S1:E5: Larry's Musical Ritual: the park, the playlist, the breakthrough

S1:E5: Larry's Musical Ritual: the park, the playlist, the breakthrough

This is an episode every caregiver can relate to — and every friend or family member can learn from. We sit down with Larry, who cared for his mother with Alzheimer's, and his story will both melt your heart and offer practical ways to connect with your own loved one living with dementia. His daily ritual of taking his mom to the park and weaving music into their day, every day, reawakened joy and presence, even as words and memory faded. What advice do you have for others? Larry responds, "find a way to shift from 'I wish I did to...I'm glad I did."

S1: E4:Preparing for the Shift: Elin's FTD/dementia Caregiving Lessons

When dementia enters a family, roles shift, identities evolve, and love is asked to stretch in unimaginable ways. At For Their Thoughts (FTT), we believe in the Go APE™ mindset for dementia care: Advocate. Prepare. Engage. In this episode, caregiver Elin Adcock brings us into the deeply personal experience of preparing for life after her 56-year-old husband's frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis. Hear Elin's story and take in her wisdom and lessons learned on how knowledge, planning and emotional readiness helped her through the paradigm shift from life partner to carepartner This episodes dives into ways 1. Knowledge can be power 2. Finding the RIGHT community may take trial and error but is absolutely necessary 3. Thinking through ways to create safe autonomy "Bumper Ball" can elevate quality time. FREE Resources: * Want to learn more about the redwoods? Go to www.fortheirthoughts.org/redwoods [http://www.fortheirthoughts.org/redwoods] * Download "Caregiver Fridge Tips here: Caregiver Fridge Tips [https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6606edaa5d32f3404209e41f/68eab82b038a532eb6a5880d_Fridge%20Tips.pdf] Resources Mentioned in the podcast: * FTD CareChat * Book 1: Loving someone with dementia by Paulina Boss * Book 2: Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain by Dasha Kiper * Book 3: Cannabis Helps Dementia by Chela and Dave Coennen Head to fortheirthoughts.org [http://fortheirthoughts.org] to * 📬 Join the FTT Monthly Newsletter (website footer) to get updates and be the first to know when new episodes drop. * 🤝 Support the FTT Podcast — Your pledge or sponsorship helps us amplify caregiver stories and keep this platform growing.

S1: E3: Showing Up: Arnie's lessons in diagnosis, care and community

Alzheimer's is a diagnosis. Dementia is not. In this episode, we see through the eyes and heart of Arnie's lived experience as caregiver to his wife with Alzheimer's. Arnie did not give up, did not accept dismissal. He teaches us about hope, advocating fiercely, and encouraging others to act too.

S1:E1 - Starting the Conversation: How FTD Sparked For Their Thoughts

Founder of For Their Thoughts Foundation, Betsy Hall, opens up about her journey and what inspired her to start the organization. In this episode she shares her story of experiencing her mother battle frontotemporal degeneration, a young onset dementia. She walks you through * WHY FTT exists * Why her story of isolation and feeling lost a caregiver does not belong to her * The goal of the FTT Podcast * Demistify Dementia * Share real life experiences from caregivers and experts * Shed light on strategies and tactics anyone caring for someone can use to improve quality time and care.

S1: E2 - A Mother's Fight: Dawn and her daughter's FTD Journey

Go APE's - Advocate, Prepare and Engage. In this episode, we see through the eyes and heart of Dawn Kirby's experience as a mother fighting for her daughter, diagnosed at the young age of 29 with FTD, and the importance of community support, perspective and education.