The Voice of Aging

Brynne Malone

Hosted by owner of Aging Solutions and aging advisor of over 25 years, Brynne Malone, this podcast explores the many dynamics and challenges that come with aging. Together with experts, professionals and every day people, Brynne seeks to provide resources and solutions so that the aging years can be lived out well; with intention, connection and fulfillment. For support, services and products go to AgingSolutionsNW.com

Episodes

  1. Jun 11

    Safety, Costs, and Everyday Support in Home Caregiving with Jessica Thompson

    Join Brynne Malone as he discusses caregiver themes of safety planning, adequate coverage, and balancing cost with risk when supporting older adults at home. Jessica Thompson, a previous caregiver turned supervisor, describes how reducing overnight care to save money led to a serious fall where a very weak client with frequent UTIs was left on the floor for about six hours. Underscoring that emergencies can’t be scheduled and that safety needs should guide care decisions. It also touches on the reality that independence at home comes with significant expense. Steps shown in the caregiving process include assessing changing needs (overnights vs. daytime), encouraging families to prioritize safety, and gathering client feedback by interviewing a home care recipient about benefits. Practical caregiving supports mentioned include companionship, meal preparation when cooking is no longer feasible, transportation and assistance with errands like grocery shopping, and help with pet care. Generationshomecare.org

    56 min

  2. Jun 10

    Death Doulas, Hospice, and Planning for a Peaceful End: A Conversation with Dr. Susan Abernathy

    Host Brynne Malone of Aging Solutions (Pacific Northwest) introduces a “dueling doulas” format with birth doula Gina Carlson interviewing Dr. Susan Abernathy, a death doula and trained primary care physician, about peaceful, dignified dying. Abernathy explains the role of an end-of-life doula in guiding families back toward home-centered care, supporting patient autonomy, and filling gaps around hospice and palliative care through advocacy, practical caregiving, education on what’s normal in the dying process (including the rally and the death rattle), and emotional support for both patient and family. She emphasizes early planning beyond just a DNR and will, noting many documents and logistical details (like passwords and home access), financial considerations, and multiple burial options (traditional burial, flame cremation, aquamation, green burial, reef memorials, and natural organic reduction). The discussion also addresses grief as non-linear, the importance of community, and techniques like storytelling, guided meditation, music/sound healing, and flower essences. Abernathy shares ways to vet doulas via INELDA and deathdoulas.com and encourages starting conversations at any age (including with children) Mudancehealing.com

    47 min

  3. Jun 10

    Understanding Assisted Living, Memory Care, and Resident Rights Part 2

    Host Brynne Malone (Aging Solutions) continues a conversation with Aleshia Salter (executive director/administrator) and Jessica Johnston (community relations) from an independent, assisted living, and memory care community about what retirement communities offer and how they differ. They define ADLs, explain the value of socialization, and describe continuum-of-care options and the importance of each community’s Washington State “disclosure of services” (what they can/can’t do, e.g., lifts or ostomies). They outline assisted living admission steps (records, physician orders, nurse assessment), individualized care plans, restaurant-style dining, and coaching staff culture. The episode details how levels of care affect cost, what can trigger memory care (wandering), what to look for when touring (activities, staffing, dignity, surprise visits, outdoor access), training requirements, and how communities handle safety-based discharge. They also discuss resident rights around intimacy, consent assessments, and recommend Teepa Snow and Alzheimer’s Association resources. @VineyardParkSouthHill

    57 min

  4. May 18

    What to Ask, Expect, and Plan for When Choosing a Retirement Community

    Host Brynne Malone of Aging Solutions interviews Aleshia Salter, an executive director of a retirement community offering independent living, assisted living, and memory care, and Jessica Johnston, a community relations director, about how to navigate the transition from home to senior living. They explain key roles in a community, why aging adults can be “vulnerable” (especially with cognitive changes), and how crisis events and hidden decline in ADLs often drive moves. The conversation covers culture and leadership, the importance of listening to families, touring tips like meal visits, staffing and communication expectations, and resident safety and grievance processes (including ombudsman, APS, and state oversight). They discuss costs in Spokane, the need to ask directly about Medicaid acceptance and limits, elder-law planning, and how community life can reduce isolation, improve quality of life, and help residents regain purpose. www.AgingSolutionsNW.com @AgingSolutions

    1h 10m

  5. May 11

    Hospice Isn’t What You Think: Benefits, Myths, and How It Supports Families

    Host Brynne Malone of Aging Solutions welcomes hospice liaison Kathleen Giannette to reframe hospice as a holistic, supportive journey rather than something to fear. Kathleen explains her role as a family’s first contact, shares her mother’s hospice experience, and clarifies common misconceptions: hospice can last months to years, focuses on comfort without automatically stopping all medications, and provides rapid access to symptom management, equipment, and terminal-diagnosis prescriptions covered 100% by Medicare. They discuss when to call hospice instead of 911, hospital visits and discharge/readmission, eligibility and recertification, hospice houses and general inpatient hospice, respite care, volunteers, veterans’ pinning ceremonies, what happens at death, and bereavement support for families for about 13 months. www.AgingSolutionsNW.com @AgingSolutions

    54 min

  6. May 10

    Real Estate Decisions for Seniors: Timing, Preparation, and Avoiding Pitfalls with Jake Beal

