Patty's Place

Lisa
  • 4.3 (7)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

A place to talk about grief, dementia and caregiving. A place to find comfort when you are going through a difficult time. A place to know you are not alone as you go through this difficult time.

  1. 3d ago ·  Video

    Cooking Can Carry You Through Grief-Interview with Patti Comeau-Simonson

    I would love to hear from you. Send me questions or comments. The worst part of grief is not only the pain, it’s the awkward silence around it. People want to help, but they reach for the same tired lines, and you’re left holding heartbreak while also managing everyone else’s comfort. We talk with Patty Camo Simonson, a peer grief specialist and bereavement professional, about what actually supports a grieving person and why “they’re in a better place” can land so wrong when you’re just trying to get through the next hour. Patty shares her own lived experience with stacked losses, including losing her mom and then her husband to cancer, and how hospice care became a turning point for her family. We dig into what hospice and bereavement services can offer, why caregiver respite matters, and how peer-led grief support groups work when they are set up with real training and clear boundaries. One of the most memorable threads is healing through the kitchen. Patty’s book, Recipes for Healing: Working Through Grief One Plate at a Time, is part teaching memoir and part cookbook, built on the idea that cooking can ground you, give you a small sense of control, and bring loved ones close through memory and ritual. We also talk about the words that help, the words that sting, and why you should never stop saying the person’s name. If you’re navigating grief, dementia, caregiving, or bereavement counseling decisions, you’ll leave with practical language, clearer options, and hope that feels honest. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the support they’ve been missing. Support the show

    41 min

  2. Jun 19 ·  Video

    Light As Medicine-Interview with Sarah Turner

    I would love to hear from you. Send me questions or comments. Your energy, sleep, and brain might be running on something you barely think about: light. We talk with Sarah Turner, founder and CEO of Sarah Thrive (CERAThrive), about why modern indoor life can create a real “light deficiency,” especially when we miss the red and near-infrared wavelengths our bodies evolved with at sunrise and sunset. Sarah breaks down how light influences hormonal signals, mood, and circadian rhythm, and why the timing of blue light from phones can quietly tell your body it’s midday at the exact moments you need to feel calm and ready for rest.  We also get practical and specific about mitochondrial health. If mitochondria make ATP and ATP powers everything, what happens when your environment is sending the wrong signals all day long? Sarah shares what she saw firsthand in neurodegeneration research and Parkinson’s clinical trials using near-infrared light delivered close to the head, including meaningful changes that ripple into daily function and caregiver relationships. She explains photobiomodulation in plain language, why it’s gaining traction in both clinical and wellness settings, and how it may support brain blood flow, oxygenation, sleep quality, and overall resilience.  We connect the dots to the gut-brain axis too, including inflammation, the vagus nerve, and why supporting the gut can matter for long-term cognitive health. You’ll leave with simple, low-cost steps you can try today: get outside for sunrise before you touch your phone, reduce evening screen time, and make your light environment work for you instead of against you. If this helps, subscribe, share the episode with a caregiver or friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. https://www.cerathrive.com/ Support the show

    31 min

  3. Jun 17 ·  Video

    How To Get The Struggle Bus Moving-Interview with Laura Sharp-Waites

    I would love to hear from you. Send me questions or comments. Some days feel so heavy you can’t even tell what you’re feeling, you just know you’re tired. When grief is fresh, when dementia caregiving never really “turns off,” or when life keeps stacking one problem on top of another, it can start to feel like God is far away. We talk about that reality openly and without polishing it up, because spiritual life doesn’t stop when things get dark, it just gets more honest. I’m joined by Laura Sharp Waits, a licensed minister and the voice behind At the Counter with the Baking Pastor. Laura shares simple, practical ways to steady yourself when your mind is full: taking a quick inventory of what’s swirling in your head, journaling to “download” the noise, and looking for tiny gratitude moments that can get the struggle bus into first gear. We also dig into what it means to feel distant from God, why community and prayer partners matter, and how to ask for support when you don’t even know what you need. We go straight at the hard stuff too: caregiver guilt, loneliness after everyone goes home, and the anger you might feel toward God. Laura explains why grief isn’t only about death, it’s about change, lost routines, and compound loss, and why there’s no timeline you have to obey. Along the way, we talk about slowing down in a quick-fix culture, noticing God in ordinary moments, and finding hope even when you can’t see the light yet. If you’re looking for faith-based grief support, encouragement for dementia caregivers, and grounded steps you can take today, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more listeners can find Patty’s Place. Support the show

