Wisdom from the Porch

There is no constant in life except change. And, when we really come down to it, the only thing we can really control is our attitude. Come along on this ride with licensed clinical social worker Joni Benton as she helps us with concepts and techniques that will remind us to move away from judgment and toward mindfulness. Learn more at www.wisdomfromtheporch.org 

By exploring what qualities and concepts we want to bring into our senior years we can embrace, rather than fear, this time of uncertainty. As we grow older we can either constrict or expand our life and lifestyle choices. This podcast with Denise LaRosa, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine will guide listeners through the steps we may consider taking to achieve a robust second half. Learn more at www.wisdomfromtheporch.org 

Host Ron Yukelson meets with Nicole Pazdan, the founder of Elder Placement Professionals in San Luis Obispo, CA and one of the pre-eminent experts on working with seniors and their families during times of housing transition.Did you consider that the prettiest, newest and shiniest adult community may not be the right one for you based on your personality and other medical and social needs? Nicole will educate listeners on finding the retirement community that fits you best and why engaging with a professional not only costs you nothing, but will help you transition seamlessly to what is intended to be your last forever home.Learn more about Wisdom from the Porch at www.wisdomfromtheporch.org

By the end of today’s episode, listeners will be thrust into a role of self-advocacy by learning when and how to ask for help. According to our guest Lily Carr, a licensed clinical social worker at Wilshire Home Health in San Luis Obispo, CA, seeking assistance is one of the most difficult tasks we’ll ever do. In this call to action, host Ron Yukelson discusses with Lily how our aging population and their caregivers will learn techniques empowering them to advocate for themselves in time of need. Learn more about Wisdom from the Porch at www.wisdomfromtheporch.org 

In this week's episode, in studio guest Linda Beck, president of the Board of SLO Village, updates us on the Village movement sweeping the nation and gaining a foothold internationally, allowing seniors to age in place. A village is a membership organization that connects older adults to the community, programming, and expertise they need to continue living lives of purpose and promise in their own home. Listeners will learn about these innovative, community-based solutions that improve quality of life and expand choices at all stages of aging, empowering older adults to sustain independence and remain in charge of their lives as they age. Learn more about Wisdom from the Porch at www.wisdomfromtheporch.org

Bill Degnan, co-founder of Wisdom From the Porch, is back behind the microphone to talk about the book Mending Brokenness, which he wrote with his wife, Ann Degnan. Mending Brokenness was originally organized as a program for at-risk youth to prepare them for the realities of life but Bill and Ann quickly realized the material could be adapted to our elderly and aging populations. If you’ve experienced some emotional or physical trauma sometime in your life, you don’t want to miss this podcast.Visit www.wisdomfromtheporch.org for additional resources. 

In today’s episode, we meet David Wood, owner of San Luis Obispo (CA) Caregivers and My Senior Navigator, in a discussion directed to the children of aging parents facing difficult decisions concerning their overall well being and health. Learn how David left a career in high level finance to transition to a “calling” to provide care for the elderly. Along the way you will receive tools and techniques to have those tough conversations we’d all like to avoid.

Meet Steve Willey, Director of Volunteer & Community Education at Wilshire Health & Community Services in San Luis Obispo, CA. As a longtime hospice employee, Steve talks with host Ron Yukelson about those who give selflessly to the care of others, particularly at the end of life, and the importance of working on our ability to be resilient. Effective caregiving requires that we be compassionate, but also resilient and self-aware. You will learn about compassion fatigue, the lessons of sorrow and obstacles to receiving the lessons of sorrow.Visit www.wisdomfromtheporch.org for the written poem from this episode.

In today’s episode, host Ron Yukelson chats with co-founder Bill Degnan on how to be the conductor on your own life train. Meet the passengers in the observation car and take a ride in the caboose; learn to push through the rough spots and discuss the importance of letting go.

In today’s episode, host Ron Yukelson and co-founder Bill Degnan discuss tools and techniques to learn how to let go of some of the knots in life that may be holding you back from enjoying life to its fullest. It takes time to learn how to untie, or perhaps untangle, some of the knots and to recognize their value.Visit www.wisdomfromtheporch.org for the written poem from this episode.

Welcome to Wisdom from the Porch with host Ron Yukelson. This episode, features an interview with Bill Degnan, the co-founder of Wisdom From the Porch, and acknowledges the twists and turns in our lives that got us to this point and begins to explore the many “knots” along the way. The focus of this episode is to appreciate the relationships and experiences of life that have made us who we are. A quilt has a beautiful front mosaic but is held together with well placed knots. We learn that some of the beauty of life is hidden in those knots.

Welcome to our first Wisdom from the Porch with host Ron Yukelson and co-founder Bill Degnan. In this episode, Bill Degnan, the co-founder of Wisdom From the Porch, examines the idea that seniors “used to be somebody” and provides tools to help acknowledge they continue to be somebody now. This discussion provides a safe place to explore those feelings and take a positive look at what is possible.Visit www.wisdomfromtheporch.org for the written poem from this episode.