In this episode, Bri and Annie sit down with Dr. Steve Wengel, Geriatric Psychiatry Division Director at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. We’re exploring the importance of shared eating experiences in older adulthood, as well as what families need to know about supporting their loved ones through age-related physical and cognitive changes that may impact family meals.

Episode Highlights:

• Go to 3:36 for a discussion of the impact of loneliness on older adults, and different ways to help
• Go to 10:29 to hear about new dinnertime resources for families, caregivers, and memory care facilities
• Go to 13:15 to learn about age-related physical and cognitive changes that may impact shared meals
• Go to 19:42 for ideas to help manage age-related symptoms and make mealtimes more comfortable
• Go to 24:55 for a discussion of the importance of active grandparents and multi-generational family meals
• Go to 30:40 for tips on smoothing out family meals during life transitions for older adults
• Go to 32:49 for food, fun, and conversation ideas you can use at your table

Related Links:

• Benefits of Family Dinner for Adults
• Dinner with Dementia: A Caregiver's Guide
• Shared Meals in Memory Care (8-week program)
• Grandparents at the Table: The Importance of Talking About Family History
• How Grandparents Can Help with Family Dinner
• When Different Generations Come to the Table
• Upside Down and Backwards
• Food Collage
• Podcast Episode 10: Does Dinner Make Us Happier?

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The NY Times reports dinner delivery is on the rise. On this episode, we're unpacking what's gained and what's lost with family dinner by DoorDash.

Bri and Annie dive into a recent article, "Freedom with a Side of Guilt: How food delivery is reshaping mealtime," to examine how the opportunity to have dinner dropped at your door is changing the face of family meals. They talk about the economic, social, and scheduling effects -- both positive and negative -- of outsourcing meal preparation, what's behind this trend, and how to balance much-needed convenience with other values. The episode ends with ideas for striking a healthy balance that works for your family, plus easy meal ideas, fun, and conversation starters you can use at your dinner table tonight.

Episode highlights:

• Discussion of the cost for family meal delivery (4:45)
• Analysis of life skills vs. dinner delivery (11:10)
• Ideas for striking a balance (25:15)
• Food, fun, and conversation suggestions for easy family meals (31:00)

Related Links:

• 20 No-Fail Dinner Ideas
• Freedom with a Side of Guilt (NY Times Article)
• The Price Is...? Grocery Budget Game
• Podcast: Labor of Love?
• Podcast: Is it the Family, or the Dinner?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first weeks of the New Year, how can you leverage family time to help you beat the post-holiday blues and stay connected to each other, without retreating to individual screens? We're talking with special guest Betsy Bozdech, Editorial Director of Common Sense Media, about celebrating a tech-smart New Year with family film recommendations, cautions about AI, and guidelines parents need to know. Make sure to listen for our 2026 Dinner and a Movie ideas, age-by-age breakdowns, and the latest research to help you stay one step ahead of the algorithms this year.

Key Takeaways:

• Go to 2:58 for Dr. Anne Fishel's guidance for families on setting strong tech boundaries
• Go to 10:40 for Betsy's favorite family film recommendations
• Go to 13:29 for a conversation about choosing the first media experience for young children
• Go to 16:48 for ideas on making your family viewing experience more interactive
• Go to 24:45 for a discussion about the rise of AI and what parents need to know
• Go to 32:00 for food, fun, and conversation inspiration you can use at your table tonight

Related Links:

• Common Sense Media's Best Movies of 2025
• Common Sense Selection Titles
• First Movies for Kids: Common Sense Recommendations
• Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun
• Common Sense's Guide to Teaching Kids Good Screen Time Habits
• The Family Dinner Project's Technology at the Table Guide
• The Family Dinner Project + Common Sense Media Dinner and a Movie Experiences

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