Grandma Has ADHD: Jami Shapiro on Late Diagnosis and New Beginnings
Release Date: 11/10/2025
Hacking Your ADHD
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Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I’m your host, William Curb, and I have ADHD. On this podcast, I dig into the tools, tactics, and best practices to help you work with your ADHD brain. Today, I’m joined by Skye Waterson for our research recap series. In this series, we take a single research paper and dive into what it says, how it was conducted, and any practical takeaways. In this episode, we’re discussing a paper titled "The Effects of Subclinical ADHD Symptomatology on Subjective Financial, Physical, and Mental Wellbeing of Entrepreneurs and Employees." Essentially, this study looks at...
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info_outlineHacking Your ADHD
Welcome to Hacking Your ADHD. I’m your host, William Curb. Today I’m joined by Skye Waterson for our research recap series. In this series, we dive into a single research paper to see what it says, how it was conducted, and find any practical takeaways. In this episode, we’re discussing a paper called "Association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and intestinal disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis." It’s a fascinating one because they started with nearly 2,000 papers and narrowed it down to 11 high-quality studies. If you'd life to follow along on the show...
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This week, I’m talking with Jami Shapiro, ADHD coach, founder of Silver Linings Transitions, and host of the Grandma Has ADHD podcast. Jami has also recently published her book This Explains So Much, which dives into the world of undiagnosed ADHD in people over 50. Jami brings a wealth of experience from her work helping older adults downsize and organize their lives.
In our conversation, we dig into what aging looks like with ADHD, from memory changes to social isolation, and how curiosity, compassion, and the power of community can make a huge difference. We get into the challenges of different stages of life, how ADHD can be mistaken for dementia, and what it means to build understanding across generations.
I think this is definitely an episode for everyone, as no matter how you slice it, we’re all going to be facing these issues someday, and because of the genetic nature of ADHD, you likely already have someone in your life dealing with these issues.
If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page, you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/256
YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD
This Episode's Top Tips
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- Many symptoms that get labeled as “senior moments” (forgetting names, losing track of appointments, or misplacing items) can actually be longstanding ADHD traits that are finally being noticed. Forgetfulness that comes from ADHD doesn’t need memory-care protocols; instead, it needs ADHD strategies such as reminders, structure, external cues, and tools like smartwatches or calendars.
- As we age, we can risk drifting into isolation, and this can be especially true with ADHD. We already struggle with time blindness, motivation, and this can easily lead to dropping the ball on keeping up with friends and family. This means it’s important that we’re scheduling regular check-ins with friends and doing things like joining a hobby group.
- We can revisit our relationships and recognize that your parents (or kids) with ADHD were just trying to do their best; reframing these patterns can transform your relationship. Instead of replaying the same old fights, you start from a place of compassion. It’s not about forgiving the past; it’s about giving context and finding a way to move forward with the relationship.