Your Brain on Mom

Aflalo Communications Inc.

Your Brain on Mom, sibling co-hosts open up about the unexpected beginning of their mother’s dementia journey — a journey that didn’t start with obvious memory loss, but with a broken ankle. What followed were strange behaviors, unexplained shifts, and subtle cognitive changes that signaled something deeper was happening. As a brother-and-sister caregiver team, we share the real-life dementia storyof how we first encountered our mom’s cognitive decline. From unusual reactions in the hospital to confusing days at home, we walk through the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and how they can appear differently than you might expect. We also discuss the differences between dementia vs. Alzheimer’s and how confusing it is to understand the distinction.  This podcast highlights the emotional side of becoming sibling caregivers — the frustration, the gut instinct, and the bond that forms when adult children team up to care for a parent. We also share how we use humor as a survival tool, because sometimes the only way through the fear and confusion of the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is to laugh together. By telling our caregiving story, we hope to normalize the chaos, confusion, and unexpected moments that caregivers face, and to create a space where others feel seen. We explain why we decided to start this podcast — to document the earliest moments of our journey and to give a voice to other sibling caregiversnavigating similar paths. Whether you’re researching dementia vs. Alzheimer’s, searching for early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, curious about sibling caregivers, or looking for real-life dementia stories to relate to, this podcast offers a candid, relatable, and hopeful look at the very beginning of the caregiving journey. Produced by Aflalo Communications Inc. (www.aflalo.com)

  1. Jun 9

    The One Where They Tried to Cancel the Podcast

    Just days after sharing a positive update about our mom's dementia care, everything changed. In this episode of Your Brain on Mom, we discuss a shocking conversation with a social worker who told us the nursing home was unhappy about our podcast and wanted us to stop talking about our experiences. The problem? The person making the accusations admitted they had never actually listened to the show. We dive into the challenges families face when advocating for loved ones living with dementia, the fear of speaking out about long-term care, and why so many caregivers feel pressured to stay quiet. We also share a series of frustrating incidents involving a room camera, communication breakdowns, and ongoing concerns about accountability inside the nursing home system. Along the way, we discuss our mom's pseudo-bulbar affect, the realities of comfort care versus behavioral care, and the emotional complexity of trying to ensure dignity, safety, and happiness for a parent living with dementia. If you've ever felt dismissed, questioned, or labeled as "difficult" simply for advocating for someone you love, this conversation will feel very familiar. About the Podcast Your Brain on Mom is a podcast hosted by siblings Wendy and Barry as they navigate the challenges, heartbreak, humor, and unexpected moments of caring for their mother living with dementia. Through candid conversations and real-life stories, they explore caregiving, dementia advocacy, family dynamics, long-term care, and the realities of supporting an aging parent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    34 min

  2. Jun 2

    The One Meeting That Didn't Make Us Angry

    Caregiving often feels like an endless series of meetings, phone calls, care plans, and crisis management. But occasionally, a meeting leaves you feeling hopeful. In this episode of Your Brain on Mom, Wendy and Barry share a surprisingly positive experience after meeting with a new care team member at their mom's long-term care facility. For the first time in a long time, the conversation wasn't about managing complaints or defending their concerns—it was about improving their mom's quality of life. They discuss the challenges of navigating dementia care, advocating for a loved one in a nursing home, and the importance of collaboration between families and healthcare professionals. Along the way, they share stories about their mom's latest adventures, Barry's upcoming career change, and the unexpected ways caregiving has strengthened their sibling relationship. This episode explores the reality of dementia caregiving, family advocacy, long-term care, and finding moments of connection and hope during one of life's most difficult journeys. If you're caring for a parent with dementia, supporting a loved one in long-term care, or navigating the complexities of the healthcare system, this episode will remind you that even in difficult circumstances, meaningful connections can still emerge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min

  3. May 19

    Back in the Nursing Home: Now What? Navigating Dementia Care, Medication Changes, and a Healthcare System No One Explains

    This Is Your Brain on Mom picks up right where the chaos left off: Mom is back at the nursing home after a month in the hospital — restrained, overmedicated, medically cleared, psychiatrically cleared… and somehow still stuck in the middle of a system that no one seems able to explain. In this episode, Wendy and Barry unpack the exhausting reality of dementia care when doctors, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and families are all speaking different languages. From endless medication changes to unanswered questions, they share the frustration of trying to advocate for someone you love while navigating a healthcare system that often feels reactive instead of supportive. Through stories about Mom yelling at Murder, She Wrote, arguing with The Price Is Right, and terrifying nurses with her volume level, this episode balances heartbreak, frustration, and humor in the way only real caregivers can. If you’re supporting a parent with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or cognitive decline — or trying to navigate nursing homes, hospitals, and impossible decisions — this episode will remind you that you are not alone. Produced by Aflalo Communications Inc. (www.aflalo.com) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min

  4. May 12

    Dementia Caregiving, Estate Planning & End-of-Life Conversations: What Families Need to Know

    What happens when the person who helps families plan for death becomes a dementia caregiver herself? In this episode of This Is Your Brain on Mom, Wendy and Barry speak with Canadian funeral director, educator, and author Minnelle Williams, founder of Ending Well with Minnelle Ending Well with Minnelle. What starts as a conversation about funeral planning quickly becomes deeply personal when Minnelle’s father is diagnosed with dementia—shifting everything she thought she knew about being “prepared.” Suddenly, estate planning isn’t theoretical. Advance directives aren’t paperwork. And end-of-life conversations aren’t optional—they’re urgent. Minnelle shares how her lived experience reshaped her work, leading her to focus on helping families navigate end-of-life planning with more clarity, less fear, and earlier conversations. She also discusses her book Plan Well. Live Well, a practical guide to documenting wishes and reducing crisis-driven decision-making. This is a conversation about what no one prepares you for—not just death, but the long emotional road leading up to it. If you’re caring for a loved one with dementia or trying to make sense of caregiving decisions before crisis hits, this episode will change how you think about planning. 🎧 Listen now and subscribe to This Is Your Brain on Mom for honest conversations about dementia, caregiving, grief, and the reality families live every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min

