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This is Your Brain on Mom

This is Your Brain on Mom

By: Aflalo Communications Inc.
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 This Is 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.2025-26. Aflalo Communications Inc. Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • When Humor Is the Only Thing Holding Us Together

    When Humor Is the Only Thing Holding Us Together
    Dec 23 2025
    This episode opens with a family classic: Barry admits (for the second time) to leaving Mom at the airport — “like a matzo ball” — setting the tone for a conversation that swings between laugh-out-loud moments and the brutal reality of caregiving during the holidays. As the jokes land, the heaviness follows. Wendy breaks down a recent interdisciplinary team meeting (ITM) that felt less like collaboration and more like a trial — where Mom’s “behaviors” were listed, her comfort items questioned, and her rapid cognitive decline following a UTI was minimized. We talk about medication cocktails, overstimulation in care facilities, fall risks, and what it feels like to be blamed for a system stretched beyond its limits. We also get honest about burnout — anxiety, exhaustion, and what happens when you’re showing up every day but still feel unheard. This episode isn’t polished or perfectly structured. It’s raw, messy, and real — because that’s what caregiving actually looks like. If you’re listening while caring for someone with dementia, navigating confusing care meetings, or just trying to survive the holidays — please know you’re not alone. Topics include:• Dementia & Alzheimer’s caregiving• Interdisciplinary team meetings (ITMs)• Caregiver burnout & anxiety• UTIs, medications & sudden cognitive decline• Sensory overload in care facilities• Sibling dynamics & family caregiving• Laughing through dysfunction From our dysfunctional family to yours —Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year.Subscribe, follow, leave a review, and tell a friend who needs to hear this. 🎧 This Is Your Brain on Mom — where caregiving is messy, emotional, sometimes funny, and never done alone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • Running on Empty

    Running on Empty
    Dec 16 2025
    In this episode, “Running on Empty,” Wendy and Barry check in from a place many dementia caregivers quietly live in: emotional depletion, constant vigilance, fear, guilt, and the crushing weight of never truly feeling “off duty.” What begins with a long-planned trip to New York quickly turns into another caregiving crisis when a bed suddenly opens at their first-choice memory care facility — and their mom must move immediately. It’s the second time a major transition happens while Wendy is out of town, because caregiving never checks the calendar. From there, the conversation deepens into the reality of caregiver burnout and the toll of relentless change. Over the past year, their mom has lived in multiple hospitals, rehab centers, and care facilities — each move a shock to her system and another layer of emotional trauma for everyone involved. Even when she’s “stable,” nothing feels settled. And stability, when it comes, feels fragile. They reflect on a recent family milestone — joyful, meaningful, and heartbreaking all at once — marking the end of an era and highlighting how dementia reshapes even the most beautiful moments. There is gratitude for what remains: humor, recognition, presence, and flashes of light in a very dark place. But there is also an honest reckoning with fear about what lies ahead. In one of the episode’s most grounding moments, they talk about permission — permission to be exhausted without judgment, to lower your shoulders, to admit this is hard, to stop pretending resilience means never cracking. And yes, permission to laugh — even when the humor is dark — because sometimes laughter is the only relief valve left. If you’re caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s or dementia, living in a constant state of alertness, questioning yourself, and wondering why you’re so tired all the time — this episode will feel painfully familiar. No answers. No pretending it’s okay. Just truth, humor, fear, love — and the reminder that you’re not weak for being worn down. You’re human. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • Caregiver-Approved Gift Guide for Dementia

    Caregiver-Approved Gift Guide for Dementia
    Dec 10 2025
    In this episode of This Is Your Brain on Mom, we dive into the top gift ideas for people living with dementia — curated from real-life experience, caregiver recommendations, and the things we’ve actually bought for our mom. And listen… if anyone wants to send us a giant basket of these products, we will gratefully accept. Caregiving is expensive, okay? We walk through practical, comforting, and dignity-giving gifts that truly make daily life easier. Starting with the dementia-friendly reminder clock — which Barry thought was just a “really nice clock,” but no, it’s literally designed for dementia care. With 20 customizable reminders and an anti-glare screen, it helps with medications, meals, appointments, orientation, and reducing confusion. Next up: digital photo frames. We highlight the Aura frame, a caregiver favorite that allows unlimited photo uploads and can be managed remotely. These frames support memory connection, reduce anxiety, spark conversation, and keep loved ones surrounded by familiar faces and moments. We also share one of our favorite discoveries: Socky Talkies from Beetlebug — adapted socks with easy-pull loops for people with limited dexterity. Independence, dignity, and a bit of hope printed right on the toes. Perfect stocking stuffer territory. Then we get into the Senior Joy Box, a subscription box created specifically for seniors. Cozy items, puzzles, sensory-friendly goodies — each box is meant to send love, connection, and comfort, especially when distance or life gets in the way. They currently only ship in the U.S., but for our American listeners: this one’s gold. And finally: weighted blankets. The caregiver community swears by them for reducing anxiety, calming restlessness, improving sleep, and offering comfort during transitions like hospital visits or moving into long-term care. Many describe it as the feeling of a hug — something every caregiver and every loved one deserves. In this episode we cover: Best dementia-friendly gifts backed by real caregiver experience Why reminder clocks can be life-changing How digital frames support memory and emotional connection Adapted socks that build dignity and independence The Senior Joy Box subscription Why weighted blankets are a top comfort item Caregiver humor, chaos, and our unfiltered sibling commentary If you're shopping for a loved one with dementia — or looking for caregiver-approved tools that truly help — this episode is your go-to guide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    24 mins
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