Navigating the World with Your Aging Loved One

When someone's life changes because of aging, illness, or a diagnosis, how do we make sure they don't lose the things that make them who they are? I've thought about this a lot, both personally and professionally. We can become so focused on meeting someone's care needs that we sometimes overlook the things that make life worth living. Their relationships, their creativity, their sense of purpose, and their need to feel needed. This is something we can all relate to, whether we're caring for someone we love, working in healthcare, or thinking about our own aging.

My guest today is Ricardo "Ricky" Peña, Vice President of Life Enrichment & Therapeutic Activities at Marquis Health Services. With more than 20 years of experience, Ricky has dedicated his career to helping older adults find joy, connection, and purpose. His background in music and theater brings a beautiful perspective to his work, from creating original music and resident performances to supporting people living with dementia. He's also a national speaker and certified dementia trainer, but what I appreciate most is how simply he describes his work: "loving people is what I do."

In today's conversation, we talk about what it means to know someone, why preserving identity matters, and how music and creativity can help us connect when words aren't enough. We explore what families and healthcare professionals can learn from life enrichment, why social health matters just as much as the opportunities we create for physical care, and how we can give people more opportunities to contribute rather than always being the ones receiving help. This is part of our Future of Community series with Rendever, where we're exploring how we create stronger connections and communities that recognize everyone has something to give.

Learn more about Marquis Health Services: https://mqshealth.com/

A special thank you to Rendever for partnering with Nicole on the Future of Community series. Through immersive experiences, dementia education, and CommunityOS, Rendever is helping senior living and healthcare teams better understand social health, strengthen relationships, and create communities where everyone has something to give.

Learn more about Rendever: https://www.rendever.com/

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

Instagram: @willgather

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Nicole Will is our host and founder of willGather.

Have we underestimated what senior living communities have to give the world around them?

In this episode of The Future of Community, I sit down with Rob Liebreich, President and CEO of Goodwin Living, to talk about purpose, brain health, loneliness, and the power of being needed. Rob shares the personal story behind StrongerMemory, why cognitive confidence can affect whether someone stays connected to the people around them, and what Goodwin Living is learning by bringing generations together.

We also talk about agency, pairing young interns with older adult mentors, and looking beyond the walls of senior living. Because these communities hold so much more than care, they hold experience, wisdom, relationships, and people who still have something to give. And all of it is connected to social health, how we stay connected, find purpose, and know that we matter to others.

The Future of Community is presented in partnership with Rendever, whose work is focused on building connection and strengthening social health as we age. Learn more about Rendever and CommunityOS. A special thank you to the Rendever team for partnering with willGather to make these conversations possible.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

Cindy Weinstein was just twenty-five when her father, Jerry, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease in his mid-fifties. Decades later, she returned to those memories in Finding the Right Words: A Story of Literature, Grief, and the Brain, written with renowned neurologist Dr. Bruce Miller.

Cindy is the Eli and Edythe Broad Professor of English at the California Institute of Technology and an Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health. Her work brings together two worlds: the personal experience of loving a parent through dementia and the neuroscience that helps explain what is happening inside the brain.

In this conversation, Cindy and Nicole talk about anticipatory grief, the moments in caregiving that stay frozen in time, and what it means to grieve someone who is still alive. Cindy shares how studying neuroscience changed the way she understood her father, why literature helped her make sense of experiences science alone couldn't explain, and how revisiting some of her most painful memories eventually allowed her to recover the joyful ones, too.

They also explore a question at the heart of dementia caregiving: When memory, language, and recognition change, what happens to love?

This is a conversation about Alzheimer's, but even more, it's about being a daughter. About grief that doesn't follow a timeline. About keeping each other company through experiences we cannot fix. And about remembering the whole person, not simply the disease that changed them.

To learn more about Cindy and her work at https://www.professorcindy.com/

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

Welcome back to the willGather Podcast. I'm Nicole Will, and if you've been wondering where I've been, thank you for your patience. Over the past year, life has stretched me in ways I never expected. I've experienced incredible joy, heartbreaking loss, new opportunities, and powerful reminders of what really matters. Through it all, I found myself returning to the same themes that have always shaped this podcast: caregiving, connection, community, and the people who walk beside us through life's hardest and most beautiful moments.

This episode is a little different. It's just you and me. I'm sharing some personal reflections from this past year, from supporting my best friend after a life-changing accident, to the lessons caregiving continues to teach me, to my new role with Rendever and why I believe social health is one of the most important conversations we need to be having. I'll also share what's ahead for the podcast, why I'm launching a new thought leadership series in partnership with Rendever called The Future of Community, and why I believe the future of healthy aging has less to do with living longer and everything to do with how we care for one another.

