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Episodes

Nov. 29, 2021

Thanksgiving is just Thursday.

J Smiles gives family caregivers the real, confusing truth about celebrating Thanksgiving when your LO has dementia, ALZ. Yeah, you want to love on them and smother them with food, family and fun. But is it a good idea? J …

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Nov. 6, 2021

Advocating 101: Partner with the Provider - chatting with "Eclectic" …

J Smiles is joined by patient advocate superhero and caregiver, "Eclectic" Dawn (ED). ED shares countless stories of holding the medical team accountable to her mother's care. But she is not arrogant or pushy. Instead she tak...

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Oct. 27, 2021

Is the test for the ALZ Gene worth it?

J Smiles grapples with whether or not to take the ALZ GENE test. Zetty, her mom, was diagnosed with early onset and Zetty's father had ALZ too. Will knowing make life better or more stressful? J leans into her caregiver …

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Aug. 1, 2021

Balancing Pain, Passion and Professional Life: a conversation with Su…

J Smiles is joined by Susan - a daughter, wife, mom and high-powered executive who found herself leading the caregiver charge when was diagnosed with early onset ALZ. Susan's mom was living independently and completely self-s...

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June 23, 2021

"Wow, mom hid Alzheimer’s!" - a chat with Hillary

Hillary's mom live independently for decades until an unrelated doctor's visit showed mom's brain wasn’t functioning well. Is it cancer or dementia? A facility, her home or live with family? Hillary and her brother (two diff...

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June 14, 2021

A plane, a boat, a monkey: Our Love Circus - A convo with Yvette McNa…

J Smiles and Yvette continue with part 2. Yvette reveals the eventual diagnosis her mom was given, how her family managed LIFE along the way, her top advice for newbie caregivers and more. Yvette recounts earthy, gritty and h...

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June 1, 2021

A plane, a boat, a monkey: Our Love Circus - A convo with Yvette McNa…

*Audio UPDATE/Correction 6/13/21* 🥰 Few family caregivers have a story that put J Smiles on her butt - Yvette did. Whirlwind does not begin to describe the snap crackle pop speed the dementia used to invade the McNally Family...

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May 17, 2021

My (J Smiles) memory scare, is it Alzheimer’s?

J Smiles struggles with abnormal memory loss and brain fog. Her immediate fear is the early onset of Alzheimer’s -- any caregiver's nightmare. She paints a picture like only J can of the events leading up to her panic and …

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April 26, 2021

Keeping Mom Independent: A Conversation with Kim Cooper

J Smiles chats with Kimberly Cooper, a sandwich generation wife determined to honor her mom's passion for independence even after dementia enters their lives. Kim details her mom's stroke which nudged the cognitive decline. J...

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April 5, 2021

Deep Sleep Reveals NEW Fears!

Finally J Smiles has a healthy sleep hygiene routine... and it works, perfectly. Well, she sleeps long and hard. The problem is the depth of slumber unlocks unknown caregiving consternation. She has to decide whether to ditch...

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March 29, 2021

I look, talk, walk like me but I don't feel like me: Caregiver Confus…

J Smiles takes a big trip to Washington, DC to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is elated to take a such a meaningful vacation. A newbie caregiver at the time, J is looking forward …

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March 22, 2021

A Burglar is Breaking in on me & Zetty!

For once J is able to get Zetty in the bed before 2am, excited and sound asleep all hell breaks loose when the house alarm blares "intruder alert." J is delirious, rubbing her eyes and trying to determine what to …

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March 15, 2021

Caregiver Dating

J Smiles believes that dating is self care. The problem is she cannot seem to secure a date. She takes the listener on a journey of her pre-caregiver dating existence. After Zetty's ALZ diagnosis, there is so much sacrifice,...

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March 1, 2021

"New" mama would embarrass "old" mama!

Caregiving is so nuanced. We can identify the major things swiftly -- medicine and food must be consumed; bills paid and so on. What happens when non-harmful modifications appear? Those creature comforts - habits - preference...

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Feb. 22, 2021

Sleep: The New Soulmate

Who knew skipping sleep could add up so quickly? Not, J Smiles! What J believed was a supernatural power is now bad for her. She struggles -- yet again -- to accept a monumental shift. Most of her life she …

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Feb. 8, 2021

Agh, Zetty Escaped!

J Smiles opens Season 2 with a riveting story of personal panic. J wakes up but cannot find Zetty anywhere. On vacation and without her local support system, J scrambles to create a strategy to trace Zetty's steps. But where …

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Nov. 27, 2020

Rolling with Resistance - caregiver Omar Hamilton

Omar Hamilton joins J Smiles on a deep dive into the life of a child flying blindly into the foggy cognitive abyss of a parent. Omar's dad was living independently and quite self sufficient. Or so everyone thought. Omar, a …

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Nov. 9, 2020

Pivoting on Pins and Needles - the life of caregiver Erika Watson

J Smiles and Erika have been thick as theives for over 20 yrs. Howard University and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority cemented their relationship. But as only kids who love to travel, who appreciate fine dining, who have never miss...

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Nov. 2, 2020

Uh oh! Zetty wants a smart phone.

Zetty throws J Smiles off with a request for a cell phone. What seems like a simple ask turns into a quest for the holy grail. For Zetty, J soon realizes it is a dignity issue too. J Smiles takes …

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Oct. 7, 2020

First time broke me, but now...

Alzheimer's disease is very mysterious. Caregivers are often guessing what their LO's (loved ones) are feeling, experiencing, etc. CG's live a life of magical charades. The first time ALZ shows up in an ordinary daily event c...

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Sept. 29, 2020

The Lie of Love: with caregiver Chef Angela

Chef Angela (Angela Gorham) joins J Smiles for an in-the-trenches-right-now-conversation. Like J, she is single, childless and her mom's full-time caregiver. Another commonality, another's death made their mother's Alzheimer'...

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Sept. 21, 2020

Give Caregivers Grace: a "crew' chat with Monica Cost

J Smiles lets listeners meet another main "crew" member, a major supporter on her journey as a caregiver, Monica Cost. Interestingly, their bond started as adults through civic board membership. But wow, did they make up fo...

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Sept. 16, 2020

Fighting Frustration

Caregivers experience quite a few dark, negative emotions. Often they are ashamed to shared such feelings aloud. J Smiles tackles frustration in hopes of normalizing this "negative" expression. She uses a variety of funny and...

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Sept. 7, 2020

Resentment Happens

Caregivers experience a tsunami of emotions. Positive, negative, neutral, unspeakable. J Smiles tackles resentment. She uses very specific examples of pain and purpose to expose her journey of uncovering this tricky emotion. ...

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