Life Happens Podcast with Kim Hegwood

Getting to the Heart of Your Health with Lharissa Jacobs

February is American Heart Month, which means it’s time to shine a light on cardiovascular health and the number one cause of death in America: heart disease. Kim Hegwood talks with Lharissa Jacobs from the American Heart Association about some of the best practices for heart health, some of the specific topics that seniors need to be mindful of, the importance of movement and what it looks like as we age, the mind-heart-body connection, mental wellbeing considerations that impact seniors and their heart health, and what you should be asking your doctor.

Houses, Healthcare, Heirs & Planning For The Future with Diana Saufley

Kim Hegwood sits down with realtor Diana Saufley to discuss how you can find out how much your home would sell for to help plan for your future, what happens if a loved one does not have a will, what you need to do if your spouse passes away but you plan to remain in your home, the available options if you do not want to own a home anymore, who you need to inform about your health, asset, and financial plans, and what realtors can do for you!

More Ways Tech Can Help Keep Seniors Safe with Benjamin Surmi

When we think of senior safety, we think about medications, falls, and avoiding wandering. But one of the big topics to consider is financial safety. You can have all of the physical safety features in your house, but if you are not safe financially, you could lose the house altogether and be in a tough situation.

Benjamin Surmi from Koelsch Communities joins Kim Hegwood once again to discuss senior tech! Kim and Benjamin talk about how to stop fraud and financial mistakes before they destroy independence, products to keep seniors safe from call or text scams, tools to help prevent house fires, tools to help long-distance caregivers monitor health without being invasive, and why it is important to combine tech with a hands-on approach.

How to Tour a Memory Care Community Like an EXPERT with Amanda Bailey

With Amanda Bailey’s years of experience working in memory care communities, this conversation with Kim Hegwood is one you do not want to miss. Kim and Amanda discuss how to tour a memory care community like an expert, including questions you should ask about activities used to engage residents, what to ask about dining services, staff trainings, background checks, and drug tests, what to observe about the layout of the community, understanding what the community can and cannot do, and how to negotiate a deal.

Keeping Our Loved Ones Safe and Sound in the Hospital: The Care Partner Project with Bonnie Sheeran

Bonnie Sheeran is the owner of Houston Health Advocacy, where she strives to assist patients in navigating the Texas healthcare system. Her insider view of the healthcare system has provided her with the experience to be able to talk to us about the most important help we can give our loved ones in the hospital, which infections and other problems to watch out for, and how a health advocate can help families.

What Solo-Agers Should Know with Elizabeth Magallon Fleury

When we think of someone who is a solo-ager, we typically think of someone who has never been married and who has never had children. It is important to consider that even those of us who are married may one day become a solo-ager as well! Elizabeth Magallon Fleury from Life’s Encore joins Kim Hegwood to discuss what a solo-ager is, what steps to take if you are or may become a solo-ager, how to choose who to be your advocate, how to build a team to help you as you age, and why it is important to have a plan in place before something happens.

Why Choosing a Small Assisted Living May Be Your Best Option

Everything may be bigger in Texas, but when it comes to assisted living facilities, bigger is not always better according to Ann Garcia, owner of ComForCare Assisted Living. Kim Hegwood and Ann Garcia discuss how small assisted living facilities differ from larger facilities and nursing homes, whether this is the best option for someone who needs a lot of care, the care needs ComForCare is able to provide, whether health care and hospice also care for residents, and why it is important to have a nurse on call.

Helping Seniors Create a Better Body with Benjamin Surmi

For seniors with mobility issues, day-to-day tasks can be very difficult. Even for those who have an electric wheelchair, for example, it can be difficult to pull up to tables, get in and out of the car, and go in and out of the house. Benjamin Surmi from Koelsch Senior Communities joins us for another installment of his AgeTech series and discusses the new tech innovations to help seniors with mobility issues, tools to strengthen the body, why it is important to strengthen the body as we age, tools to help people with hearing, and how Orcan can help seniors better navigate their world.

The Gap Between: Loving and Supporting Someone with Alzheimer’s with Mary Moreland

Mary Moreland is an attorney and author of the book, “The Gap Between: Loving and Supporting Someone with Alzheimer’s.” Mary joins Kim Hegwood to discuss her background and why she is passionate to help families with caregivers, why many caregivers may say they are taking care of themselves when they are not, how to encourage fellow caregivers to take breaks or seek help, how to deal with setbacks, and tips for caregivers to better manage their time.

Having Those Difficult Discussions with Loved Ones with Debbie Howard

“When you see them starting to have trouble with the instrumental activities of daily living. The IADLs, things like paying bills on time, things like tripping a little bit, maybe not walking as well as they used to. Maybe they’re having trouble with a little accident here and there when they’re driving, you know. When you see things like that, you need to get your antenna up and pay attention.” -Debbie Howard

Debbie Howard, author and founder of The Caregiving Crisis, joins Kim Hegwood to discuss how she became involved in the world of family caregiving, how her books help companies and individuals with the challenges of caregiving, why all individuals should be interested in planning for their caregiving days, easy steps to get the ball rolling, and some of the typical topics that should be addressed.