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Get engulfed in the intense journey of a caregiver who happens to be a comedian. J Smiles use of levity reveals the stress and rewards of caregiving interwoven with her own personal journey. Almost 10 years ago, she was catapulted into caregiving overnight when the shock of her dad's death pushed her mom into Alzheimer's in the blink of an eye. A natural storyteller, her vivid descriptions and impressive recall will place you squarely in each moment of truth, at each fork in the road. She was a single, childless mechanical engineering, product designing, lawyer living a meticulously crafted international existence until she wasn't. The lifestyle shift was immediate. Starting from scratch, she painstakingly carved out useful knowledge and created a beneficial care plan for her mom. J Smiles will fly solo and have expert guests. You will get tips, tricks, trends and TRUTH. Alzheimer's is heavy, we don’t have to be. All caregivers are welcome to snuggle up, Parent Up!
Audio family! We shot this episode on location at Dad's Garage, but we made sure to include our listeners to get insight on what we learned. This episode explores the transformative power of improvisational comedy in dementia...
We had a great time connecting with Author Karen Weaver, author of Reaching Up For Comfort. She has been a caregiver for her late husband, late mom, and late father, though she has also volunteered with her church, neighbors,...
Join us as we speak with Omar Alvarez about volunteering with elders, his grandfather, Puerto Rican culture and how each of these played a part in helping him to develop KINNECT - a family legacy app that helps preserve famil...
In honor of Delta Sigma Theta's Founder’s Day, look back with us on the care of Zetty’s phenomenal line sisters from Hampton University! See how they all rallied to find out what happened to their ‘Kitty Boo’ and to make sure...
Parenting Up! family, thank you for an amazing year! We hit some major milestones, surpassing 100 episodes and 100 subscribers on YouTube, plus some incredible episodes with memorable guests and we could not have done it with...
We know that you may think Zetty was from the south and surely was known for some famous recipes we grew up enjoying - but that's not exactly what I remember about my mom during the holidays. Zetty may not have been baking ho...
“I'm On Edge Of Quitting Caregiving” Everybody has a bad day. What are signs that you need an immediate break from caregiving? I’m J Smiles, comedian, Alzheimer’s and Dementia activist, and family caregiver. You may know me…
“Advocating 101: Partner with the provider – chatting with “Eclectic” Dawn Your Loved One Doesn’t Have to Have Alzheimer’s or Dementia For You to be Part of the Parenting Up Family: 5 Reasons You Became a C…
“Keeping Mom Independent: A Chat with Kim Cooper” How to Give Your Loved one Independence for a Better Quality of Life I’m J Smiles, comedian, Alzheimer’s and Dementia activist, and family caregiver. You may know me f…