    Host Brynne Malone of Aging Solutions welcomes licensed real estate broker Jake Beal to discuss today’s real estate market through the lens of adults 65+. They note that 78% of people 65+ own homes, 40% still carry mortgages, and many weigh selling to fund retirement or a move to a retirement community. Beal emphasizes starting conversations 6–12+ months early to reduce stress, plan personal property decisions, and prioritize “lipstick vs. surgery” improvements, including options like roof remediation warranties. He explains pricing strategies using sold and active comps, why spring often yields higher prices than winter, and the difference between appraisers (justification) and realtors (market motivation). They cover listing agreements, typical fees, investor/wholesaler risks, dual agency concerns, contract realities, and the value of interviewing agents and setting communication expectations, while acknowledging the emotional ties and community loss involved in leaving a longtime home. AgingSolutionsNW.com TheBealGroupLLC.com @RealJakeBeal

    54 min

  7. May 10

    Funeral Planning, Pre-Planning, and What Families Should Know

    Host Brynne Malone of Aging Solutions interviews local Pacific Northwest funeral directors Andrew and Julie Adams about funeral planning and pre-planning, aiming to make end-of-life conversations more approachable and consumer-focused. They share how they entered funeral service, discuss traditional versus modern practices, and explain that embalming is generally optional in Washington and what the process entails, including preparation for viewings. The conversation covers what happens after a home death (hospice vs. 911, police, and medical examiner involvement), why “unattended” deaths can delay removal, and how pre-planning can range from documenting wishes to arranging paperwork, costs, music, obituaries, and family messages. They outline cost ranges, the major variability and expense of cemeteries, cremation logistics (including witness cremations and what remains look like), transparency about off-site care centers, and key veterans benefits such as cemetery space, headstones, liners, and honors. www.riplingerfuneralhome.com www.AgingSolutionsNW.com

    1h 25m

  8. Apr 20

    Pre-need and pre-planning for end of life preparations with Chuck Wendt

    Nobody wants to talk about it, but how will we ever know what to do at the end of the life of a loved one if we don't? To bury or cremate? What kind of end of life celebration do you want for yourself? How does your family want to celebrate you? In this candid conversation we speak with Chuck Wendt a pre-planning coordinator. We talk about the process, cost, options and benefits of doing it now until waiting until it's too late. Chuck urges people to have these conversations, because it's not only informative it can be an opportunity for connection.

    42 min

  9. Apr 13

    Twilight Wish PNW: Granting Wishes and Meeting Needs for Low-Income Seniors

    Host Brynne Malone of Aging Solutions introduces Donelle Cross, Pacific Northwest representative for the nonprofit Twilight Wish, which grants wishes and provides support to low-income seniors. Donelle shares her background in social work, geriatrics and caregiving experience. How she discovered Twilight Wish and launched the PNW chapter with grant funding, volunteers, and local fundraising so donated money stays in the community. They discuss the organization’s origin story, eligibility and types of wishes ranging from practical needs like lift chairs, hearing aids, and dentures to end-of-life and bucket-list experiences. They emphasize dignity, combating ageism, and how to volunteer, donate, or apply at twilightwish.org and via Twilight Wish PNW on Instagram.

    25 min

  10. Apr 1

    Settling Two Estates: Lessons on Trusts, Documentation, and Family Communication

    Brynne Malone, founder of Aging Solutions, interviews high school friend Tom Tucker about his experience serving as trustee/executor for two estates. Tom describes settling a friend’s estate that took two years after discovering a trust folder with no trust documents or will, forcing probate, legal fees, and out-of-pocket costs while coordinating with cooperative sisters and managing care-center issues. He then explains the more complex ongoing settlement of his parents’ trust, now over four years, involving many assets, distribution of heirlooms, 10 beneficiaries including special-needs and hardship situations, and differing family expectations and grief. Both discuss how estate settlement can be stressful and that families should “open the vault” by having upfront conversations, keeping trusts updated and funded, clearly documenting wishes, and organizing legal and financial information. Aging Solutions’ “Trinity Plan” documentation system helps to make estate administration faster and less conflict-prone. For more information go to www.AgingSolutionsNW.com or find us on social media for more tips and guidance @AgingSolutions

    41 min

  11. Apr 1

    Estate Planning Essentials in Washington: Wills, Powers of Attorney, Trusts, Probate, and Choosing Fiduciaries

    Host Brynne Malone of Aging Solutions interviews Washington elder law attorney and inactive CPA Julie Olds about core estate planning and fiduciary/advocate responsibilities. Olds outlines a basic plan: reciprocal wills, separate healthcare and financial durable powers of attorney, and a healthcare directive/living will, with added tools like community property agreements, special-needs trusts, charitable bequests, and, in some cases, revocable living trusts. She explains Washington’s non-intervention probate as straightforward and protective (including creditor notice and will-contest time limits), and warns that trusts must be properly funded. They discuss choosing appropriate agents/PRs, risks of springing POAs, guardianship costs if no POA exists, elder financial exploitation (often within families), and the value of family meetings, documenting assets and digital passwords, and planning for long-term care costs and insurance. For more information go to www.AgingSolutionsNW.com or find us on social media for more tips and guidance @AgingSolutions

    1h 25m
  • 11 Episodes

About

Hosted by owner of Aging Solutions and aging advisor of over 25 years, Brynne Malone, this podcast explores the many dynamics and challenges that come with aging. Together with experts, professionals and every day people, Brynne seeks to provide resources and solutions so that the aging years can be lived out well; with intention, connection and fulfillment. For support, services and products go to AgingSolutionsNW.com

Information

  • Creator
    Brynne Malone
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Brynne Malone
  • Show Website
    The Voice of Aging