Meet Scott Lien, a working family caregiver and member of the sandwich generation, who navigated the loss of four parents and in-laws over twelve years. His caregiving journey, combined with his extensive tech background, inspired him to co-found GrandPad, a user-friendly platform designed to keep seniors connected and engaged.

In this episode of the Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast, Scott and I dive into practical ways families and society can combat senior isolation and loneliness. We also explore the unexpected benefits—such as reducing elder fraud and financial scams—and how fostering meaningful connections can help us all live without regrets.

Plus, Scott shares wisdom from the “super seniors” he works with and reveals his secrets to ensuring joy in every day.

And…stay tuned for how you can take advantage of an exclusive GrandPad offer for the HHC Community!

Poet Marjorie Maddox and acquisitions editor Sheila Luna join host Marianne Sciucco to discuss the healing power of poetry, the realities of long-distance caregiving, and finding hope through the complexities of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Maddox’s, recent collection, Seeing Things, explores the tangled emotional landscape of dementia caregiving. The discussion examines the ways poetry can illuminate and comfort those touched by memory loss. Marjorie reads several of the poems, a gift to all .

The conversation moves beyond the personal to the universal. Marjorie shares that many poems in Seeing Things draw on her caregiving experiences for her mother, who lived with dementia, as well as her supportive role with her father-in-law—both journeys complicated by long distance and pandemic separation. As Marjorie admits, “You do feel so isolated when you’re going through it,” but the overlap in experience and shared vulnerabilities make poetry a communal space for catharsis. Poems in the collection touch not just on family memories but also larger societal losses—mass shootings and cave rescues—drawing lines between personal and collective grieving.

Marianne and Marjorie bring up a topic rarely discussed: the fractured roles in family caregiving, particularly for long-distance caregivers. Marjorie, based in Pennsylvania, supported her mother by daily phone calls and periodic visits, while her sister managed in-person care in Phoenix. Meanwhile, her brother handled the finances. These divisions, while pragmatic, often go unrecognized, and both the emotional and practical burdens can be immense.

The episode closes on the essential role of poetry—and storytelling—in chronicling caregiving journeys and connecting with others who walk a similar path. Whether it’s through a poem, a book, advocacy, or acts of compassionate service, these stories, hard-won and deeply personal, help others feel less alone. As Marjorie shares: “Being there for those little moments…even when you don’t feel like you’re doing anything, just holding someone’s hand… still does a lot.” And, perhaps, reading or writing poetry about those moments offers a light, a “slice of joy,” for a world too often shaped by loss.

After the Podcast

Purchase Seeing Things

Learn about the Moderators

Marianne Sciucco

Sheila Luna

About the Podcast

AlzAuthors is the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer’s and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Our podcast introduces you to our authors who share their stories and insights to provide knowledge, comfort, and support. Please subscribe so you don’t miss a word. If our authors’ stories move you, please leave a review. And don’t forget to share our podcast with family and friends on their own dementia journeys.

We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization totally reliant on donations to do what we do. Your generosity will help cover our many operating costs, which include website hosting and maintenance fees, service charges to keep things running smoothly, and marketing expenses to promote our authors, expand our content, improve our reach, and more. Our ongoing work supports our mission to lift the silence and stigma of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

To sustain our efforts please donate here.

Ideas and opinions expressed in this podcast belong to the speakers and not AlzAuthors. Always consult your healthcare provider and legal and financial consultants for advice on any of the topics covered here.

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Is the Medicare GUIDE Program for you? Today Nancy and I are sharing insights from Amy Imes of Emory's Integrated Memory Care about the new Medicare Program GUIDE. We're going to help you understand what it is and how to know if you can leverage it. We're sharing three tips.

We are Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster. As caregivers for our loved ones with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia, we are so excited to share this information with you. This is an awesome opportunity to learn about the US Medicare GUIDE Program. With big announcements happening on July 1, 2025, we're excited to give you an overview so you can understand how you might participate in the GUIDE program.

Let us introduce you to Amy. Amy Imes is a gerontological nurse practitioner who is a trusted expert in geriatrics, demonstrating a deep understanding of the unique healthcare needs of the aging population. Throughout her career, Amy has played a pivotal role in building care models—that's important to the GUIDE program—and developing teams that yield superior outcomes. In addition to her clinical work, she is a member of the team at Emory's Integrated Memory Care, which is a nurse practitioner-led primary care practice for patients living with dementia. She's also the program lead for the Medicare GUIDE Program at Emory Healthcare.

GUIDE stands for Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience. It is a US Medicare pilot program that aims to provide better support and resources for persons living with dementia and their caregivers. Which is awesome.

You should know that it's a pilot program. Please let's all support it because we need to prove that this pilot program which focuses on helping dementia caregivers actually works so that this can become a standard part of Medicare and can also be expanded globally. It would be ideal for the US to prove it's worth so that we can help other countries take advantage of these kinds of support because they're watching and they're aware of it.

This is a groundbreaking program that is being offered around the country. So definitely we want to show up and show out as people tend to say sometimes. As of today, July 1st, there are approximately 390 programs across the country that have been vetted by Medicare to provide this program, and so it is really going to have an impact for persons living with dementia.

