{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"256 Living with Dementia: We Are Still Here so Don't Walk Away with Marilyn Raichle","description":"Dementia is one of the greatest fears associated with aging\u2014but what if it didn\u2019t have to mean loss, disappearance, or despair? In this deeply moving episode, author and arts innovator Marilyn Raichle shares how walking toward her mother, rather than away, transformed dementia into a journey of presence, creativity, connection, and joy. This conversation offers a profoundly human reframe of memory loss and aging. For many people, dementia is equated with the loss of self, meaning, and value. Families are often advised\u2014explicitly or implicitly\u2014to disengage emotionally, preparing for inevitable decline and disappearance. But how we approach dementia shapes not only quality of life for those living with it, but also the emotional, psychological, and biological stress experienced by care partners. Chronic fear, grief, and disengagement accelerate aging for everyone involved, while presence, joy, and connection support resilience and healthspan.  Author of  Don't Walk Away, A Care Partner's Journey, Marilyn Raichle brings a rare perspective shaped by a lifetime in the performing arts and nine years as a care partner to her mother, Jean. Through art, shared joy, and daily presence, Marilyn discovered that her mother was not \u201cgone,\u201d but distilled to her essential humanity\u2014creative, competitive, loving, and alive. Listeners will learn how creativity opens pathways to connection, why joy is possible even in advanced dementia, and how reframing the experience from caregiving to partnership transforms both lives.  Episode Timelines: 00:00 \u2014 Dementia and our deepest fears about aging  03:45 \u2014 Marilyn\u2019s background in the performing arts  07:30 \u2014 Becoming a reluctant care partner  10:45 \u2014 Discovering creativity through painting  14:30 \u2014 The Art of Alzheimer\u2019s is born  18:40 \u2014 Enduring personhood explained  22:55 \u2014 Sharing joy as a daily practice  27:30 \u2014 A single mindset shift for care partners  31:00 \u2014 Final reflections on love, presence, and meaning  Connect with Marilyn Raichle dontwalkaway.net\/ https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/marilyn.raichle     https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/marilynraichle\/   instagram.com\/raichlem\/  Connect with Dr. Gillian Lockitch Download your Guide to Nature's Colouful Antioxidants for Eye, Heart, Brain and Skin Wellness  and  Download your Checklist to Mind and Memory Boosting Strategies  Connect with Dr. Gillian Lockitch at askdrgill@gmail.com  to request a phone conversation or zoom call   Join the Growing Older Living Younger Facebook Community here   Share the Growing Older Living Younger podcast link for anyone you care about and invite them to subscribe   ","author_name":"Growing Older Living Younger: About longevity, wellness, healthspan,","author_url":"https:\/\/askdrgill.com","html":"