Wonders In Dementialand

Head talk is not always bad – those voices that seem louder than the outside noise when needed. I have two voices in particular that visit me often. This podcast is dedicated to my two mentors, my intimate friends, and creative counselors. Picasso and Gulley Jimson. Picasso Voice: Steve Heyl Gulley Jimson Voice: Marc Biagi Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Check out the Dementialand video on YouTube  #Picasso #paintings #storytelling

It’s been a very strange year. Christmas is just not Christmas. So appropriately, this podcast is about foot baths, friendships made over fences and a dragons fly who became the galaxy’s newest comet.

Did you know, a Wink is a signal of a Shared Secret, inspired from the story of Odin the Norse god? Odin gave his eye in exchange for a drink from the well of Mimir - a drink which would give him the gift of great wisdom and knowledge. The Wink is my favorite Thanksgiving day story. I hope you enjoy it. Crowd: Albert Cristy  Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Dementialand on other platforms: iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts

This podcast will definitely put a smile on your face. A lighthearted story about Violet, beauty pageants, Queens and winning the crown. Whether you know anyone living in or near Dementialand, this podcast is worth sharing. I can’t think of a more important time than NOW, to lighten-up someone’s day. Take care. Be kind and wear your mask.… Enjoy. Pageant Announcer: Albert Cristy  Sovina Voice: Mimi Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Check out the Dementialand video on YouTube 

Violet pulled out an album that was tucked into the side cushions. The album contained family photos and pictures cut out from magazines of people my mother added, officially making them part of our family. Paper people I called them, each with elaborate stories. Stories that gave my mother a dimension that was real and honest. Enjoy Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Check out the Dementialand video on YouTube 

“Violet lifted her eyes and fixed them on a strange man who was standing in front of her. She twisted her drinking straw, trying to remember if he was a man she should know  ....someone perhaps who was hidden in her memory's blind spot.”  I loved this visit. My mother's words skip around like a young lamb, equivalent to a genius who had overcome the conventional boundaries of facts. Yet its bizarre intensity had a delightfully honest quality, that is often found in dementia’s splendor. Another wonder found in Dementialand.  Enjoy. Murray: Albert Cristy  Flo’s Voice: Stacey Murray Vida’s Voice: Cristi Ritter Loper Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon   Check out the Dementialand video on YouTube 

TOMA: DRUMROLL please.... Welcome to Episode 3 of The Republic of Toma  podcast presented by ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME magazine! I sit down with German Producer, Director and Writer Radek Wegrzyn and American Author, Artist and Podcaster Suzka Susan Collins  to discuss their upcoming film Wonders in Dementialand. Coming from 3 different locations — me in Venice, Radek in Berlin and Suzka in Los Angeles — we discuss how life in the times of the Coronavirus feels like an altered reality. Wonders in Dementialand is the name of Suzka’s book, which discusses the other side of dementia. Suzka writes in her book, “Dementialand is a topsy turvy place of secrets and discovery where I often found myself in the mirror of dementia. Its sense of reversal showed me the other side of everything and the other side of myself.” I draw comparison to this time of the pandemic as an opportunity to reveal us to ourselves as we’re faced with a new way of living. Meet TOMA: https://www.republicoftoma.com/about Producer: Radek Wegrzyn: http://www.magical-realist.com Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to  Dementialand Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-_h6Dr_ivYEob-F4pvqIgA The Republic of Toma Podcast: https://www.republicoftoma.com/podcasts ‘Wonders In Dementialand’ BOOK Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wonders-Dementialand-Suzka/dp/0692795243/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478277633&sr=8-1&keywords=dementialand  

There is a place not mentioned in any travel magazines or listed in any search engine under  top spot for summer travelers.  But this growing world wide destination offers a compelling reason to visit.  Maybe part of its fascination is their unfaithfulness to the status quo or possibly, it’s the Gypsy Sundowners who simply pop-in unannounced.  For whatever reason, this destination has a lot to offer.  Another wonder found in Dementialand - a vacation spot for Sundowners.  Enjoy. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’   Check out the Dementialand video on YouTube 

Suzka's producer Radek Wegrzyn discusses why he decided to produce Dementialand as a movie.