    31 min

  4. Jun 10 ·  Video

    Choosing The End-Interview with Author Theresa Evans

    I would love to hear from you. Send me questions or comments. A planned goodbye sounds impossible until you hear what it actually looks like inside a family that chooses it. We’re joined by Teresa Evans, an author and former ICU nurse, to talk about her book *Choosing to Die* and the final months she spends with her mother in Ontario as her mom pursues medical assistance in dying (MAID). Teresa brings both clinical clarity and daughter-level honesty to a topic that’s often buried under fear, politics, and silence. We walk through what MAID is, how the medical aid in dying process works, and why safeguards like capacity assessments and real-time consent matter. We also zoom out to the bigger end-of-life planning picture: advance directives, durable power of attorney for health care, and the hard but necessary family conversations that keep people from feeling trapped when suffering becomes intolerable. If you’ve been searching for guidance on assisted dying laws in Canada and the United States, or what a compassionate end-of-life option can look like, you’ll find practical context here. The conversation also meets dementia caregiving head-on. We talk about anticipatory grief, the reality that dementia can block access to MAID because consent may be impossible at the end, and how caregivers carry loss long before a death occurs. Teresa shares a powerful metaphor from her mother’s garden, reminding us that love, presence, and thoughtful preparation can change the emotional texture of a goodbye. If this resonated, subscribe, share the episode with a caregiver or sibling, and leave us a review so more families can find these conversations when they need them most. Support the show

    35 min

  5. Jun 3 ·  Video

    The Village Solution-Interview with author Carl Nassar

    I would love to hear from you. Send me questions or comments. Loneliness doesn’t always look like being alone. Sometimes it looks like being a caregiver with a full calendar, a heavy heart, and nobody to hand the weight to. I sit down with psychotherapist and writer Carl Nassar, author of The Village Solution, to name the thing so many of us feel but struggle to explain: we’re exhausted because we’re living without the kind of village humans evolved to rely on. Carl walks us through how village life used to spread care, work, and emotional support across a whole community and how consumer culture quietly replaced that with isolation, striving, and the promise that the “right stuff” will bring our people near. We talk about why ads hit so hard, why achievement can become its own trap, and why even the hero’s journey makes more sense when the real ending is a return to belonging. We even bring in Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin as a surprisingly accurate map for building a community that accepts us the way we are. We also get practical about what to do when grief, trauma, or dementia caregiving makes you feel cut off. Carl shares what “village support” actually looks like today, from therapy and grief circles to intentionally showing up for a small group every week and letting care spill into real life. We close with two grounded tools you can start practicing right now: stillness and compassion, the qualities that make it safer to be honest and easier to be together. If this conversation helps you feel a little less alone, subscribe, share it with someone who needs a village, and leave a review so more caregivers and grievers can find Patty’s Place. Support the show

