What I’ve Learned About Aging from Our Guests and My Own Journey

In my milestone episode, I take a moment to reflect on some of the biggest lessons learned from years of conversations, stories, and experiences in aging and senior care. Whether you’re working in the aging space, an older adult yourself, or caring for someone you love, here are a few key takeaways you might find valuable:

Be Prepared, Beyond the Financials

So many guests have talked about planning ahead—not just financially, but also emotionally and socially. It’s easy to put off these conversations but essential for a smoother journey as we age.

Good People (and Programs) Are Out There

While we often hear about sad stories in senior care, there are still so many passionate people and service organizations making a big difference in the lives of older adults. Why we do what we do really matters!

Stay Connected & Share Your Stories

If there’s one thread throughout every episode, it’s the power of connection and storytelling. Staying connected not only combats loneliness but also keeps our stories—and those of our loved ones—alive.

Thanks to our amazing listeners for engaging, sharing feedback, and being part of the conversation. Here’s to continuing this journey together! If you have topics you’d like to see covered, I’d love to hear from you.

Email me, Lisa Stockdale, anytime at aginginfullbloom@gmail.com

Aging in Full Bloom with Lisa Stockdale is sponsored by HomeCaire. We believe every patient should get the personalized care they need, in the way they want it. Every caregiver should feel supported, valued, and motivated. We see each person as their own entity, with unique needs, desires, and skills. Our goal is to best support our family as they reach new milestones.

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Copyright 2026 Lisa Stockdale

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Thanks for listening to Aging in Full Bloom with Lisa Stockdale, sponsored by HomeCaire of Ohio. We added an "i" to care because we care about the individual. That includes the individual caregiver and the individual client. From each caregiver's caseload to every client's care plan, we understand that individual preferences and priorities matter. People matter; we haven't lost sight of that here at HomeCaire of Ohio. If you or someone you know needs personal care at home, call 419-458-3000 to learn.

Listeners, welcome to Aging in Full Bloom with Lisa Stackdale. I'm your host, Lisa, and today we don't have a guest. It's just me. I am going to talk to you about what we've been doing for the past several years. This happens to be our hundred and first episode. And Brett, my production manager, said, hey, you've got your hundredth episode coming up. Do you want to do something special? And I said, let's do an Aging in Full Bloom 101, because I can't throw it together that fast. And of course, he laughed at me because he knows how busy I am.

And he said, oh, that's great. I said, obviously, I've spent too many years at the university. Maybe sometime we'll qualify for an Aging 201. Who knows? But for right now, it's 101. And so this morning I got up pretty early and I thought, you know, what am I? What do I want to say to my listeners? Like, what have I learned since we have been doing this podcast? What are my takeaways? And I started making some notes and I thought, well, I'll give them the top five. And then I thought, well, I'll give them the top 10. Well, pretty soon I had a really long list. And I'm like, oh, I can't say all that.

We don't have time for all that. So I tried to whittle it down. And I'm just gonna give you these are just off the cuff thoughts about what I have learned from interviewing all of our guests, all also from working in the senior care industry during the entire time that this podcast has been publishing. And myself, I've grown older in the past 10 years. We all have. Right? So when I started the podcast, the idea was that aging didn't need to be negative, that we should learn to embrace it and celebrate it and honor it. And I still feel the exact same way today as I did back then about that. But in interviewing all of these people and hearing all of their stories and then, you know, learning about all the different services that are available and all the different challenges out there.

You also have to admit that aging comes with some hardship. But so does every stage in life. Every stage has its own unique hardships. Aging is no different. I think that sometimes we. We think when we're young that when we get old, we will have arrived and we will know everything and we can stop learning and it can just be all about leisure. But our guests are telling us a little bit different story than that. So let's start with my first point.

And I think what people are telling us is that generally speaking, we're not well prepared to age. We haven't done planning, we're not prepared. Being prepared is a common theme in so many of the episodes that we have published. We hear it from so many of our guests how important it is to plan ahead and be prepared. And that works on some levels when you know what you're planning for, like financial wellness, for example. But a lot of people don't think about emotional and social wellness as you age until it's upon you. And there was no playbook handed to you prior to that. Recently we interviewed a couple of gentlemen who were talking about life after or during retirement and they had some wonderful insights. HomeCaire.