#covid19 #coronavirus #dementia I don’t have a clue how this happened but this Podcast is in two parts. Two stories not even slightly related to each other. I blame it all on   ‘CovidBrain’. I’m totally disorganized. One of the side effects from extended isolation and quarantine. The COVID19 isolation has similarities to the prosperities of Dementialand – a topsy-survey place where everything is turned upside down. The unknown and letting go of the predictable is obvious which in the past has been reserved for the young and the ‘trusting adventurers’ in the world.  So this podcast starts with a story titled: The HORSE KEEPER and the carousel ride back to innocence. Maybe It’s time for all of us to grab the brass ring and get ready for some changes. Hold on and let the races begin…  Enjoy. Horse Keeper’s Voice: Albert Cristy Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ YouTube, Spotify, Podcast.com: Dementialand

iTunes —>   Episode#24: Espionage                       The Stake-Out   #dementia #espionage #paranoia At times her thoughts were more of a suspicious nature. Paranoia just laughed and threw in all kinds of scenarios to keep Violet distracted. This perhaps this was another distraction.....  Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Enjoy YouTube, Spotify, Podcast.com: DementialandWritten and produced by Suzka. Eszter’s Voice:Natasa Warasch Sovina Voice: Alisa Hidalgo Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Enjoy YouTube, Spotify, Podcast.com: Dementialand

Al, Flo and Vida speak out regarding the COVID Virus. Al's voice: Albert Cristy Flo’s Voice: Stacey Murray, ‘Soul Songress’ Detroit Jazz Singer of the Year 2019 Vida’s Voice: Cristi Ritter Loper Call-in voice: Suzka  Thank you. For additional information:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-...

It certainly hasn’t been easy writing this podcast when the world around me is falling apart. The unreal has become very real. Right now keeping myself open is the best I can do because something is being born that is still shapeless, and undefined. I hope you enjoy the Dementialand Podcast. Adding a little humor and maybe even insight to situations that turn our world upside down is what we need right now. My name is Suzka and this is my story. Written and produced by Suzka. Eszter’s Voice:Natasa Warasch Sovina Voice: Alisa Hidalgo Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Enjoy YouTube, Spotify, Podcast.com: Dementialand  

#worms #mystics #caregivers ‘Ya can’t do this alone’. This was an eye opener. Hiring a caregiver was a very good idea. And I believe it took pressure off my mother. She didn’t feel like she was a burden on her children, even if she didn’t know who I was. Written and produced by Suzka. Fiona’s Voice: Lola Cheatham Flo’s Voice: Stacey Murray, ‘Soul Songress’ Detroit Jazz Singer of the Year 2019 Vida’s Voice: Cristi Ritter Loper AD Reader Voice: Albert Cristy Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Enjoy YouTube, Spotify, Podcast.com: Dementialand

#detective #oldradio #Marlowe The Dementialand Podcast Presents a Marlowe Mystery, starring Albert Cristy the world’s famous crime investigator. Marlowe, the tough cynical private detective, interrogates Violet in an attempt that Violet will be able to identify her daughter out of a line of suspects. Written and produced by Suzka. Detective Marlowe voice: Albert Cristy Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Enjoy YouTube, Spotify, Podcast.com: Dementialand “When I dropped my daughter title…. I saw my mother with open eyes not curtained by her motherhood or my ego.”

#memory #dementia #storytelling After the Barbara’s visit (Episode#19) I went back to the grocery store. This situation was bigger and more serious than I had thought.  I bought Lewy, Parker and Honey Hunter. I had to hit this head on, I was not going to be caught off guard.  So, I gathered all the airheads and placed them in a straight line; a line that started at the front door and ended where my mother was sitting in the back room, the area I called Dementialand. Everyone was taken aback by the mob of inflated characters. No one could avoid their compelling presence. It was a brilliant distraction around Violet’s muted recollections. Written and produced by Suzka. Flo’s Voice: Stacey Murray, ‘Soul Songress’ Detroit Jazz Singer of the Year 2019 Vida’s Voice: Cristi Ritter Loper AL, Lewy and Parker’s voices: Albert Cristy Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Enjoy

#jazz #barber #storytelling Barbara the Barber visits Violet. Violet is a bit nervous. She does not recognize her visitor. Two airheads (balloons), Flo and Vida protect her from interrogating questions and overall attitude. Written and produced by Suzka. Flo’s Voice and song: Stacey Murray, ‘Soul Songress’ Detroit Jazz Singer of the Year 2019 Vida’s Voice: Cristi Ritter Loper Al and Interviewer’s voice; Albert Cristy Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Enjoy iTunes, Spotify, Podcast.com: Dementialand