I thought the best way to come back was simply to sit down and talk with you. No guest. No agenda. Just a chance to share where life has taken me, what I've been learning along the way, and where I hope we're headed together.

One last thing I've been reminded of this summer as I've taken time away from the podcast: don't underestimate the power of fun. Go to the concert. Jump in the lake. Take the trip. Sit on the patio a little longer. Laugh until your stomach hurts. We spend so much of our lives waiting for the "right time," but joy has a way of healing us in the middle of ordinary days. Get outside. Be with people you love. Make memories. Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is simply live.

To learn more about Rendever visit HERE.

To learn more about CommunityOS visit HERE.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

Instagram: @willgather

Facebook: WillGather

Most caregivers don't call themselves caregivers. They're just helping someone they love.

Chris Punsalan didn't set out to become one either. But when his grandmother could no longer care for herself, he stepped in. What followed was an eight-year journey that would reshape his life, identity, and purpose.

In this conversation, Chris shares what caregiving really looks like behind closed doors, the emotional weight, the quiet moments of dignity, and the responsibility that changes you. We talk about grief, legacy, and the power of storytelling as a way to make others feel less alone.

Chris is a content creator, former full-time caregiver, and now Creative Director at TenderCare, where he's helping build resources for families navigating care. His work has reached millions because it doesn't try to be perfect, it tells the truth.

This episode is for anyone who has ever cared for someone, is caring for someone now, or will one day step into that role.

Caregiving will touch all of us. The question is, are we prepared for it?

To learn more about Chris Punsalan visit HERE.

To learn more about tendercare visit HERE.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

What happens when the person caring for others professionally suddenly becomes a caregiver at home?

In this episode of the willGather Podcast, Nicole Will sits down with Saudia Gajadhar, Vice President of Marketing & Communications and Chief Happiness Officer at Comfort Keepers, for a conversation about what care really means, beyond services, schedules, and safety plans.

Saudia now finds herself living the same reality many families face: supporting aging parents while navigating the emotional shift from daughter to caregiver. Together, Nicole and Saudia explore the human side of aging, independence, and the quiet moments that bring dignity and joy into everyday life.

This conversation moves beyond logistics to ask bigger questions: How do we help someone remain themselves as life changes? What do families actually need when care enters the home? And why does human connection still matter more than any technology we create?

You'll hear insights on aging in place, dementia caregiving, home care support, caregiver well-being, and the power of small moments, what Comfort Keepers calls a "Daily Dose of Joy." From navigating difficult decisions to redefining what "home" really means, this episode offers encouragement for families, caregivers, and anyone walking alongside someone they love.

Because care, at its best, isn't about managing decline. It's about elevating the human spirit and remembering that joy is still possible.

Learn more about Comfort Keepers: https://www.comfortkeepers.com/

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

In this conversation, Nicole speaks with Shauna Sweeney, caregiver, founder and CEO of tendercare, about what caregiving asks of us when love reshapes our lives. Drawing from caring for her dad with early-onset Alzheimer's from 3,500 miles away, Shauna shares how families can move from crisis to clarity and why systems must center families.

Shauna reflects on the emotional collision of identities that caregiving brings daughter, advocate, organizer, protector, and what she learned from her dad about dignity, autonomy, and the desire to still be known. We talk about inequity in caregiving, why families must be treated as the true power source of care, and how tendercare is challenging a system that too often centers institutions over people.

To learn more about tendercare visit: https://trytendercare.com/

Get your free tenderID: https://trytendercare.com/tenderid/

Get Info on trusted network: https://trytendercare.com/trusted-network/

Watch Sweeney's Rock Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3xe_SH2_n4

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit https://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

How do we measure quality care in a way that truly supports families? In this episode, Nicole sits down with Ben Harder, Managing Editor and Chief of Health Analysis at U.S. News & World Report, to explore the heart and science behind the 2026 Best Nursing Homes ratings.

Together, they break down the updated methodology, what makes top-performing facilities stand out, and how families can use these insights to make confident, compassionate decisions, whether navigating short-term rehab or long-term care.

This conversation brings clarity to a system that often feels overwhelming, offering a grounded look at how data, transparency, and thoughtful evaluation can guide better care for the people we love most.

View US News & World Report Best Nursing Homes HERE.

