Patty's Place
A place to talk about grief, dementia and caregiving. A place to find comfort when you are going through a difficult time.
A place to know you are not alone as you go through this difficult time.
Episodes
35 episodes
What If Caregiver Injuries Are Not Inevitable-Interview with Ben Couch
A lot of caregivers learn transfers the hard way: you get through today, you wake up sore tomorrow, and you tell yourself it’s just the price of loving someone. I’m joined by Ben Couch, creator of Eastern Ergonomics and a longtime healthcare ed...
Therapy Is Not Scary And Your Brain Is Lying-Interview with Dr. Kathryn Brzozowski
Dementia caregiving can break your heart in a way most people don’t understand: you’re grieving someone who is still here. We sit down with psychotherapist Dr Katherine Brasowski, who has 25+ years of experience in grief counseling, anxiety, ch...
A Better Dementia Journey-Interview with Amy Shaw
Dementia doesn’t just change memory, it changes the rules of the relationship. When a person still looks like the mom, dad, or spouse you’ve always known, it’s easy to assume they’re choosing to be difficult, hiding things, or “not trying.” Tha...
Empowerment In Grief-Interview with Marie Alessi
Grief doesn’t just break hearts, it also exposes the parts of us that are strongest, rawest, and most alive. Lisa sits down with best-selling author, speaker, and grief coach Marie Alesi to talk about what happens when the worst phone call beco...
You Are Not Broken You Are Grieving-Interview with Jane Dye
Grief can make you feel like you’re failing at something you never asked to do. Today we sit down with Jane K. Dye, RN, holistic health coach, and certified grief educator trained in David Kessler’s approach, to talk plainly about what helps af...
End Of Life Can Teach Us How To Live With More Love-Interview with Christa McDonald
The hardest part of grief often shows up after everyone else goes home. The service is over, the texts slow down, and you’re left holding silence, memories, and a thousand details you never asked to manage. We wanted to talk about what actually...
Words That Save Lives-Interview with Lisa Sugarman
The hardest grief stories aren’t always the ones we expect, sometimes they’re the ones we learn late. I’m joined by Lisa Sugarman, author, nationally syndicated columnist, crisis counselor with The Trevor Project, and a three-time survivor of s...
Healing Teams After Loss With Dr. Angela Fassaro
What if burnout isn’t laziness but accumulated disappointment we never named? We sit down with Dr. Angela Fassaro—emergency physician and startup founder—to unpack the quiet reality of grief at work: the missed launch, the teammate who vanished...
Saving Family Stories With Reflekta.ai co-creator Miles Spencer
What if the family stories you love didn’t fade with time, but stayed close enough to talk to? We sit down with Reflecta AI founder Miles Spencer to explore how digital legacies become living, conversational presences—comforting a grandchild at...
Understanding Dementia Types And What Caregivers Need To Know
We break down the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s, then walk through real signs, major types, and what caregivers can do right now. We share our family stories, the limits of diagnosis, and how to meet loved ones with calm, dignity,...
Becoming An Orphan: Interview with author Ingrid Hanson-Popp
What happens when the person who once guided you now needs your guidance? We invited author Ingrid Hansen Pop to talk about the hidden pressures of caregiving, why smart problem‑solvers still feel stuck, and how small mindset shifts can lower s...
Why Grief Has No Timeline: Interview with Grief Educator Lisa Rites
We sit with grief educator Lisa Wrights to explore anticipatory grief, workplace expectations, holiday triggers and the myth of a timeline. Stories from dementia caregiving ground the advice, while journaling and groups offer real relief.
Navigating Dementia Together: Interview with Janice Goldmintz
The first signs often feel small—too much food in the fridge, unopened bills, a story on repeat—and then the worry sets in. We invited gerontologist Janice Goldman to help us turn that worry into a plan you can actually use, from decoding what ...
Understanding Long-Term Care Insurance And Smarter Ways To Pay For Care: Guest Raymond Levine
We unpack how long-term care insurance funds care for daily living needs, why Medicare stops short, and how early planning protects dignity and choice. Real numbers, tax perks, employer options, and alternatives help you map a plan that fits yo...
Tools For Dignity: Smarter Care At Home: Interview with Erica Sell
We talk with Harmony Home Medical’s Erica Sell about practical tools that make caregiving safer and calmer, from dementia‑friendly bathing to safer transfers and mobility that preserves independence. We share ways to pay for the right gear, fin...
Holding Space For Anniversary Grief
Some dates don’t just mark time; they pull you back into a room you can still smell and hear. I open up about the hardest stretch of my year—the week from New Year’s Eve to January 6—when hospice set the timeline, the music got louder, and my r...
Comfort On Four Paws: How Funeral Therapy Dogs Ease Loss
https://www.rememberingalife.com/https://www.fordfh.com/https://nfda.org/The room changes the moment a ca...
Spotting The 10 Warning Signs Of Dementia During Family Gatherings
We explore how to tell normal aging from early signs of dementia during holiday gatherings, using practical examples and clear comparisons. We share stories from our families, outline next steps for testing, and point you to resources that make...
When Dementia Arrives Too Soon: Understanding Early Onset Alzheimer's
The moment when you realize your parent is getting lost in familiar places marks the beginning of a different kind of grief. For those with loved ones experiencing early onset Alzheimer's – dementia that begins before age 65 – this journey star...
Navigating Hallucinations in Dementia: A Caregiver's Guide to Comfort
What happens when someone you love starts seeing people who aren't there? For dementia caregivers, this moment can be jarring, confusing, and even frightening. But as I discovered during my mother's journey with dementia, these hallucinations c...
Finding Joy While Caring for Parents with Dementia-Interview with author Brenda Prater Sellers
The emotional toll of caring for a loved one with dementia can be overwhelming, but finding moments of joy, laughter, and connection might just save your sanity. Author Brenda Prater-Sellers joins us to share her deeply personal journey of cari...