Leaving money and assets to your loved ones after you die is a great way to ensure they are financially taken care of. However, it’s essential to plan so that your estate is handled in the best possible way. This blog post will discuss the benefits of leaving your assets in a trust fund. We…

No question that losing someone you love is heartbreaking. And there is no one way to start healing. After the funeral, you may have the ashes of your loved one. But what do you do with them?  Some people might want to bury the ashes in a cemetery or mausoleum so they can visit them.…

Death and dying is not a popular topic to talk about for most people, yet essential if we are going to change the way we view death and prepare for it.  Aside from the emotional roller coaster, tying the loose ends of the lives of loved ones can be stressful and complicated. Having someone to…

Death is stressful for both the dying and their family. However, with proper planning and preparation, a beautiful ceremony can be created to remember your loved one with less stress. Amy Cunningham, Funeral Director, Fitting Tribute Funeral Services helped plan and execute a beautiful home funeral for Risa’s mother. With emotions running high, it was…

Caring for aging parents at home comes with a lot of stress and anxiety, but we can avoid it by preparing early and making a plan. In this episode, Retired Army General Tony Taguba shares his experiences with at-home senior care for his parents. If you are a caregiver or family caregiver and you are…

We all go through grief and mourning at some point in our lives. Millions of us lost loved ones due to the Covid-19 pandemic within the past year and experienced grief and mourning. There is no wrong way to grief because everyone grieves differently and it’s ok to seek help.  In this episode, I share…

When we have a terminal illness and are faced with signs of imminent death, many of us are frightened at the thought of dying.  We shy away from talking about dying.  But knowledge helps us calm our nerves about dying and end of life. On this episode of Modern Aging, Dr. Christopher Kerr, Chief Medical…

Palliative care is not end of life care. Heather is a palliative care physician and she shares what palliative care really is. It focuses on managing symptoms of distress of the patients and family members. As a palliative care physician, Heather helps patients define their goals of care and align these goals of care with…

If you work, money is taken out of your paycheck in order to contribute to Medicare, the federal health insurance program. Thus, when you turn 65, you are eligible for Medicare to pay for the cost of your healthcare (there are other circumstances where you would be eligible for Medicare as well). However, Medicare doesn’t…

Yes this video is about loss, grief and mourning, but it is also about resilience of the human spirit.  For those of you who follow this channel, you probably know that I have had a lot of loss this year.  My mother passed away 8 months ago from a uterine tumor after battling Parkinson’s and…

Covid 19 news continues to dominate our airwaves. The Coronavirus death toll continues to rise in the US and elsewhere. Social distancing is the new normal with no end in sight. The Coronavirus is not like other viral diseases. My father became a Covid 19 nursing home death statistic. He did not have any of…

If you are a caregiver or family caregiver worried about your elderly parents and their desire to age in place, this is an episode you will not want to miss. Retired General Tony Taguba shares his experiences with at home senior care for his parents which was their first choice in home care. We talk…

What is estate planning? Is it just wills and trusts? What is probate or a conservatorship? As elder abuse becomes more rampant, there are protocols put in place to protect an older adults’ assets and ensure that their wishes are adhered to as best as possible. Estate Attorney Charlie Jonas explains how legal conservators and…

Brazil is know for its beaches, rain forest, food, culture and dancing. It also has one of the fastest growing aging populations in the world. I talked with corporate executive Sergio Estrada on a trip to Sao Paolo and we discussed how he is leading the charge to create innovative solutions for the surge in…

​ Hospice is a service that most of us will either experience as a care advocate or as a patient. Yet there is still is a lot of confusion about what hospice care is. Only 10% of people will die suddenly, which means 90% of us will be able to plan (somewhat) for our death.…

No one wants to plan a funeral but planning a funeral can be quite therapeutic and cathartic. It is a way to show your love and appreciation by creating a ceremony that celebrates their life. Funeral homes are not the only way to have a funeral service. There are green burials, home funerals, cremations, so…

  No one ever wants to get the diagnosis for Alzheimer’s Disease.   When my dad was diagnosed in 2016 for frontotemporal dementia, it was a mixture of overwhelm (we have been caring for our mom since 2001 who had a stroke and now has Parkinson’s), sadness, anxiety and frustration.   But there was also some relief…

I think many of us have heard of palliative care but there seems to be a lot of confusion on what it is exactly. That’s what we are going to clarify in today’s episode.  Dr. Heather Sung is a palliative care physician in Connecticut and shares what it is, how it differs from hospice and how we can incorporate palliative care in our treatment plans that can result in better outcomes and better quality of life.

My Story – I had just started a new position with Gilda’s Club Worldwide, whose mission was to provide socio-emotional support to families living with cancer. That included not just the individual whose body the cancer invaded, but also all those around them affected by their cancer. My tenure at GCWW opened me up to…

My Story – In 2012, I landed my first “real” job after graduating from college. I experienced not only the nervousness of entering into the workforce, but also the harrowing process of attaining a diagnosis for my mother, who was exhibiting symptoms of behavioral changes and memory loss. In 2013, my mother was diagnosed with…

My Story – My mom was diagnosed with cancer in the September of 2015. It all started on vacation in California, playing with her grandkids when they discovered she couldn’t see out of her right eye. At first we were surprised and amused how funny grandma didn’t noticed that. Her eye doctor had diagnosed that…

My Story – In March 2010, when my partner Graham turned 50, he was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. At the time I was living in NYC, he lived in San Francisco. As a fiercely independent person, he refused to change his life or routine due to cancer. So for most of 2010, despite…

I got to visit a hospital in Japan and it’s called the Watanabe New Heart Hospital in Tokyo.  Wow.  This is the kind of hospital I wish we had here in the States.  The doctors and nurses treat you as though you are royalty.  The accommodations are fit for a 5 star hotel.  And the food?   Wow…the cafeteria food is like eating at a Michelin star restaurant!  I was certainly impressed and inspired.

My Japanese parents are both artists so good design was drilled into us from birth – it didn’t matter if it was a chair or how food was laid out on a plate.  It all has an aesthetic balance and must be pleasing to the eye (and tastebuds).  When mom had her stroke in 2001, we…

On starting an end of life conversation: “It starts with asking an open ended question.  And waiting long enough for the person to provide a response because we are often uncomfortable with silence and we will fill in the spaces before letting the individual to express themselves.  They will need that extra time because it…

“There are over 5 million people with Alzheimer’s in the U.S.  It is estimated that 60% wander out of bed.  In addition, 1 out of 3 seniors are at risk of falling. Each fall exacts a devastating physical and emotional toll not only to the patient but the family as well.” Nighttime wandering (actually any-time-of-day…

On one of my trips to Chiang Mai, Thailand, I was lucky enough to encounter a nursing home/care resort facility just outside the city. I had been to Chiang Mai several times and always enjoyed the city, culture, people and food (seriously, what’s not to love?!) . I heard that there were loads of people…

My pit bull Ray Ray is probably one of the most gentle beings on this earth despite the awful stereotype that his breed has.  He’s been dubbed the Buddha dog because of his calm nature.  Kids often make fun of him on the street because his tongue sticks out of his snout.  I would joke telling them that he got the wrong size at birth.  But Ray Ray of course doesn’t care.  People would either walk on the other side of the street, afraid of his big ol’ head and pit bull body or walk right up to him sensing his kind and gentle nature.

On being a Hospitalist: “It’s not that we have a specific amount of time only to spend with patients, but we have a certain number of patients that we need to see in the course of the day. And you may have two or three patients who are really not doing well at the same…