    34 min

  6. May 27 ·  Video

    Caregiver Support Is The Best Medicine-Interview with Dr. Warren Wong

    I would love to hear from you. Send me questions or comments. We sit down with Dr. Warren Wong to rethink what dementia care should look like when the goal is love, dignity, and real quality of life for both the person living with memory loss and the caregiver. We share hard truths about emergencies, wandering, and burnout, plus practical ways to build trust and get meaningful support instead of trying to white knuckle it alone.  • Dr. Wong’s journey into geriatrics and the PACE model for keeping seniors in the community  • Why “call 911” can trigger hospitalization and loss of independence for frail older adults  • Cultural expectations and caregiver guilt that block families from asking for help  • Our personal story of refusal to test, crisis diagnosis, and the overwhelm of finding memory care  • Trust building, routine resistance, and the green light yellow light red light days  • Why showering can be terrifying and how to approach care with more safety  • Medicare GUIDE, caregiver training, respite options, and 24 7 dementia support  • Care navigation versus care coordination and why checklists are not enough  • Dementia villages, memory cafes, and social connection as part of care  • “Doing to” versus “doing for” versus “doing with” as a dignity framework  • Wandering risk and why the first 24 hours matter  Make sure you leave us a review or subscribe to our YouTube channel  Support the show

    41 min

  7. May 20

    Stop Saying “Let Me Know If You Need Anything”-Interview with Kelly Edmundson

    I would love to hear from you. Send me questions or comments. The funeral ends, the messages slow down, and suddenly the calendar becomes the hardest part of grief. We sit down with Kelly Edmondson, founder and CEO of Timely Presence, to talk about what support should look like after the sympathy flowers are gone and real life returns. As a former trauma nurse and now a certified grief counselor, Kelly brings both clinical experience and the honesty of living through profound loss as a bereaved mother. We get specific about the moments that sting: a loved one’s birthday, Mother’s Day, the holiday season, and the first anniversary of death. Kelly explains why “If you need anything, let me know” often fails, and what helps more: steady, practical presence that doesn’t ask the griever to manage everyone else’s discomfort. We also talk about grief brain and the hidden symptoms people don’t expect, from exhaustion and low motivation to forgetfulness and trouble focusing at work, especially when bereavement leave runs out long before you feel like yourself again. Kelly walks us through how Timely Presence supports someone through the first year with heirloom-quality memorial gifts delivered on key dates, including an engraved memory box, interactive wind chimes, a crystal votive candle holder, and a 3D photo crystal keepsake. We also explore creating new rituals, planning for triggers, and why even pet loss can feel like a “loud absence” after years of caregiving routines. Year-Long Sympathy & Memorial Gift Collections | Timely Presence If you’ve ever wanted to show up better for someone grieving, or you’re trying to navigate your own loss with more tenderness and less isolation, listen through and share this with a friend. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what milestone date is hardest for you to face. Support the show

    31 min

  8. May 13

    What An End Of Life Doula Really Does For Families-Interview with Victoria Volk

    I would love to hear from you. Send me questions or comments. Grief gets treated like a single moment, but for caregivers it’s often a long, exhausting season. We sit down with Victoria Volk, certified grief specialist and creator of Grieving Voices, to talk about what actually helps when dementia caregiving, hospice decisions, and anticipatory grief collide. She explains what an end-of-life doula does, why hospice is often introduced too late, and how a supportive advocate can protect a patient’s wishes while easing pressure on the family.  We also dig into a definition of grief that reaches far beyond death: the loss of hopes, dreams, and expectations. That one shift changes how we understand caregiver burnout, anger, and the ways old losses can resurface when a new crisis hits. Victoria walks us through grief recovery as an evidence-based method for addressing emotional pain, including the hard truth that you can’t always get the apology you deserve, but you can still become emotionally complete.  Finally, we call out the grief myths many of us learned early, like “be strong,” “replace the loss,” and “time heals all wounds,” and we talk about boundaries that protect your energy without shutting people out. If you’re navigating hospice care, end-of-life planning, dementia, or the messy reality of grief in the body, this conversation offers practical language and real relief. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more caregivers can find this support. https://theunleashedheart.com/ Support the show

    41 min
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4.3
out of 5
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About

A place to talk about grief, dementia and caregiving. A place to find comfort when you are going through a difficult time. A place to know you are not alone as you go through this difficult time.

Information

  • Creator
    Lisa
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Patty's Place
  • Show Website
    Patty's Place