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

Instagram: @willgather

At 26, Jessica C. Guthrie, M.Ed became a full-time caregiver for her mom living with early-onset Alzheimer's. Now a leading advocate and educator, Jessica is reshaping how we understand the intersection of career and caregiving. In this conversation, she and host Nicole Will explore love, equity, and representation in care, what it means to be seen, to lead with compassion, and to build a world where every caregiver's story belongs.

To learn more, visit: https://www.jessicacguthrie.com/

To connect with Jessica, visit:

@CareerCaregivingCollide

LinkedIn: Jessica C. Guthrie, M.Ed

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. Creating engaging, dementia-friendly video content to reduce anxiety, spark memories, and provide meaningful moments of connection for individuals living with cognitive challenges and their caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

Instagram: @willgather

When her husband was diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration at just 29, Katie Brandt's life changed overnight. What began as confusion and heartbreak became a lifelong calling to transform how we see, support, and study dementia. Today, Katie is the Director of Caregiver Support Services and Public Relations at the Massachusetts General Hospital Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, and the Founder & CEO of Katie Brandt Advocacy.

In this conversation, we talk about what it means to become a "caregiver detective", the quiet observer, the record keeper, the advocate who pieces together the truth when something feels off. We explore how early and accurate diagnosis brings dignity, how research becomes more human when it includes caregiver voices, and why supporting caregivers isn't just compassionate, it's strategic. Katie shares the lessons she's learned through love, loss, and leadership, and how her belief that "love will end FTD" continues to guide her work and the families she serves.

To buys tickets and learn more about A Night with the Arts for FTD, an annual gala featuring the Sermos Memorial Art Show, benefitting the clinical research program in the MGH Frontotemporal Disorders Unit. Visit HERE.

The MGH Frontotemporal Disorders Unit hosts From Care to Cure podcast. Listen HERE.

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

Comedian Kelsey Cook, known for her specials on Hulu and YouTube, opens up about her personal journey as a caregiver for her mom with Frontotemporal Dementia. In this heartfelt conversation, Kelsey shares the early signs she noticed, the trauma of crisis care, and the challenges of supporting her mom from a distance. She reflects on how humor has been a lifeline, how advocacy became part of her purpose, and why community connection matters now more than ever.

Follow Kelsey and check out her work and podcast! https://www.kelseycook.com/

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

When caregiving became her world overnight, Andrea Suchin's life changed forever. Her husband was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia at 54, leaving Andrea to navigate full-time caregiving while raising four children. Sleepless nights and overwhelming stress became her reality. Out of that journey, Andrea and her sister created Wuggle™, a deep touch pressure sleep cap designed to bring calm and restorative rest. In this episode, Andrea shares her story of resilience, the creation of Wuggle™, and how better sleep can transform the caregiving journey.

To learn more about Wuggle here: http://www.wuggleme.com/

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.willgatherpodcast.com https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

Instagram: @willgather

At 85, Jean Ketcham is just getting started. As the bold voice behind Aging But Dangerous, Jean reminds us that aging isn't about the body, it's about the soul. In this lively conversation, we talk about skydiving, style, friendship, caregiving, and yes, even vibrators. With her signature sass, fearless honesty, and contagious energy, Jean shows us how to embrace every year fully confident, empowered, and unstoppable.

To connect with Jean and learn more visit https://www.agingbutdangerous.com/

Thank you to our Sponsor

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. Creating engaging, dementia-friendly video content to reduce anxiety, spark memories, and provide meaningful moments of connection for individuals living with cognitive challenges and their caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit

https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

When Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) entered their lives, everything changed for Nanci Anderson and her daughters, Lindsay Early and Emily Anderson. In this conversation, they open their hearts about the long and confusing road to Gary's diagnosis, the challenges of caregiving, and the deep grief of watching someone you love slip away too soon. They also share the turning point, when they chose to honor Gary by creating Gary's FUB Team and raising awareness through advocacy and community. This is a story of heartbreak and resilience, of carrying love forward, and of finding purpose in the face of loss.

And here's where you can step in. Gary's FUB Team is hosting their annual fundraising event, September 22nd, to benefit AFTD. This is an evening filled with community, storytelling, and hope. Every ticket, every donation, every act of support moves us closer to better care, greater awareness, and the possibility of ending FTD.

If you'd like to attend, contribute, or simply stand alongside families like Nanci and Lindsay's, you can visit http://garysfubteam.simpletix.com. Whether you show up in person or from afar, your support matters more than you know!

