Whether you’re a dementia caregiver, looking for a solid dementia care plan, living with dementia or simply curious about the disease and its progression and treatment, there is a podcast out there for you. This week, we will be highlighting five podcasts that focus on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in an effort to provide you and your loved one with resources and support.
What’s great about podcasts is that they are beneficial for someone living with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Listening to stories and voices is a great way to take in new information. Plus, it can be tacked onto other daily tasks like driving to the doctor’s office, cooking dinner or taking a bath. Here are a few of our favorites:
Allan Fair’s family is one of the millions of caregivers for a loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Fair’s mother, who lives with dementia, is the topic of the podcast. The family talks about how they educate themselves on the progressive disease, how they heal and discuss their own genetic predispositions to dementia. Alz In The Fam is a support group of sorts. It’s great for professional and novice caregivers looking to find education, laughter, joy and support during their journey through Alzheimer’s and/or dementia.
Host: Allan Fair
Origin: New York, NY
Since: 2/2020
Frequency: ~19/yr
Average Length: 35m
Created by caregivers for caregivers, Fading Memories is all about inspiring and supporting all caregivers through informative and inspiring conversations. Topics include Alzheimer’s disease in transgender communities, how close we are to finding a cure and how caregivers can help kids understand the disease, to name a few. This is a great podcast for any caregiver, at any stage of their caregiving journey, and we highly recommend you give it a listen and pursue the long list of topics.
Host(s): Alzheimer’s Caregivers
Origin: Brentwood, CA
Since: 4/2018
Frequency: weekly
Average Length: 54m
Laura is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor & Geriatric Mental Health Specialist, and the founder of Eldercare Counseling and Guidance Services, which supports older adults and their families by providing counseling, consultations, and care management. She describes her podcast on her website as follows: “she explores helpful caregiving tips, practical resources and most importantly, how to care for yourself through this journey.” Her interest in elder care began in childhood, as she grew up spending time in the nursing home wing of a hospital, where her mother worked as a nurse.
Host: Laura Vaillancourt
Since: 4/2021
Frequency: Weekly
Average Length: 40m
When They Forget is an Alzheimer’s stories podcast. It’s a show where listeners, like you, share their stories about caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. The sister hosts, Jennifer and Debbie, started this show as a way to share their experiences with their mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s after experiencing a traumatic brain injury. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and while there is currently no cure, sharing our stories helps us to feel less alone and isolated as we face this disease and care for our loved ones through this longest of goodbyes.
Hosts: Jennifer & Debbie
Since: 4/2020
Average Length: 35m
Host, Chris Doucette, invites caregivers onto his podcast that’s all about caregivers and their personal stories with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. How does caregiving for someone living with dementia change you? What are the ups and downs like? How do you cope with the stress of being a caregiver? This podcast is a first person account from those who intimately know the disease and those living with it and adjacent to it. Prepare to cry, laugh and find gratitude while listening to this podcast.
Host: Chris Doucette
Origin: New York, NY
Since: 1/2018
Average Length: ~40m