Dementia Caregiving: How Play Can Create Connection, Joy & Presence | Glenna Hecht
- E157
- 35:08
- October 30th 2026
What if one of the most meaningful ways to connect with a loved one with dementia is to meet them where they are?
In this episode, Isabel Melgarejo talks with Glenna Hecht, speaker, award-winning author of How Old Are You Today?, leadership strategist, and former caregiver for her mother, who lived with dementia for nine years.
Glenna shares how she went from trying to fix her mother's dementia to learning how to enter her mother's reality through observation, listening, play, and connection.
She tells the story of how a simple question—“How old are you today?”—became a game and eventually a ritual that allowed her to connect with her mother, learn things about her she had never known, and create moments of joy throughout the dementia journey.
Glenna and Isabel also discuss living in the present, letting go of the need to correct, taking caregiving one step at a time, and giving yourself grace when the journey feels overwhelming.
This is a heartfelt conversation about dementia caregiving, Alzheimer's, family relationships, connection, and finding moments of love and joy in the middle of a difficult journey.
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www.howoldareyoutoday.com
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www.glennahecht.com
A Time to Care: The Caregivers Podcast
I’m Isabel Melgarejo, and I was raised never to talk about the uncomfortable things in life and to put myself after everyone else’s needs (just like any other woman I know). In college, after Dad’s passing, I had to change all my beliefs. I had to talk about death, about my mom’s future, and I had to ask for a LOT of favors.
After connecting with many caregivers when I moved to Texas and remembering one of the toughest seasons in my life, I created a program to help caregivers navigate these very uncomfortable conversations and help them through their particular journeys with their loved ones. In this podcast, I want to share advice on how to prioritize your mental health, how to have those difficult conversations, and how to talk you out of feeling guilty and overwhelmed.