Connect with Gary's FUB Team on Instagram and Facebook @garysfubteam

To learn more about The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration visit https://www.theaftd.org/

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit https://www.willgatherpodcast.com/

Instagram: @willgather

Facebook: WillGather

Thank you our sponsor, Zinnia TV. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

Most people think aging is about endings. Familiar Touch shows us it's about beginning again. In this episode, filmmaker Sarah Friedland, actress Kathleen Chalfant, executive director Shaun Rushforth, and resident Jean Owen of Villa Gardens, take us behind the scenes of this award-winning film that reimagines aging, dementia, and caregiving through dignity, creativity, and collaboration. A must-listen for family caregivers and senior living advocates.

We go behind the scenes of Familiar Touch—filmed at Villa Gardens, a Front Porch Community. What does it mean to open your doors, your story, and your heart to a film crew? How do you protect dignity while embracing creative risk? And what happens when older adults shift from being passive recipients of care to powerful co-creators?

We talk about everything: boundaries and trust, storytelling and memory, leadership in senior living, and how art can reimagine what aging and caregiving really look like—rooted in love, dignity, and the belief that every person deserves to be seen and why this film needs to be shared.

Familiar Touch gives family caregivers a rare gift: the chance to see their own journey reflected with honesty and grace, reminding them that they are not alone.

The small moments of transition. The weight of goodbyes. The quiet strength of starting over.

Filmed on location at Villa Gardens in Pasadena with residents as cast and crew, Familiar Touch offers an authentic, collaborative portrayal of aging and caregiving. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival, winning three major awards, and will be released in U.S. theaters on June 20, 2025 by Music Box Films.

Learn more about the film at https://www.familiartouchfilm.com/

Thank you to our sponsors:

HeroGeneration empowers caregivers and families by providing innovative resources, education, and support to navigate the challenges of aging and caregiving with confidence and connection. It's free to start. Join now HERE.

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

Last year, I had the privilege of joining as a Jury member, award presenter, and speaker. Meeting changemakers and those that reshaping aging care around the globe brings hope to our future, and we still have work to do! I left inspired by the global momentum to rethink how we support aging populations.

Every conversation, every connection, reminded me that "Care and love are universal."

In this episode, I share a glimpse into our time last year and re-share my interview with the founder, Jerome Pigniez. He shares about The SilverNight Awards, and the SilverEco & Ageing Well International Festival is an event that unites global leaders to celebrate and advance the cause of aging well. From Paris to Tokyo and now Cannes, this festival has grown to become a gathering for those dedicated to making a difference.

This international festival is a premier event that brings together experts, innovators, and passionate individuals from around the world, dedicated to improving the lives of older adults.

If you're looking to:

• Spark meaningful partnerships
• Inspire and be inspired
• Elevate your work and your network
• Deepen your impact alongside global leaders
• Build global connections across sectors
• Learn from leading voices in aging and eldercare
• Showcase or discover innovations making real impact
• Celebrate those who care—with heart and vision

…then SilverEco 2025 is the place to be.

If you work in aging, caregiving, agetech, innovation, or healthy longevity—this is your invitation.

🌍 SilverEco & Ageing Well International Festival 2025

📅 October 20–21, 2025

📍 Cannes, France🔗 http://silvereco.org

And yes—submissions are open now for the 2025 SilverEco Awards.

Register HERE: https://silvereco.org/pass/subscribe-festival/?scr=25wg767iv

Learn more HERE: https://www.silvereco.org/festival/en/contact-us/?scr=25wg767iv

Thank you to our Sponsors

HeroGeneration empowers caregivers and families by providing innovative resources, education, and support to navigate the challenges of aging and caregiving with confidence and connection. It's free to start. Join now HERE.

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. Creating engaging, dementia-friendly video content to reduce anxiety, spark memories, and provide meaningful moments of connection for individuals living with cognitive challenges and their caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

What if your deepest caregiving experience became the blueprint for changing the system? Dr. Francesca Falzarano was just 14 when her mother was diagnosed with dementia—an experience that shaped not only her identity, but her life's work.

Now an Assistant Professor of Gerontology at USC and founder of the Falzarano Family Caregiving Lab, Francesca is studying the full arc of caregiving—from diagnosis to grief. In this conversation, she shares how personal loss inspired a research mission, what caregivers actually need (and when), and how technology and storytelling can foster healing and connection.

Whether you're a family caregiver, healthcare professional, or someone walking this journey alongside a loved one, this episode is a powerful reminder that research doesn't belong in silos—it belongs in real life.

This episode is made possible by our sponsors:

HeroGeneration – offering tools, guidance, and a sense of belonging for caregivers who often feel like they're navigating alone. Zinnia TV – bringing calm, joy, and meaningful moments to people living with dementia and the ones who love them. Use the code GATHER20 for 20% off your annual subscription.

