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Rating

★★★★★

4.9

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90 reviews

Description

What happens when you become your parent's parent? That's what longtime NPR journalist Kitty Eisele had to figure out when she became a full-time caregiver for her beloved dad. After moving back to her childhood home, she finds herself bewildered by the medical, legal, and emotional challenges of elder-care, to say nothing of the time her dad headed off on a 300-mile road trip without telling her. Kitty's dad was experiencing cognitive decline, but she felt like the one losing her mind. Twenty-Four Seven explores how we help our loved ones live—and die—and what they mean to us. Support for this podcast comes from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and its Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

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Check latest episodes from Demented podcast

Taking Care of Tasha: A Son Remembers

2022/05/06

On this Mother's Day bonus episode, writer Brian Morton tells Kitty about the difficulties and delights of caring for his mother, a beloved teacher with a fiery personality who remained stubborn and independent even as her health declined. Brian's memoir, Tasha, is both a portrait of his mother and an account of the complexities of dementia care.

Who decides what kind of care grandma gets?

2022/04/15

It was 1996 when journalist Howard Gleckman got "the call" — about emergency care for his mother-in-law. Soon he was managing care for three older family members, and found the system impenetrable. He’s since made a career of explaining how long-term care works in the U.S., and how Wall Street investors are helping decide the kind of care your grandmother gets.

A Minister Reflects on Her Life with Alzheimer's

2022/03/24

Cynthia Huling Hummel was 49 years old when she noticed the first symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. Today, she is an author and artist whose work explores the experience of living with Alzheimer's, and she volunteers her time for medical research into the disease. On this episode of Twenty-Four Seven: A Podcast About Caregiving, Cynthia shares her insights into the care she hopes to receive and her advice for others with Alzheimer's Disease.

If It's Broke, Fix It

2022/03/11

Ai-Jen Poo is an activist and lobbyist who has sought better pay for caregivers and greater access to in-home care for people who need it. Many of us who care for an aging parent rely on the help of a paid caregiver, someone to fill in when we're not available or just need a few hours off. Those professional home care aides take on demanding, intimate work that allows elderly people to stay at home rather than move into a nursing home, and yet on average, they make just $11 an hour. Ai-Jen tells Kitty how her grandmother and grandfather inspired her work, and the policy changes she thinks the United States needs to fix its elder care system.

Your Brain On Dementia

2022/02/25

Understanding a little about the biology of dementia can demystify it, and Teepa Snow is an occupational therapist and educator who has made it her mission to do just that. Dementia is not a single disease, but more of an umbrella term for cognitive changes that can affect a person as they age. We commonly think of it as memory loss, but dementia can take many other shapes as well, affecting the mind and the body in ways that can seem bizarre and inexplicable to a caregiver.

Lessons From A Millennial Caregiver

2022/02/11

Jacquelyn Revere was just 29 when she started caring for her mom with Alzheimer’s. She built an audience of more than half a million followers when she started posting about it on TikTok. She talks with Kitty about what it’s like to become a parent to her parent at a very young age, and how an ounce of humor goes a long way.

Caring For Ronald Reagan

2022/01/28

Kitty talks with Patti Davis, author of Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers Can See Beyond Alzheimer's. Patti began taking care of her father, former president Ronald Reagan, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's after leaving office; she later ran support groups for family caregivers. She tells Kitty about the difficult lessons she learned while caring for a person with Alzheimer's and the spiritual groundings that carried her through it.

New Name, New Season

2021/12/31

We have new episodes coming in January, 2022, as Kitty expands from her personal story caring for her dad, to the experiences of many families. Guests this season include author Patti Davis, about caring for her father Ronald Reagan; MacArthur "genius grant" winner Ai-Jen Poo, and caregiver Jacquelyn Joyce Revere, who streams her lessons about caring for her mom on TikTok and YouTube. We also want to hear about your experience taking care of aging relatives. Get in touch with us at [email protected], and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

E5: How to Talk About Dying

2021/10/14

Kitty asks her dad what he thinks about death and the afterlife, then turns to a hospice chaplain who has discussions like that for a living.

E4: I Never Used to Be Lonely

2021/10/14

Kitty talks with another caregiver about keeping their parents socially connected, even as their social skills decline.

E3: Not Your Father's Barbershop

2021/10/14

After moving in with her dad, Kitty discovers a long list of new responsibilities she needs to figure out, like personal grooming.

E2: No Good Answers

2021/10/14

In search of support, Kitty calls a friend who cared for her husband with Parkinson's.

Podcast reviews

Read Demented podcast reviews

4.9 out of 5

90 reviews

★★★★★

Lainikins 2022/03/25

The Most Helpful!

This is the most helpful podcast I have come across. Each is short and succinct and approaches real issues with individual experiences and solutions. ...

★★★★★

oregonbc 2022/02/06

From One Caregiver to Others

I was my late mom’s caregiver on a 10-year Alzheimer’s journey until she passed away in February 2013. Kitty’s Twenty-Four Seven podcast is one of t...

★★★★★

Sine Metu 2022 2022/02/04

Incredibly informative and personal.

Kitty’s personal experience as the daughter of an Alzheimer’s patient coupled with her skills a reporter make this podcast informative and comforting....

★★★★★

Elaine Díaz 2022/01/31

My fav podcast

This podcast is wonderful. It’s touching, sensitive, and everybody should feel related to. Thanks a lot, Kitty.

★★★★★

TJones5598 2022/01/22

Great podcast

This podcast was extremely helpful for me I look forward to more episodes to keep me company!

★★★★★

lucylu6 2022/01/03

Relatable and well told

Several of my in-laws have dementia, and it is so hard to watch and help them through the later years. This podcast brings some humor and lots of hone...

★★★★★

Bankers-Anonymous 2021/12/13

Thank you

Lost my dad to dementia ~3 years ago. Extremely relatable!

★★★★★

JASchmalz 2021/11/12

Great!

Thank you for sharing your story on what it is like to become a caregiver for someone you love but also how challenging it is.

★★★★★

Hulahoop@52 2021/10/28

i never felt lonely

this was so touching

★★★★★

Tim Fall 2021/10/24

The Relief of a Parent’s Death

I truly appreciated your interview on Weekend Edition. When you mentioned a feeling of relief, I knew I’d run across a person who understands. I was t...

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