It started with one airhead, a huge round balloon... Popping out from the top of its head were two black eyes painted on transparent eye sockets. The balloon was filled with helium and was held in space by a thin gift ribbon that was clipped to the magazine rack at the grocery's checkout counter. A card attached to his rubberneck read SKU 44751.  I couldn't resist buying it. It looked as if it could pick you up, suck you out of yourself and carry you away; away from computers, canvases and slippery couches with unruly fallen sheets; away from mothers everywhere, mosquitoes and the dementias. It might sound strange....but I liked this little guy.   And that was just the beginning of the community of airheads moving into Dementialand.     Written and produced by Suzka. Voices of neighbors: Albert Cristy and Natasa Warasch Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon   Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast ALSO: YouTube Channel: Dementialand Enjoy

My mother had an unexpected visitor one night. Milton the Magician.     Written and produced by Suzka. Voice of Milton by Albert C. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast ALSO: YouTube Channel: Dementialand Enjoy

#dementia #podcast #audiobook I was learning more and more about my mother. Getting her driver’s license renewed has got to be on the top of my list (Episode 16).  I don’t know how this happened. It might sound like I am fixated on this but it was the beginning of a series of peculiar behavior patterns and secrets.   Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Enjoy iTunes: Dementialand YouTube Channel: Dementialand

This was Violet's birthday month and the month her driver's license would expire. But she was more confused these day so I was concerned. She often didn’t remember my name or how many children she had. But she remembered the expiration date on her driver license. It was bitter sweet. This could change everything. She was exceptionally alert this day as if she exercised her brain all night long. Her wits were to be tested. The stakes were high.   Written and produced by Suzka. Voices of The Greeter, Bulldog Man, Lady Eye Tester, Whimpering Man and Frederick the Examiner were by Albert C. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Please SUBSCRIBE and check ‘thumbs-up’ Enjoy iTunes: Dementialand YouTube Channel: Dementialand  

I brought my mother home from the nursing home.  She had finished the 10 day antibiotic treatment for the meningitis-encephalitis.  We were now committed roommates.  I slipped off my shoes and sunk into the sofa, resting my head on the back cushion. My mother hardly noticed that I had surrendered myself to her stories and the tiny breath that separated them. We were unplugged from the world. What I thought was real just minutes ago had lost its grip. I allowed myself to be cradled in the nonsensical, cockeyed rhythm of my mother's chatter. The crazy babbling and chopped up sentences were more engaging than trying to interpret their meaning.  Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand available on Amazon Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast ALSO: YouTube Channel: Dementialand   Enjoy

For the past month I have been reorganizing the Dementialand podcast. Some previous episodes got merged into one and I added images to the early podcasts. I think you like them. The timing is perfect. In the following episodes, we will be moving officially move into Dementialand.  I’ll keep you posted. Check back and even better... subscribe. It’s easy, just click the button. See you in Episode #14 

My thinking: Something happened to me during the time when I was living with my mother’s dementias that I can’t explain. Maybe it started when I dropped my daughterness and met this woman who use to be my mother.  Written and produced by Suzka. Check and Like on Facebook: Dementialand Channel And don’t forget to subscribe.

#wheeloffortune #gameshows #dementia Activity Night at the Aged Oaks Nursing Pavilion takes a dark turn that banned Suzka from all social activities. Enjoy.  My name is Suzka. The writer, narrator and producer of the Dementialand Podcasts Voices of Residents:  Albert Cristy and friend inside myself.   Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand™ Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast Check and Like on YouTube: Dementialand Channel

#wheeloffortune #caregivers #dementia There is light at the end of this tunnel. Violet decided to stay at the Aged Oaks Nursing Home Pavilion once she heard the game “Wheel of Fortune” was a scheduled event in the home’s main dining room every Sunday night. Hallelujah. Voices of Residents:  Albert Cristy, Yargo Duarte and his band (The Visitors)  and Charlie the dog   Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand™ Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast Check and Like on YouTube: Dementialand Channel  

The Aged Oak Pavilion from the linoleum side. Not sure I ever told you how I started the Dementialand podcast. It is my version of the audio book Wonders In Dementialand. Episodes are short 10-15 minute in length created for the very, very busy listeners. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section or email me directly. Thank you. Suzka   Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand™ Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast Check and Like on YouTube: Dementialand Channel

#caregivers #dementia #memory The transfer for Violet from the hospital to The Aged Oaks Pavilion begins. Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand™ Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast Check and Like on YouTube: Dementialand Channel

#memories #painting #mentor A picturesque story about Suzka, the painter, whose struggle with life and its unpredictable conditions, led her decades later to Dementialand. Episode#9 Voice of snowplow engineer and Mentor: Albert Cristy Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand™ Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast Check and Like on YouTube: Dementialand Channel

