#210 I Don't Have Time For That
Focused Healthy Family Podcast
In this episode of the Focused Healthy Family podcast, Gina and Don explore the powerful role hobbies play in healthy aging—especially for seniors who have retired and suddenly find themselves with extra time and fewer daily responsibilities. Retirement can be a joyful transition, but it can also bring boredom, loneliness, and a loss of purpose. Drawing from insights shared by caregivers and older adults, Gina and Don discuss simple, practical ways seniors can develop hobbies at home to relax, stay engaged, and find fulfillment. From reading, puzzles, gardening, and crafts to listening to...
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#209 Facing Feeling Part 2: Personal Caregivers...More
Focused Healthy Family Podcast
Facing Feelings - Part 3: In this heartfelt episode of the Focused Healthy Family Podcast, Gina and Don Grothoff open an honest conversation about the emotional challenges faced by personal caregivers. Drawing from their experiences as mindset coaches and family advocates, they explore the complex feelings that often accompany caregiving—chronic stress, guilt, anticipatory grief, anger, resentment, loneliness, and the painful loss of self that can lead to burnout and exhaustion. Referencing insights from the Cleveland Clinic’s article on caregiver burnout and The New York...
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#208 Facing Feeling Part 2: Personal Caregivers
Focused Healthy Family Podcast
Facing Feelings - Part 2: In this heartfelt episode of the Focused Healthy Family Podcast, Gina and Don Grothoff open an honest conversation about the emotional challenges faced by personal caregivers. Drawing from their experiences as mindset coaches and family advocates, they explore the complex feelings that often accompany caregiving—chronic stress, guilt, anticipatory grief, anger, resentment, loneliness, and the painful loss of self that can lead to burnout and exhaustion. Referencing insights from the Cleveland Clinic’s article on caregiver burnout and The New York...
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#207 Facing Feeling: Aging Loved Ones
Focused Healthy Family Podcast
When a family is caring for an aging loved one, everyone is affected—but often the emotions of the aging person themselves are the least talked about. In this episode of Focused Healthy Family, Gina and Don begin a new series exploring the emotional experiences of every member of the family during the aging journey. Today’s focus is on the aging loved one: their fears, frustrations, grief, loss of independence, and the unspoken emotions that often come out through behavior rather than words. The conversation is deeply personal as Gina shares the story behind “The Hostage,” a song...
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#206 Why 92% of Goals Fail—and What to Do Instead
Focused Healthy Family Podcast
As a new year begins, many families feel the pressure to “set goals” and hope this year will be different. But should we really be focusing on goals at all? In this episode of Focused Healthy Family, Gina and Don take a thoughtful look at the New Year mindset and ask an important question: Are goals setting us up for success—or disappointment? Referencing research shared by Psychology Today, they discuss why nearly 92% of goals are never achieved, and what actually gets in the way for most people. The conversation explores the differences between goals, intentions, and decisions, and why...
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#205 Best of 2025 - #186 Guiding the Journey: Understanding Care Managers & Dementia Awareness
Focused Healthy Family Podcast
Gina and Don replay #186 Dementia. In this episode of the Focused Healthy Family podcast, Gina and Don sit down with Jennifer Douds from AnswersforAging.com to dive into the world of Care Management. We explore what Care Managers do, how they guide families through complex senior care decisions, and why their role is such a valuable support system for caregivers. Jennifer also shares insights about the Second Wind Dreams Virtual Dementia Tour, a powerful program that helps people step into the shoes of someone living with dementia—offering a deeper understanding and empathy for both families...
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#204 Best of 2025 - #149 Functional Medicine with Dr. Julia Ward
Focused Healthy Family Podcast
Gina and Don replay the #149 about naturopathic healing. Dr. Julia Ward is a compassionate and pioneering physician with over a decade of expertise in functional medicine, offering a holistic, patient-centered approach to health and wellness. After earning her medical degree from the University of Southern California and serving in the U.S. Navy, where she practiced general, urgent, and emergency medicine both domestically and abroad, she faced personal health challenges that led her to functional medicine. Frustrated by the limitations of conventional care, Dr. Ward embraced a root-cause...
