Best Aging: Recent Episodes
Wendy Weidner and Josh Casper
No one has ever said aging is easy. Finances, long-term care, family relationships, loss and grieving, illness, and new roles in life are some of the many things encountered. Best Aging is the podcast empowering, informing and connecting you to Best Aging.
Wendy Weidner, retired Regional Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and Josh Casper, Elder Law Attorney, help seniors and their loved ones navigate all areas of aging, long-term care, family relationships through stories, guests and recent events. Find your resources, support and answers here.
Informing, empowering and connecting you to Best Aging.
Wendy Weidner and Josh Casper bring you a new series of stories, Aging in the News. We explore current stories in depth and discuss how they relate to you.
In this episode, listen to three stories. The first, the most recent social security trustee report - made interesting. Does anyone disagree social security needs to be protected?
Second, learn about CalPERS - California Public Employees Retirement System, and how it's facing a class action lawsuit regarding long-term care insurance.
Finally, listen to the story of Sarah and Emily (*not their real names), and the criminal investigation of a nursing home relating to abuse in Hanover, New Hampshire.
It wasn't until just 2021 that the Department of Health and Human Services announced it was enforcing a prohibition against the discrimination against same-sex marriages and spouses in skilled nursing facilities.
If the marriage is valid where it was celebrated, the facility has to honor it. The facility cannot treat a same sex spouse differently.
This has huge implications for decision-making, room sharing, visiting; the very heart of marriage at the end of life. Listen to hear more about this important right.
Hosted by Wendy Weidner and Josh Casper
Residents have the right to be free from retaliation and even discouragement from speaking out about concerns to local, state or federal agencies.
However, often times residents and their loved ones don't voice their concerns because they are afraid of retaliation.
Hear what retaliation might look like and learn strategies to lower the risk and fear of retaliation.
Co-hosted by Wendy Weidner and Josh Casper
In this episode, Wendy Weidner and Josh Casper, do a brief highlight of the right to be free from payment source discrimination.
No matter if Medicare, Medicaid (Medical Assistance), or you are privately paying, the facility cannot discriminate against you in the services.
Learn about this right today on Residents' Rights Month, 2022.
Episode 3 of Residents' Rights Month focuses on a resident's right to be informed of and know their rights.
It's foundational to residents' rights. If a resident or their loved ones aren't informed of the residents' rights, they can't advocate for them. So this is a right that builds to all of the other rights.
Enjoy day 3 of Residents' Rights Month with Wendy Weidner and Josh Casper.
Have you been faced a situation where your loved one declines in long-term care not because of their disease or disability, but because of the way the care is delivered (or not) delivered to the resident?
Today's right focuses on the right to maintain or enhance the quality of life through care in the long-term care.
This right is frequently seen in the ability to walk, dress oneself, and other "activities of daily living" that decline for 'unexplained' reasons.
Listen today to learn more about this long-term care right.
Celebrate Resident Rights' Month Episode One: Dignity in Long-Term Care
For the month of October, Wendy Weidner, a retired regional long-term care ombudsman, and Josh Casper, an elder law attorney in Minnesota, will be bringing you a (mini) podcast a day to highlight long-term care residents' rights.
Episode One starts at the core - the right to dignity.
Listen to a case study, the right, and our lively discussion. (Case studies are not intended to represent actual facilities or residents.)
Email us (help@bestaging.us) or call us and leave a message (612-567-7147) to share your experiences with residents' rights for us to share with others!
Wendy Weidner and Josh Casper introduce an October celebration of Residents' Rights! 31 days of 31 (mini) podcasts, each highlighting a resident right.
Share with us - email us a time when you felt your rights were honored or violated (help@bestaging.us) or call and leave us a message (612-567-7147)!
We can't wait to highlight Residents' Rights during October 2022!
Linda Herrick has been an associate dean of nursing education, clinical professor of nursing, nurse manager, nurse, and a nursing assistant. She is also a family caregiver.
In a lively conversation, hear how her professional and personal identities blend as a family caregiver; how she manages caregiver stress; and the signs of caregiver stress. Listen to challenges of family caregiver in rural areas, family communication, and how hospital discharge planning has evolved in her observations.
Hear how important it is to be able to say no.
Co-hosted by Wendy Weidner, retired regional long-term care ombudsman of almost 20 years, and Josh Casper, an elder law attorney in Minnesota.
Deb Holtz is known for her decades of advocacy experience in disability services, State Ombudsman for Long-Term Care, and attorney. She has transitioned into a new role as a death doula, caring for people and their loved ones as they prepare for their death.
Deb shares with us what a death doula does; what lead her to this role; what helps a person have a better death; policy changes she would like to see and so much more.
In Episode 2 of Best Aging, we talk with Peggy, a 69-year-old assisted living resident. Hear her expectations of caregivers (as a former nursing home aide), begin a conversation about retaliation, and learn from her wisdom (including a caregiver book recommendation at the end).
Wendy Weidner and Josh Casper introduce themselves and Best Aging through stories. Hear about a nursing home takeover by the State of Minnesota. And learn a few things we wished every long-term care resident and family member knew.