More Love From NYC An ode to NYC, written and spoken by Allan Fair. Taking over my Mental Health and Alzheimer's related podcast with this special 9/11/21 post.  #NeverForget #SpokenWord #9/11 #MentalHealth Been here since '98 .com boomin’ City is moving Used to see Dicaprio at a club called Life He’d be groovin But that was a different life Y2K came and went .com bust Web 1.0 descent Twin Towers down Shout from the wreckage WE HEAR YOU! And the city echoed back And rebuilt our hearts, and bodies and buildings New generations, new city children New wars, new fears, far away, but the soul ..read more

What is it like to have a mother-in-law battling Alzheimer’s? Our mom, Carmen, is a loving mother-in-law to our four spouses. They are just as involved in her Alzheimer’s journey as we are. In Episode 22 of Alz In The Fam, the Fair siblings are joined by our four spouses to discuss what it has been like for them. In the episode, we ask our spouses about their experience with our mom’s Alzheimer’s disease, when they first noticed changes in our mom and how they think it has impacted our family. Each of our spouses share incredibly fond memories of their mother-in-law before she began showing si ..read more

New research into psychedelics show promising treatment options for Alzheimer’s and dementia. In Episode 21, the Fair siblings sit down with Dr. Del Potter, PhD – a scientist studying the benefits of psychedelic compounds on brain-related diseases and conditions like dementia, depression and PTSD. Del Potter, PhD is the chief science officer and founding member of ZBN Research. He received his Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from UC Berkeley in 1980, specializing in Ethno-psychopharmacology, the phytochemistry, and extraction of psychoactive indigenous botanical pharmacopeia and their cultural s ..read more

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a big decision. In Episode 20 of #AITF, the four Fair siblings discuss the difficulties of making the decision for someone else – their Mom. During this episode, the siblings use a Q&A article from alz.org to guide them in their conversation. The article answers frequently asked questions from caregiver and people living with Alzheimer’s about the COVID-19 vaccine. In the fall of 2020, Poli, Allan Trissi and Boni had to begin weighing the pros and cons of having their mom vaccinated against COVID-19. For one, Carmen has already contracted and recovered from ..read more

Care Coordinator and Owner of Always Best Care, Loudoun VA, Chris Kondracki joins Alz In The Fam for the very first episode of 2021! In episode 19, Allan, Poli and Boni sit down with Chris to discuss his experience as an owner and coordinator of a senior home care service company. Always Best Care in Loudoun, VA offers Home Care with Non-Medical professionals such as companionship services & home helper services, Personal Care services and placement services for residential care. In this interview, Chris and the siblings discuss the different types of senior care, what Chris has learned ab ..read more

Advice for caregivers, from caregivers is the topic in Episode 18 of Alz In The Fam. The four Fair siblings sit down to share the best caregiving tips and tricks that they have learned from their own experiences and from others. The first tip the siblings share is the power of music. Putting on your loved one’s favorite music can help change the mood and stimulate positive feelings. The siblings each have a specific playlist or radio station to put on when they want to change Carmen’s mood. Many studies have been done on the positive effects of music on brain health, such as this NIH study: ht ..read more

Even as her Alzheimer’s progresses, Grandma’s love for her family shines through. In a very special Episode 17 of Alz In The Fam, Carmen’s grandchildren share their best memories of their Grandma, both before and after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Allan, Poli, Trissi and Boni introduce their children who offer stories about their grandma, Carmen. Across all of the stories, one thing always remains – Carmen’s deep love and support for her family, even as her Alzheimer’s progresses. From sleepovers with Grandma to sporting events and life milestones, the grandchildren reminisce on Carmen’s constan ..read more

Aspects to consider when choosing a care facility for your loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia is the topic of Alz In The Fam Episode 16. In this episode, the four Fair siblings discuss their journey to find the right place for their mom, Carmen, to live.   When searching for the correct facility for their mom, the Fair siblings had three important criteria that it had to meet; it had to be financially doable, close to family and meet their mom’s social, physical and mental needs.   Poli, Boni and Trissi surveyed many different facilities with various offerings before selecting on ..read more

In Episode 15 of Alz in the Fam, the four Fair siblings each share a book that has helped them in the Alzheimer’s caregiving journey. These books, while all different, all have helped the Fair siblings grapple with the topic of Alzheimer’s. First up, Boni shared a book called Elizabeth is Missing  by Emma Healey, a fiction book that shares the story of Maud, an aging grandmother, and her family as she descends into Alzheimer’s. For Boni, Maud has many similarities to their mom, Carmen, and the book is both relatable and moving. Maud and Carmen are both strong willed, independent women who ..read more

In Episode 14 of Alz In The Fam, Poli, Allan and Trissi discuss technological resources that have impacted their caregiving. As their mom’s Alzheimer’s progresses, they have found quite a few technologies that really benefit their caregiving. One of the first technologies that the family adapted was a DayClox DigitalClock. This clock has the day and date on the face of it, and really helps orient their mom each day. To troubleshoot another large problem, the family also tried a Med-E-Lert Locking Automatic Pill Dispenser that helped them monitor their mom’s pill intake. Out of all of the techn ..read more