Full Show Notes

https://thecaregiversjourney.org/39-is-the-medicare-guide-program-for-you-three-essential-tips-alzheimers-and-other-dementias/

Additional Resources Mentioned

To find a guide program near you: Go to this CMS website page and put in your state and under models select ‘Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model’

Then click ‘Display selected’

You can use the plus and minus signs in the upper right corner to zoom in closer to your area and find the program closest to you.

There may be several who cover your zip code so explore options

Emory Integrated Memory Care: https://www.emoryhealthcare.org/centers-programs/integrated-memory-care-clinic

Support the nonprofit The Caregiver's Journey: https://give.cornerstone.cc/thecaregiversjourney

Takeaways

What the Medicare GUIDE Program Offers

One-on-one support and coaching by dementia prevention providers

Care navigation through an often difficult and chaotic healthcare system

Education and training resources for caregivers

Respite care

Tip 1: Understand Your Eligibility

Tip 2: How to Find a GUIDE Program Near Me

Tip 3: How to Integrate GUIDE with Your Existing Medical Team

About Emory's Integrated Memory Care GUIDE Program

For those in the Atlanta area, Emory's Integrated Memory Care is led by nurse practitioners who are all dementia specialists and geriatric specialists. They bring everything under one umbrella with geriatric psych, licensed social workers, and RNs on their team. This eliminates doctor hopping and multiple visits.

Read More in This Blog here

On what was supposed to be Gavin's last day of his cancer treatment, everything changed in an instant. In this episode of I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes, I share the story of an unexpected and frightening detour — a rush to the ER that none of us saw coming.

This episode dives into the emotional whiplash of caregiving: the mental load, the constant uncertainty, and how quickly a “normal” day can unravel. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s another reminder that caregivers are constantly navigating the line between hope and emergency. If you’ve ever felt like the ground shifted beneath you in an instant, this one’s for you.

If you're a family caregiver, reach out to Carrie at www.carrieseverson.com or follow at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarrieseverson/.

In I Saved You. Now, Do the Dishes, Carrie discusses the importance of caregiver support as she reflects on being a family caregiver during her husband's cancer journey. She shares stories and tips from her experience, highlighting the need for essential caregiver resources. As season one comes to a close, she teases the return of the podcast in the fall.

What is the legacy of a legend facing Alzheimer's? Join us for a personal talk with Tony Bennett's daughters, Antonia and Johanna. They share insights into their father's life and his Alzheimer's journey. Go beyond fame and sold-out shows with their family's story. Discover how Tony navigated Alzheimer's while sharing his music. Learn about their family dynamics and resilience. Explore how his discipline and muscle memory aided his performances. This episode looks at Alzheimer's impact on a celebrated artist. It also covers family, resilience, and the human spirit's strength. Understand Tony's unique brain and the intersection of fame and this disease. Gain a new view of Tony Bennett's lasting legacy

Alzheimer's and elder care demand our attention not just because millions endure them, but because the systems that are supposed to protect our most vulnerable are fundamentally broken. In light of the upcoming release of our documentary, No Country For Old People; a Nursing Home Exposé, August 1st on Amazon, my producing partner and today's guest host, Rick Mountcastle (whose work prosecuting Purdue Pharma was dramatized in Hulu's "Dopesick") and I are turning our focus on elder abuse.

In this powerful episode, we're joined by Richard Routman, whose 14-year career at the Department of Health and Human Services gave him a front-row seat to nursing home neglect cases, pulls back the curtain on why elder abuse persists despite seemingly robust regulations. The reality is sobering: residents fear retaliation if they report mistreatment, staff worry about losing jobs if they speak up, and facility administrators actively obstruct investigations by altering records or instructing employees to "forget" incidents when questioned by surveyors. Meanwhile, the regulatory landscape remains fragmented between federal agencies, state surveyors, Adult Protective Services, and law enforcement—creating dangerous gaps where abuse reports disappear.

Most troubling is how money influences the entire system. The nursing home industry spends hundreds of millions annually on political contributions and lobbying, effectively buying themselves protection from meaningful reform. As Richard notes, ordinary citizens advocating for better care are "fighting with sticks" while the industry fights "with guns."

Yet this conversation offers hope through specific action steps. Every county has a Commission on Aging that citizens can join to question officials and advocate for improved oversight. Families should learn their rights regarding documenting care—in many cases, they can legally record conditions despite what staff might claim. Most importantly, Richard reminds us that cultural change starts with rejecting the ageism that treats elder abuse as somehow less urgent than child abuse.

Don't miss our documentary "No Country for Old People" launching on Amazon August 1st. Until then, remember that knowledge, community action, and love remain our most powerful tools against a system that too often fails those who built our world.

Support the show

Be a ROAR-ior!! JOIN THE R.O.A.R. MOVEMENT for quality long term care! Visit the No Country For Old People Website for more information.

YOU CAN ALSO SUPPORT THE ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL PROMOTION OF OUR DOCUMENTARY "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD PEOPLE" BY MAKING A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION THROUGH THE NATIONAL CONSUMER VOICE HERE

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