I would encourage you. And I think those were just our most recently published, actually, 99 and 100 Dawn Action and Tom Marks. And they both had incredible insights. And they say, oh, I'm not going to give advice. But they do and it's okay. It's good advice, it's sound advice. So that is one thing that I have heard from many of our guests over and over again. Another one of my takeaways is that there are still good people and good programs in the world, programs in the senior space service industry, if you will. HomeCaire.

We hear the horror stories, you know, we hear about people who were neglected in nursing homes and families who did seniors wrong and the scammers. There's so much to be afraid of. But the world is still full of lots of great people who really are willing to help and have a heart to help and are passionate about making sure that older adults get what they need and get a fair shake and are treated with respect and dignity as they should be.

This brings to mind the the recent interview we did with a lady named Tamar. And she was, I thought the topic was how to have a happy birthday. And I thought she was going to tell us gift ideas and that type of thing. And it wasn't that at all. It was about like learning to celebrate yourself and taking time out once a year to do that. And I thought it was just so profound, like the advice that she offered. She's an example of one of those good people in this space doing good things for all the right reasons. And by the way, why people do what they do, it matters.

It affects the outcome. It affects the effectiveness of the outcome. I'll give you an example. So just yesterday I got a call in the middle of my workday from a former client who is now in a nursing home. And he left me a message. And the message went something like this. Hey, Lisa, this is so and so. It's been a while since we've talked.

I don't know if you know, I'm in this nursing home and I want to go home, but they don't want to let me go home and no one will help me. And I've called this person and they won't answer the phone, and I've called that person and I've left messages and they don't call me back. And I hear I've been disenrolled from the waiver program and I can't come home unless I have those services. And I don't know what to do. And I know this really isn't your job, but, Lisa, can you please help me? And I'll be honest. When I heard the message, I was in the middle of a very busy day and I had deadlines to meet. And I thought, oh, my gosh, I don't have time for this.

I don't not have time for this either. So I paused everything that I was doing, took a deep breath, and called this consumer back. And I said, I can't make what needs to happen happen for you, but I know the right buttons to push and I will do that. And so when I say why you do what you do matters, that's an example. And I'm not the only person. I'm one of many. There are plenty of people out here in the senior care industry who really a heart for seniors and will help you get things done if you ask, if you ask for the help.

Another common theme is spin technology. So what I will say about that is if you are an older adult, please do not be afraid of technology. You can learn this stuff. It's not that complicated. And there are all kinds of versions of all kinds of things. There's something out there for you. And I think a lot of times older adults get dismissed because people think, well, they're not tech savvy or they don't want to be tech savvy, or they can't learn this stuff. This is not the truth.

And one of our most listened to podcasts ever was something that we did on the HomeCaire, a manual for the HomeCaire. Do you remember that, Brett? Lots of people wanted to learn about that. And you know why? Because they know how to use the technology. So please do not be afraid to embrace the technology.

Another takeaway is healthcare challenges are real. This is one of those realisms that have to do with aging, whether It's a chronic disease that progresses like Alzheimer's or dementia or Parkinson's or something that creates pain, like arthritis or whatever it might be. You gotta deal with that stuff. And so we have lots of episodes dedicated to health, and we will have many more in the weeks and years to come. I'm sure if there's a topic that you would like us to cover, let us know. We'll take it up.

Humor. The importance of humor has been a reoccurring theme throughout the podcast. I'm taken back to April of 2021. Quite some time ago, we did an episode called Dirty Old Man Syndrome. I never laughed so hard. The interview was hysterical. The book was hysterical. The author is hysterical.

And same time, it was a really important message that she's giving. But we have to be willing to laugh. We did an episode not too long ago. I think her name was. Her last name was Epps. Her first name's escaping me. Anyway, you can look it up. It's there.

It's all good information. And, you know, humor is important. They say laughter is good medicine. It's not a lie. That's the truth. Another reoccurring theme has been the importance of staying connected. And this takes me back to 2019. One of my favorite interviews ever was with a dear friend named Debbie Ayers.

We talked about the importance of old friendships staying connected to people that we grew up with. I think it's an amazing interview, still very widely listened to. And I think about COVID Like, we went through Covid on this with aging in full bloom, and that was a whole thing. And the importance of staying connected. We saw what happens when people can't, when they're not. When they're isolated and they experience that, how difficult and debilitating and depressing that can be for people. So.