  5. May 5

    When Dementia Changes the Person You Know | Mixed Dementia & Caregiver Grief

    In this episode of This Is Your Brain on Mom, Wendy and Barry talk about one of the hardest parts of dementia caregiving: the moment your parent still recognizes you, but you no longer fully recognize them. After their mother’s diagnosis shifted from Alzheimer’s disease to mixed dementia — including Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and vascular dementia — they began facing personality changes, emotional outbursts, constant yelling, and the painful reality that dementia affects far more than memory. The siblings open up about caregiver guilt, hospital life, behavioral changes, and the complicated emotions that come with trying to stay connected to someone who feels different every day. Raw, funny, heartbreaking, and painfully honest, this episode captures the reality of living with dementia as a family — beyond the movie version people expect. This Is Your Brain on Mom is a podcast about dementia caregiving, family dynamics, advocacy, humor, and surviving the chaos of caring for a parent with cognitive decline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min

  6. Apr 29

    Alzheimer’s… or Not? Understanding FTD, Vascular Dementia & Personality Changes

    Wait… it’s not Alzheimer’s? In this episode of This Is Your Brain on Mom, Wendy and Barry unpack a major shift in their mom’s diagnosis—from Alzheimer’s to mixed dementia, including frontal temporal dementia (FTD) and vascular dementia. And honestly? It explains a lot. From extreme personality changes to aggression, language issues, and unpredictable behavior, this episode dives into what FTD actually looks like in real life—not just what Google tells you. Because dementia isn’t one-size-fits-all. There’s humor (because there has to be), but also the raw truth of what it’s like to watch your parent change in ways no one prepares you for. If you’ve ever felt like the diagnosis doesn’t quite fit… or like you’re learning as you go in real time—this episode is for you. 🎧 Tune in and learn what mixed dementia really means—and why getting the right diagnosis matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    31 min

  7. Apr 21

    What happens after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis?

    In this episode, Wendy and Barry get brutally honest about the moment everything changes—and the shocking lack of support that follows. Because the truth is: no one hands you a plan. No one tells you what’s dementia, what’s delirium, or what to do next. You’re given a diagnosis… and then you’re shown the door. Inspired by a powerful post from Dr. Kalisha Bonds Johnson, we unpack the reality so many caregivers face: surviving day by day with no roadmap, no guidance, and no real-time help. From their mom’s rapid decline following her Alzheimer’s diagnosis to navigating hospital discharges, psychosis, medications, and impossible decisions—this episode dives into the chaos of becoming a caregiver overnight. This episode is for anyone who has ever thought: “What the hell do I do now?” 🎧 If you’re a caregiver—or love someone who is—you are not alone in this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    40 min

  8. Apr 14

    16 Months In: Dementia, ER Visits, and When Caregiving Breaks You

    It’s been 16 months… and somehow, we’re right back where we started. What began as a plan to bring our mom home has turned into an ongoing cycle of hospital visits, medication changes, and uncertainty. In this episode, we share the reality of what happens when dementia care becomes unstable — and the system meant to support you starts to feel like it’s working against you. After a chaotic holiday in the emergency room, we’re left asking impossible questions: Where does she go if her care facility doesn’t want her back?Why are medications constantly being changed when stability is the goal?And how are caregivers supposed to navigate this with no guidance? This episode also touches on something not talked about enough:The lack of direction and support immediately after a dementia diagnosis — and how caregivers are often left to figure everything out alone. Through humor, honesty, and unfiltered storytelling, we share what it really looks like behind the scenes of caregiving — the frustration, the heartbreak, and the moments that somehow still make you laugh. If you’re navigating dementia, Alzheimer’s, or complex elder care, this episode will hit home. You’re not alone in this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    36 min
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Trailer

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Your Brain on Mom, sibling co-hosts open up about the unexpected beginning of their mother’s dementia journey — a journey that didn’t start with obvious memory loss, but with a broken ankle. What followed were strange behaviors, unexplained shifts, and subtle cognitive changes that signaled something deeper was happening. As a brother-and-sister caregiver team, we share the real-life dementia storyof how we first encountered our mom’s cognitive decline. From unusual reactions in the hospital to confusing days at home, we walk through the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and how they can appear differently than you might expect. We also discuss the differences between dementia vs. Alzheimer’s and how confusing it is to understand the distinction.  This podcast highlights the emotional side of becoming sibling caregivers — the frustration, the gut instinct, and the bond that forms when adult children team up to care for a parent. We also share how we use humor as a survival tool, because sometimes the only way through the fear and confusion of the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is to laugh together. By telling our caregiving story, we hope to normalize the chaos, confusion, and unexpected moments that caregivers face, and to create a space where others feel seen. We explain why we decided to start this podcast — to document the earliest moments of our journey and to give a voice to other sibling caregiversnavigating similar paths. Whether you’re researching dementia vs. Alzheimer’s, searching for early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, curious about sibling caregivers, or looking for real-life dementia stories to relate to, this podcast offers a candid, relatable, and hopeful look at the very beginning of the caregiving journey. Produced by Aflalo Communications Inc. (www.aflalo.com)

Information

  • Creator
    Aflalo Communications Inc.
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026. Aflalo Communications Inc.
  • Show Website
    Your Brain on Mom

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