Untangling Caring for a Mom in a Care Home with Loretta Woodward Veney artwork
AlzAuthors: Untangling Alzheimer's & Dementia

Untangling Caring for a Mom in a Care Home with Loretta Woodward Veney

  • S2020E3
  • 36:26
  • November 16th 2020

When her beloved mother, Doris, was diagnosed with dementia in 2006, Loretta Woodward Veney began learning everything she could about the disease and hoped to share that information so others could be more prepared than she was for this devastating diagnosis. In 2013, that hope turned into Loretta's first book, "Being My Mom’s Mom: A Journey Through Dementia from a Daughter’s Perspective," which highlights the first six years of the family's dementia journey. This book was recently updated to include the second half of her family’s dementia journey.

Loretta is a trainer, author, and motivational speaker. She’s a retired 35-year security management professional who spent the first 15 years of her career managing security personnel before starting her own training company offering topics including security management and operations, leadership, conflict resolution and communication skills. By mid- 2013, Loretta began receiving requests for presentations on her caregiver experience, and since that time has given more than 275 presentations and keynote addresses.

Loretta and her family’s story have been featured in a PBS special called "Alzheimer’s: The Caregiver’s Perspective," and in articles in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and AARP’s feature page on caregivers. She was selected as the 2019 Trailblazer of the Year by Johns Hopkins Medicine. She has also authored a coloring book for seniors entitled "Colors Flowing from My Mind," and an inspirational photo book entitled "Refreshment for the Caregiver’s Spirit."

Read Loretta’s AlzAuthors posts:

Meet Loretta Woodward Veney, Author of Being My Mom’s Mom, July 7, 2016

Loretta Woodward Veney Updates Her Memoir, Being My Mom’s Mom, May 26, 2020

Start reading "Being My Mom’s Mom: A Journey Through Dementia from a Daughter’s Perspective": https://amzn.to/2BCS18s

Connect with Loretta Veney

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lwveney

Conquering Life Blog: https://lwveney.wordpress.com

Website: https://lorettaveney.com

About the Podcast

AlzAuthors is the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer’s and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Our podcast introduces you to our authors who share their stories and insights to provide knowledge, comfort, and support. Please subscribe so you don’t miss a word. If our authors’ stories move you, please leave a review. And don’t forget to share our podcast with family and friends on their own dementia journeys.

We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization totally reliant on donations to do what we do. Your generosity will help cover our many operating costs, which include website hosting and maintenance fees, service charges to keep things running smoothly, and marketing expenses to promote our authors, expand our content, improve our reach, and more. Our ongoing work supports our mission to lift the silence and stigma of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. To sustain our efforts please visit https://alzauthors.com/donate/ .

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Ideas and opinions expressed in this podcast belong to the speakers and not AlzAuthors. Always consult your healthcare provider and legal and financial consultants for advice on any of the topics covered here.

AlzAuthors: Untangling Alzheimer's & Dementia

Welcome to the AlzAuthors podcast! We’re so glad you found us. We are the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Join us each week as one of our authors shares their dementia journey, revealing intimate details and painfully obtained knowledge to help others currently on this path. We hope our stories offer comfort and support as we strive to break the silence and stigma surrounding a dementia diagnosis. May one of our authors speak to your experience. For more info please visit https://alzauthors.com.

Ideas and opinions expressed in this podcast belong to the speakers and not AlzAuthors. Always consult your healthcare provider and legal and financial consultants for advice on any of the topics covered here.


Meet Our Hosts

Marianne Sciucco avatar
Marianne Sciucco
Podcast Producer and Host

Marianne Sciucco is a registered nurse, dementia daughter, and author of the novel Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer’s love story, based on a couple she met through her work. It is a testament to the power of love in the face of this heart-wrenching disease. Marianne cared for hundreds of dementia patients over a 20+-year nursing career. She provided care to her stepfather during his dementia journey, and witnessed the painful decline of four beloved aunts to the disease. She's a founding member of AlzAuthors, sits on the Board, and is a director and manager. She can talk about AlzAuthors all day.

Christy Byrne Yates avatar
Christy Byrne Yates
Co-host and Producer

Christy Byrne Yates is a Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP), retired school psychologist, author, speaker and coach/consultant. Her book, Building a Legacy of Love: Thriving in the Sandwich Generation recounts her journey as a working mother of two who also managed the care of her parents, both of whom had some form of dementia. Combining her lived experience with her professional expertise in human development, wellness and a strengths based approach to finding solutions, Christy develops content, workshops and coaching to support Sandwiched families. She incorporates meditation, mindfulness and other evidence based mind/body practices into her work. She’s worked with care communities, financial professionals, estate planners and employers. Christy has a master’s degree in counseling psychology, and graduate credentials in both education and school psychology.

Support Us

AlzAuthors is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization totally reliant on donations to do what we do. The podcast is one way we provide knowledge, comfort, and support to busy caregivers desperate for information. Your generosity will help us to continue our mission to lift the silence and stigma that often accompanies a dementia diagnosis. Please consider making a donation. Thank you.