Yeah, we're human beings. We got to stay connected to one another. Connected to that is this theme that our stories matter. We've heard lots of stories, stories. Some of them, I don't really remember who told, who told the story, but I can remember one liners from different podcasts. Recently, when I was interviewing one of the gentlemen about retirement, he talked about his mom. And he said that his mom was always bebopping around and that she was incredibly active and that his dad said of his mom, your mother would attend the opening of an envelope. And I thought that was so precious.

And that resonated with me. I'm not even even in his family. But here's my point about our stories. Our stories matter. And it's our responsibility to record them, to make sure that they keep being told over and over again. And you've heard, you know, different examples of stories from my own family. When I was thinking about this this morning, I thought about recently. I was with my brothers, and my one brother had fixed sauerkraut and ribs, which I hate.

I cannot stand that. But anyway, my other brother loves it. And when we left.

The brother who had not done the cooking said to me, that place smelled like Grandma's house. And I said, oh, my gosh, it did. She was always cooking something. And he said, I fully expected to open a drawer and see a moon pie. And I said, what's a moon pie? And he reminded me it was a kind of snack that my grandmother loved and always had on hand. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm writing this down. I'm going to be sure and tell everybody about this. So, yeah, our stories matter.

We matter.

So the next one's kind of difficult. And this has been something that I've heard many people talk about. Loss is real. And the longer you live, the more likely you are to lose someone who is near and dear to you, someone that you love. And the amazing thing about that is somehow we find the will not to rise above it. I don't even want to say to move on, but we find the will to survive.

This work week as well. I was on with a client, and I was helping her get services set up for her daughter, who has sickle cell. And during the course of the conversation, she shared with me that she recently buried a daughter who was 28 who also had the same disease. And, of course, it kind of took my breath away. I knew there was a sadness in the lady when I was speaking to her, but I didn't dare ask about it. And so she just started telling me, and she said, you know, I apologize. I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. You know, my own mother lost a son recently, and it's just something that no parent should ever have to go through.

And she said, yes, but I still have three girls, and the one that we're talking about now needs me, needs my help, and I'm just going to find the strength to get up every morning and do the best I can. And I said, you are so amazing. And she said, not really, baby. It's just what we do. We do what we have to do. And so I've heard this, you know, stories of loved ones that have been lost with many of our guests, of course, I've seen it up close and personal, being in the healthcare industry and have experienced it myself. During the time that we have been recording this podcast, I lost a brother. I just made mention of that.

And that takes me to my next point, which is families matter, especially siblings.

I remember interviewing Episode number 66. I want you to listen to that one. It was an author, her name's Eleanor, and she wrote a book called Atkins Glenn. And it was about the sibling relationship, siblings that had grown apart and then there was a need for one to take care of the other due to a chronic illness and how that all reconciled. The book itself is a great read, but I thought it was. And it came at a time, I think we recorded that in June, and my brother died in March, so it was very fresh for me. And it seemed that right around that time I was getting all of these people who wanted to come on. And I don't know if my ears were just perked up about siblings because of what I was actively experiencing and still am, or what, but it seemed like everybody had something to say.

And boy, this lady sure did share some incredible things. And she talked about the fact that, you know, no one is more similar to you than a sibling. You share the same DNA, is closer to your sibling than anyone else. But more importantly, your siblings are witnesses to your life. They know what you talk about. If it's moon pies or whatever it is, that's a real thing that really happened. You're not making that up. And they're with you for as long as they are. This is particularly true when those siblings work at HomeCaire.

And you start at relatively the same time, generally speaking. So families matter. We know that. Of course, we spend a lot of time talking about how to care for mom and dad because that's generally the older adult that we're focusing on, although sometimes it can be grandparents. But don't forget our siblings, they matter too. And I hope that we do have an aging in Full Bloom 201 and that we continue to learn and grow together. I hope that we are able to provide insight and advice and we can make you laugh and we can make you wonder and we can make you question and we can make you get on the phone and do some research in your local area based on whatever services that we have shed light on at HomeCaire.

In the next 10 years. That'll be good. Brett, what do you think? We can do that? Easy peasy, listeners. Thank you so much.

All your feedback is greatly valued. You can email us anytime. Aginginfullbloommail.com and you do you tell me when I say and do things that are stupid and you tell me and say when I do things that you like and I read every single email. Appreciate you so much. Hope you continue to listen till next time. May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be forever at your back.