dementia. ‘Home’ is not so much a place as it is a feeling. I’m sure you can relate to this. What we don’t want to do is try to convince a person living with dementia that they are already h…
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I had many people reaching out to me on Instagram asking about their loved ones doing different kinds of annoying things. The bottom line is, you may not be able to get them to stop doing these things, at least not completely. Eventually, they will stop doing it, but that would also mean that they have progressed in their dementia. What we can do i…
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I hear this one a lot. This is typically indicative of someone advancing in their dementia. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is in the late stages of their dementia; it could be a result of a lot of causes. It could also mean that the patient is dealing with some depression or that they are taking some medication that makes them sleepy. …
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I hear some versions of this question pretty frequently. Having a spouse living with dementia is completely different from having a parent with dementia. The inherent difference in the relationship is what makes it difficult. The biggest challenge is that previously, this person used to make decisions together with you, and now it’s all up to you. …
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Incontinence is actually a big reason why a care partner may choose to initiate a move to dementia care. Aside from the fact that it’s an embarrassing issue, it can also turn into a big problem because for some care partners, it may begin suddenly. The truth of the matter is, there’s no official timeline for incontinence, so there’s no way of telli…
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Like I’ve said in past episodes: we can’t convince people living with dementia of anything that’s not in their reality. So, bad news if you are trying to convince them that they have dementia. Here’s my argument – why would you WANT to? Even if you convince them for a couple of hours that they have dementia, what happens the next day? Are you going…
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What’s the difference between lying and Embracing their Reality? I keep hearing people using this phrase incorrectly. There are a lot of people who consider themselves experts in dementia care communication and they are still telling everybody the same thing that you’ve been hearing for years: Validation, Redirection, Distraction. And that’s NOT Em…
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"How do I take over finances when they feel they can still do it, even though I know they can’t?"
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As you probably know by now, you are not going to be able to convince the person living with dementia that they are no longer capable of handling their own finances. One of the main things that people will hold on to with all their might is money. No one wants to feel like somebody else is taking control of their financial affairs. But when you are…
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“What if at some point I say something that completely confuses the person living with dementia? Should I really do this Embracing their reality thing, because what if I embrace the wrong reality and then they get upset?” Here’s the real deal: you are 100% going to say something you shouldn’t have said. We’ve all done it. Especially if this person …
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This is a great question! But, unfortunately, this is a question that most caregivers don’t ask until they are deeply burned out. Sometimes people don’t give themselves enough space and time to take care of their own things. Actually, I used to be that kind of person until I got more serious in hiring other people to help me with my business becaus…
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‘What if my mom believes something that’s not true, and I keep embracing her reality... won’t that eventually make her more confused?’ You’ve probably already guessed this one, and the answer is NO. There’s no scientific evidence that letting a person believe they are correct will make them worse. In fact, if you are constantly correcting a person …
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I get this question all the time! For starters, I don’t like the term “memory care.” Why? Because not all people living with dementia have issues with their memory. So, how do you know when it’s time? Don’t wait until they tell you it is time, because...they aren’t going to. While there’s no official answer to this question, the truth is that if yo…
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This question is more common than you think, and it’s usually related to doing different tasks around the house that we all take for granted, attributing them to annoying chores we have to do. However, for someone living with dementia, these little tasks can actually seem difficult and overwhelming. Why? Well, it’s called task switching. Task switc…
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This one usually comes along with, “Is he going to lose his ability to speak altogether?” The answer is, like everything else with dementia…maybe. Aphasia is a communication-related issue that happens when the person loses his ability to communicate verbally. There are different kinds of aphasia and, although it is common in dementia patients, it d…
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You may not be in this exact situation, but I can guarantee that there’s someone in your life that is not cool with wanting to transition your loved one living with dementia to a dementia care community. “Don’t you have a caregiver come in a few times? Isn’t that enough?” They are guilting you, but probably not on purpose. They may just be trying t…
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This is a great question because this issue comes up differently for everybody. I’ve had clients who would get in the shower no problem one day, and the following day, it would be a complete battle to get them to get in the shower! So, why won’t they do these easy tasks that they always used to do? And how can you help them get in the shower in a s…
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If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you’ll probably know the answer to this one… YOU DON’T TELL THEM. Your loved one may be pretty attached to that house and to the feeling of home that it holds for them, so you can imagine how traumatic it can be to tell them that you sold that house. Stay for the entirety of this episode for som…
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This is a raw question that I hear pretty often... how do I tell my loved one that somebody in their lives has passed away? The short answer? YOU DON’T. I know you may feel like you have to tell them, but think about it for a second: Is it really a good idea to bring your loved one into that whole situation? Join me while I explore this difficult b…
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What do you do when a loved one has received the diagnosis of dementia? Who and where do you turn to? Honestly, most people figure it out on their own… And if you are listening to this podcast, it’s probably because you are looking for a place to start. Stay for the entirety of the episode for some tips and advice on this issue! Visit https://racha…
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This is a question I get asked pretty frequently. Note: If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode about embracing somebody’s reality, I recommend you do; because it all ties together today. Plenty of people go through the entire course of the disease and are able to place all of their loved ones on their timelines – but sometimes, this doesn’t…
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Today we are covering an issue that’s a real challenge for people, even those who have been living with a loved one with dementia for a long time. So, what do you do when someone you are caring for asks a direct question? Do you tell them the truth? Or do you just make something up?My Embrace Their Reality™ approach can really help you answer these…
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We're back for season 4 of the Dementia By Day podcast! Today, I’m talking all about how to know if the person I’m caring for actually has dementia. It’s a question I get a lot because there’s a lot of conflicting information out there on what dementia really is. Dementia is a group of symptoms that is caused by different types of diseases. However…
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Today’s bonus episode wraps up Season 1 of Shaping Dementia environments! We have a discussion with Susan Ryan about what she’s learned during the last year both from advising senior living organizations all around the world through the Green House Project, as well as talking to experts in the field of aging through her podcast Elevate Eldercare. S…
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Today’s bonus episode continues the conversation Max had with Sean Kelly of Kendal. Similar to some of our other guests in this week’s episode, Max asks the following question of Sean: Given the progress, we’ve seen in caring for people living with dementia in the last thirty years, do you think there’s anything we’ll regret about how we care for p…
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We’ve chosen to bookend our first season of Shaping Dementia Environments with the topic of ‘Risk Attitude’, because it was so fundamental to every conversation we had this season. Something we alluded to in Part 1, and that appears several times in today’s episode, is the concept ‘surplus safety’ – which takes the approach of applying the most res…
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Today’s bonus episode continues the conversation Jen had with Jude Rabig of Rabig Consulting. She explains the lengths that they went to when designing and building the first Greenhouses to make sure that they mirrored the houses and homes the residents would be coming from in the specific context of Tupelo, Mississippi. She gives some strategies a…
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In institutional environments, there is a clear distinction between spaces that are ‘front of house’ and spaces that are ‘back of house’. But as we move away from institutional approaches, this distinction starts to blur very quickly. Join Jennifer and Max as we talk to 3 great guests – Jude Rabig, Carrie Chiusano, and Damian Utton about their expe…
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