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#203 Best of 2025 - #178 Supporting Seniors at Home: A Conversation with Stuart Madow of Visiting Angels
Focused Healthy Family Podcast
Gina and Don playback #178 Aging in Place. In this episode of the Focused Healthy Family Podcast, Don and Gina welcome Stuart Madow from Visiting Angels to explore the importance of compassionate in-home care for seniors. Stuart shares his extensive experience working with families to help older adults age in place safely and comfortably. The conversation highlights the many services Visiting Angels offers — from companionship and personal care to respite support for family caregivers — and how their personalized approach brings peace of mind to both seniors and their loved ones. We dive...
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#202 Best of 2025 - #184 From Medicare to Money: Protecting Seniors from Fraud
Focused Healthy Family Podcast
Gina and Don replay #184 talking with Sydney about fraud. In this episode, Gina and Don sit down with Sydney Hartnett of Hartnett Health to discuss an important and timely topic: senior scams and fraud prevention. From health insurance scams to the growing problem of Medicare fraud, Sydney shares her expertise and practical tips to help protect aging loved ones from becoming victims. We explore the different types of scams targeting seniors, why they are so prevalent, and most importantly—what families can do to safeguard themselves. Whether it’s understanding common red flags, setting up...
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#201 Best of 2025 - #170 Talking Parkinson's with Rich London
Focused Healthy Family Podcast
Gina and Don replay #170 Talking Parkinsons with Rich London. Richard London has been an accomplished businessman, entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker. He is a 22 year cancer survivor and has lived with Parkinson’s disease for the last 20 years. His books, A Handbook for Life and A Handbook for Happiness, and audio CDs, 10 Things Every Person With Parkinson’s Must Know and 10 Things Every Caregiver Must Know, have helped many people achieve goals, overcome obstacles, and enjoy their lives. Richard has traveled across the United States and Canada as a keynote...
info_outlineGina (half-awake): “Ugh... Don, wake up… again.”
Don (groaning): “Seriously, Gina? Another alarm? Is this what adulthood is supposed to feel like?”
Sound effect: Alarm continues, faint sunrise ambiance fades in.
Welcome back to Focused Healthy Family! In this heartfelt episode, Gina and Don wake up—quite literally—with a jolt, setting the stage for a warm and approachable dive into a sleep struggle that’s all too real for so many families: the changing sleep patterns and nighttime challenges faced by older adults.
Together, Gina and Don explore why older adults often:
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Experience shifts in their circadian rhythms, feeling sleepy earlier in the day and waking up at the crack of dawn—what experts call a phase advance Sleep Foundation.
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Have more fragmented and lighter sleep, spending less time in deep, restorative stages and waking more often through the night Sleep Foundation.
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Struggle even more with routine changes—like daylight saving time or traveling—due to a slower recovery in adjusting internal body clocks Sleep Foundation.
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Have sleep interrupted by health-related factors: chronic pain, nighttime bathroom trips (nocturia, affecting up to 80% of older adults), insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome (affecting 9–20%), and even REM sleep behavior disorder, where dreams are acted out physically Sleep Foundation.
It’s a delicately layered picture—one that listeners likely recognize, even if they haven’t pinned a name or explanation to it. Gina and Don bring these realities to life through stories, gentle humor, and practical empathy.
Gina (later): “Well, maybe that alarm wasn’t so bad—got us talking about something important.”
Don (smiles): “Early bird or not, here’s to better sleep—together.”
This lighting-hearted yet informative episode blends cozy realism with expert-backed guidance, making it a perfect pick for family members, caregivers, or anyone who’s noticed the nighttime shuffle isn’t quite the same anymore.
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