The Alcomy Podcast

Ilija Vrajich
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Business

A podcast to help you build, grow and thrive in the future of care.  We came from the industry and owned and operated our own facilities.  On The Alcomy Podcast we will interview people who are thriving and find out exactly how they do it. 

Episodes

  1. Jul 16

    Linda on the Power of Music in Care Homes

    Audrey’s Angels: Bringing Live Music to Small Senior Care Homes to Fight Loneliness and Support Dementia Care Host Ilija Vrajich interviews Linda from Audrey’s Angels, a nonprofit founded in October 2001 after her family placed a great aunt with dementia in a small licensed care home, inspiring them to bring live music and crafts to small senior homes across Arizona. Linda describes how musicians are trained to engage residents through eye contact, conversation, and personalized songs, and how music can awaken memories in dementia because music memory is among the last affected areas of the brain.  Linda shares observed benefits such as improved mood, eating, sleep, and reduced combativeness, plus positive effects on caregivers.  Contact: audreysangels.org, 602-795-2122. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:32 Origin Story Audrey's Angels 01:42 Discovering Small Care Homes 02:59 Launching Music Visits 03:56 Why Music Connects 05:17 Loneliness and COVID Pivot 08:52 Crafts and Hidden Histories 09:50 Brain Science of Music 12:38 Live vs Recorded Impact 15:56 Carryover Benefits and Calm 17:48 Funding and Volunteer Musicians 20:09 Joy for Caregivers Too 21:09 How Others Can Start 22:39 Lessons Learned Scheduling 24:31 Best Practices and Consistency 28:12 Final Takeaway and Contact

  2. Jul 9

    Dr. Patel on Integrative Medicine (including Cannabis) in Senior Care

    Dr. Neal Patel on De-prescribing, Dementia Risk, Medical Cannabis, and Red Light Therapy in Senior Care The host interviews Dr. Neal Patel, a board-certified family medicine physician in Orange, California, who focuses on geriatric care and cognitive health, volunteers with Alzheimer’s Orange County, and advocates integrative modalities including cannabis, fasting, psilocybin, and red light therapy. Patel describes his path into medicine, varied early-career roles, and how acquiring a retiring physician’s geriatric panel led him into memory care and house calls. He critiques “problem equals pill” medicine, emphasizing deprescribing, patient ownership, and having an exit strategy for medications, while noting dementia affects whole families and citing research that about 45% of dementia risk is modifiable. He explains cannabis via the endocannabinoid system, discusses THC vs CBD, outlines U.S. scheduling and research implications, and shares practical considerations for red light therapy quality, plus views on future mainstream modalities like fasting, sound/frequency medicine, and AI as a tool. Find Dr. Patel on:  Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@drnealhpatel Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drnealhpatel/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/drnealhpatel Website - https://phantommed.com/ 00:00 Welcome And Guest Intro 01:05 How They Met 01:41 Patel Origin Story 03:38 Geriatrics And Memory Care 05:02 Breaking The Pill Habit 08:34 Exit Strategies For Meds 10:12 Family Buy In And Comfort Zones 12:10 Dementia Risk And Prevention 15:53 Cannabis For Parkinsons 17:11 Endocannabinoid System Explained 19:17 THC Vs CBD For Seniors 21:43 Legality Scheduling And Research 25:21 Big Pharma Meets Cannabis 25:43 Politics Over Medicine 27:34 California Cannabis Reality 28:46 Doctors Nurses Patient Honesty 29:45 Broken Records Medication Lists 31:54 Trust Privacy In Care 32:53 Red Light Therapy Basics 36:54 Buying Quality Red Light 39:22 Future Healing Trends 41:23 Fasting And Mental Reset 43:40 Hope Empowerment Closing 45:20 How To Reach Dr Patel

  3. Jun 25

    Lizzie on Burnout Prevention

    2-Minute Moves for Caregiver Energy & Burnout Prevention  Alcomy Podcast host Ilija Vrajich welcomes workplace wellbeing speaker and author Lizzie Williamson, dubbed the “Excuse Buster from Down Under,” to discuss how small, consistent movement breaks can improve mental health, energy, and performance in high-stress care environments. Lizzie shares her story of postpartum depression and how starting with a single plié at her kitchen bench led to her “Two Minute Moves” approach and broader wellbeing work. She explains the “inner pharmacy” concept and cites research including Stanford findings that walking boosts creative output by 60%, and that workplace stretching can reduce musculoskeletal pain and injuries by 72%, while microbreaks support mood, stress regulation, and connection. They discuss practical two-minute options for caregivers—walking, breathing with arm reaches, shadow boxing to release stress, and lower-back extension stretches—plus habit stacking and celebrating small wins to build consistency. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:03 Rapid Fire Fitness Picks 05:00 Excuse Buster Origin Story 10:31 Two Minute Moves Mindset 12:48 Inner Pharmacy Science 17:47 Why We Don’t Move 19:56 Caregiver Two Minute Reset 23:00 Open Up and Reset 23:41 Micro Moves at Work 24:59 Stats That Prove It 28:30 Making Movement Normal 31:05 Pit Stops for Energy 37:18 Habit Stacking Consistency 41:49 Where to Find Lizzie 42:28 Oxygen Mask Reminder 44:19 Final Thanks and Challenge

  4. Jun 18

    Dr. Elia on Happiness, Self-Care, and Gratitude

    Happiness, Self-Care, and Gratitude in High-Stress Residential Care with Dr. Elia Grougouris Host Ilija Vrajich welcomes Dr. Elia Grougouris—international keynote speaker, author on happiness and positive leadership, and host of “The Happy Hour”—to the Alcomy Podcast about innovation and compassion in residential care. Elia explains his lifelong focus on happiness, shaped by his mother’s dying wish that he be happy and his subsequent grief. He identifies self-forgiveness as the most common barrier to happiness and describes a process that helps people release guilt and move on. For high-stress residential care environments, he emphasizes non-negotiable self-care to prevent burnout, especially daily movement and “gratitude walks,” plus kindness and self-compassion. He outlines how happy cultures improve health, retention, teamwork, creativity, care quality, and business outcomes, and advises leaders to clarify expectations and the “why,” not to procrastinate happiness, and to take action. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:15 Travel Icebreaker Game 03:21 Greece Travel Tips 04:29 Third Option Mindset 08:11 Why Happiness Matters 10:14 Loss That Changed Everything 12:58 Self Forgiveness Key 15:51 Forgiveness Process and Freedom 17:56 Authenticity and Letting Go 18:52 Caregiving Stress Setup 19:04 Self Care Under Stress 21:13 Burnout Wake Up Call 22:13 Daily Movement Habit 23:19 Gratitude Walks Boost Mood 25:12 Connection Through Calls 26:22 Kindness And Compassion 28:39 Building A Happiness Culture 32:43 Simplify Expectations And Why 35:02 Leading Change With Care 38:13 Final Takeaways And Action

  5. Jun 12

    Brandon on Investing in Assisted Living

    Unfortunately, our recording got cut off at the end. Do you think we should have him on again? Let us know! Brandon Gustafson of Assisted Living Investing has so many valuable insights! Make sure to contact him if you have any questions about getting in to Assisted Living. https://www.assistedlivinginvesting.net/blog/Welcome

  6. Jun 4

    Becky on Building a Family-Run Assisted Living Community

    The Alcomy Podcast

  • 6 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

A podcast to help you build, grow and thrive in the future of care.  We came from the industry and owned and operated our own facilities.  On The Alcomy Podcast we will interview people who are thriving and find out exactly how they do it. 

Information

  • Creator
    Ilija Vrajich
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Alcomy Podcast