GUILT:  This is not good. I signed all the the papers that condemned my mother to a nursing home for ten days. It was the hospital and my mother’s insurance company that made that decision. I was assured that she would be in good care. They told me it was the best place for her treatment, the infusion of antibiotics needed for her meningitis-encephalitis. But that didn’t make me feel any better.  For me, it was going to be ten days in hell. She’s gonna kill me. My name is Suzka. The writer and producer of the Dementialand Podcasts Voice of Charles Dickens: Albert Cristy  Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand™ Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast Check and Like on YouTube: Dementialand Channel Enjoy

“My mother’s name was Violet. She was the oldest of four children. Two girls came first and then two boys born twelve and thirteen years later. The first boy’s birth was difficult. According to my mother, the midwife had to use two gallons of lubricating oil.  My mother’s baby brother didn’t slide out like a pound cake from its pan, fresh out of the oven.” Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand™ Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast Check and Like on YouTube: Dementialand Channel And don’t forget to subscribe.

The words that doctor told me regarding my mother.... 'she cannot live alone' piled up on top of each other and stuck in my head. I could not breathe. I felt faint and damp. I blinked fast as not to cry…. "If your name is chosen, there is no turning back. As from this moment, the Triwizard Tournament has begun."   – Albus Dumbledore My name is Suzka. The writer and producer of the Dementialand Podcasts Voice of Doctor: William McCray Voice of Dumbledore: Albert Cristy Voice of Nurse Lucy: Precious Mizell Voice of Miss Blanchard: Crystal Welch Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand™ Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast ALSO, check out YouTube’s Dementialand’s Channel.    Enjoy

Thank you for listening to this podcast ‘She Cannot Live Alone’. For me, it is the most important episode, the turning point in my story.  My life in Dementialand started in 2007 and after a decade, I still remember the weight of those 4 words – 'she cannot live alone'. It was devastating to hear. I was scared to death. But I must tell you, moving in with my mother to that place I called Dementialand was more amazing than horrifying. There is a certain amount of freedom that comes with memory loss. I wrote a note on a paper napkin during that time, "I learned to see my mother with my eyes opened and not curtained by her motherhood or my ego. I let go of that daughter I thought I was suppose to be.  We met each other for the first time ....almost daily.”  To this day I try to carry a little bit of Dementialand with me.  My name is Suzka. The writer and producer of the Dementialand Podcasts Voice by Doctor: William McCray Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand™ Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast ALSO, check out YouTube’s Dementialand’s Channel.    Enjoy

Botticelli's Birth of Venus is one of the most treasured artworks of the Renaissance.  It is a painting of a goddess named Venus. Venus emerges from the sea sitting on a shell.  Her shell is pushed to the shore from winds produced by the wind-gods in a shower of roses.  As Venus is about to step out of her shell and onto the shore, a Nymph reaches out to cover her with a cloak.  Suzka realizes her new role at this point might be a Nymph. Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand Check and Like on YouTube: Dementialand Channel And don’t forget to subscribe. Enjoy

I replayed that night a million times over in my head.  Did I miss something? How sick was my mother.  All I know is, she wasn’t quite the mother I remembered.  And between you and me... I think liked this one better. Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand Check and Like on YouTube: Dementialand Channel And don’t forget to subscribe. Enjoy  

Everyone thinks about this day. Where you’re going to be, how you’re going to react, and under what circumstances will that phone call be made. A parent has an accident and you’re forced to make decisions that change everything. For myself, I remember clearly one night. I painted into the morning. I was deliriously happy and super creative. The call came at 6:27 am. My mother fell and I needed to get home. This episode follows the physical trip as well as my head trip from my studio to the front door of my mother’s home.   Written and produced by Suzka. Based on the book: Wonders In Dementialand Please RATE AND REVIEW this podcast ALSO: YouTube Channel: Dementialand   Enjoy

Let me introduce myself. My name is Suzka. I am an artist, a painter and author, obsessed with a story that needed to be written. A story that begins the day I left my converted warehouse in California and moved into Dementialand located in Chicago where my mother lived. I moved myself to a place where I was no more a daughter but rather part of an oddball cast one would expect to see in a Fellini movie. That time was extraordinary. But it was actually during my flight back to the states when I first realized the enormity of the subject and how important it is to tell this story. There's another side of dementia that no one is talking about. I wrote the book I needed to read during that time caring for my mother titled, ‘Wonders In Dementialand’ and now it is a serial podcast.  Today more than 47.5 million are living with Dementia worldwide. Multiply that number by the family members and caregivers affected by dementia directly, day in and day out and you have a universe of people living in or near Dementialand. This is my story.