Thank you for supporting the heart of this conversation.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

What happens when the roles we've known all our lives—daughter, professional, partner—are suddenly eclipsed by one word: caregiver? For so many, caregiving becomes not just a responsibility but an identity. And with that comes the heavy mix of self-sacrifice, emotional resilience, and a quiet grief. But what if there's another way to see it? What if caregiving could be both a deep act of love and an opportunity to hold onto who we are, to grow, and to even rediscover our power?

Today's guest, Nikki Nurse, spent 12 years as a full-time caregiver for her mom, who lived with early-onset dementia and Alzheimer's. That journey shaped not only her days but her entire understanding of empathy, resilience, and what it means to care for someone while still caring for yourself. Nikki's story is one of navigating grief, finding emotional respite, and redefining what sustainable self-care looks like—not as a luxury, but as a lifeline for caregivers.

In this conversation, we'll explore the truth behind caregiving and self-sacrifice, what sustainable self-care really looks like, and why permission to be seen is a radical act for caregivers. Nikki will share how to navigate grief and guilt, set boundaries, and even break the generational patterns that tell us caregiving must mean losing ourselves. Nikki shares how AI can help caregivers by easing the mental load—automating tasks, offering reminders, and creating space for what really matters: being present and caring without burning out. We'll also talk about reclaiming confidence, embracing resilience, and the small, powerful ways caregivers can give themselves flowers—every day.

Follow and connect with Nikki at http://www.alogcabininbrooklyn.com/ and follow her HERE.

Listen to her podcast with CARE-isma HERE.

Thank you to our Sponsors

HeroGeneration empowers caregivers and families. It's free to start. Join now HERE.

Share your caregiver story HERE!

Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.

Please follow for updates, rate & review!

For more information about our guest, podcast & sponsorship opportunities, visit www.willgatherpodcast.com

What caregiving really asks of us—emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

What happens inside us when we're called to care for someone we love? Beneath the to-do lists and the sleepless nights lives an unspoken truth: caregiving changes us. It can strip us down, reshape our identity, and ask us to find meaning in all of it.

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Barry J. Jacobs—a clinical psychologist, family therapist, and longtime caregiver himself. He's the author of The Emotional Survival Guide for Caregivers and the upcoming AARP Caregiver Answer Book. Barry brings decades of insight into what it really means to show up for others while trying to hold onto yourself.

We talk about the emotional toll of caregiving, the guilt that lingers, and the loneliness that can come when no one sees what you're carrying. Barry shares real, practical ways to manage anxiety, protect your identity, and build resilience. We also explore what a truly supportive healthcare system could look like—and how caregivers can begin to advocate for themselves.

This is an episode for anyone in the thick of it, anyone who's quietly unraveling and rebuilding, and anyone who just needs to hear: you're not alone.

Thank you to our sponsors!

HeroGeneration empowers caregivers and families by providing innovative resources, education, and support to navigate the challenges of aging and caregiving with confidence and connection. It's free to start. Join now HERE.

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Zinnia TV is a therapeutic dementia care platform that supports caregivers. creates engaging, dementia-friendly video content to reduce anxiety, spark memories, and provide meaningful moments of connection for individuals living with cognitive challenges and their caregivers. We invite you to use the code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription HERE.

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We're told that aging is about loss. About slowing down. About limits. But what if we've got it all wrong?

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Charlotte Yeh — a trailblazer in healthcare, a former emergency physician, and now the Chief Experience Officer at Cherish. With over three decades of experience, including former Chief Medical Officer at AARP and now Yeh Innovation, Charlotte brings a deeply human perspective: that aging can be a time of growth, connection, and purpose.

Together, we explore the myths and truths around getting older. We ask: how can we shift the narrative from decline to vitality? From isolation to community? From fear to intention?

Dr. Yeh shares profound insights on emotional well-being, the quiet epidemic of loneliness, and how technology — when used wisely — can measure what really matters. This is a conversation about agency, resilience, and how we can all age not just gracefully, but powerfully.

Because aging isn't something that happens to us — it's something we can choose to do with meaning.

Thank you to our sponsors:

HeroGeneration – Empowering caregivers and families with free tools, resources, and a supportive community to navigate aging with confidence and connection. Sign up HERE.

Zinnia TV – A therapeutic platform for dementia care, offering calming, connection-centered video content. Use code GATHER20 for 20% off an annual subscription. Sign up HERE.