Dementia Care Partner Podcast with Teepa Snow

Episoder

• 360: Is Doomscrolling Rewiring Our Brains — and What Does That Mean for Dementia Care? 12.06.2026 7min

  Is brain rot caused by screen time just a Gen Z problem — or does it affect everyone supporting those living with dementia? The term brain rot was coined by Henry David Thoreau in 1854 to describe the preference for simple ideas over complex ones. Today, endless scrolling and passive screen time have made it a modern epidemic — and it has real implications for dementia care. In this episode, Teepa Snow and Greg Phelps explore the difference between passive observation and active engagement, why that distinction matters for people living with brain change, and how care partners can use conversation, curiosity, and connection to stimulate meaningful interaction. You'll learn: Why passive TV watching and internet scrolling look similar in the brain — and why that matters How active conversation creates cognitive demand that passive media simply can't What care partners can do differently to encourage real engagement How Positive Approach to Care® courses and video resources can help you build true engagement skills Whether you're supporting at home or in a facility, the tools you use to connect make a difference. This episode will change how you think about screen time — for your person, and for yourself. Ready to build real engagement skills? Positive Approach to Care® Champion Courses give you practical, hands-on tools to connect more meaningfully with those you're supporting — and skill demonstration is required, not just course completion.
• 359: Does Supporting Someone Living with Dementia Shorten your Life Span? 05.06.2026 7min

  A headline statistic claims care partners have a 63% higher mortality rate than non-caregivers the same age — but subsequent research tells a very different story. In this episode, dementia care educator Teepa Snow breaks down what the science actually shows, why your attitude and circumstances at the start of your care journey matter more than most people realize, and what the key differences are between care partners who thrive and those who burn out.Whether you're a family care partner or a professional, Teepa’s Positive Approach to Care® offers practical guidance on the questions you should be asking yourself right now — and where to turn if the answers concern you.If this episode raises questions about where you are in your own journey — or where to go next — we'd love to help. A no-cost 30-minute consultation with our team can help you find the right path forward for your specific situation. Schedule your complimentary 30-minute consult
• 358: Rethinking Brain Change with Neuroplasticity in Mind 29.05.2026 6min

  When someone we’re supporting is living with dementia, it's easy to start cataloging the losses. They can't remember the name of the restaurant. They can't find the word. They can't follow the plan. But what if can't is only half the story?In this episode of the Dementia Care Partner Podcast, Teepa Snow and host Greg Phelps reframe one of the most quietly damaging habits in dementia care: noticing what's lost instead of noticing what's changing. The word dementia itself points to loss — but the brain is also doing something else. It's adapting. It's rewiring. And the way a care partner responds can either expose the loss or build a bridge to what's still there.In this conversation:Why brain change is a more accurate — and more useful — frame than brain lossNeurodegeneration versus neuroplasticity, and why both are happening at onceA real-time example of how the same question, asked two different ways, either shames or supportsHow to listen for the data a person is giving you, even when the words aren't clearWhy forgiving yourself as a care partner isn't optional — it's an essential skillWhere to start when you don't know where to start: training, community, and the resources Positive Approach to Care® offers across YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and beyondThis episode is an invitation to stop swinging at every pitch and start learning the game. You won't hit a home run every time. Neither does Teepa. The true skill is in what you do after the miss.For more dementia care resources and support for care partners, visit teepasnow.com.#DementiaCare #PositiveApproachToCare #TeepaSnow #CarePartner #BrainChange #Neuroplasticity #PAC 
• 357: Three Hearing Aids Later, They Still Won't Wear Them — Here's Why 22.05.2026 6min

  Three hearing aids. Two sets of dentures. Glasses that keep going missing. If you're a care partner who feels like you're throwing money away on devices that get rejected or lost, this episode is for you.In this conversation, Teepa and Greg unpack one of the most frustrating patterns families face: when a person living with dementia refuses the very devices meant to help them. The surprising insight? The problem often isn't the device — it's brain change.In this episode, Teepa explains:Why hearing loss is sometimes actually brain change — and why simply turning up the volume makes things worseHow switching between near and far vision creates brain fatigue (and why an individual might stop eating because of it)Why dentures can block the sensory feedback a person relies on to chew and enjoy foodWhen to put the hearing aid in — and when to take it outHow to shift from giving care to partnering in careYou'll walk away with a new lens for understanding refusal, and practical ways to support the person you love.If today's episode opened up more questions than it answered, here's a great place to keep learning. Accepting the Challenge is a three-hour on-demand training led by Teepa Snow and Melanie Bunn, RN — an effective resource whether you're new to dementia care or refreshing what you already know. Across sixteen modules, you'll learn how to use the Positive Physical Approach™ in real moments, how to navigate mealtimes and personal care without conflict, and how to build meaningful days together, and how dementia changes memory, language, and impulse. It's the foundational knowledge a lot of care partners wish someone had handed them on day one: Accepting the Challenge.🎧 New episodes of the Dementia Care Partner Podcast every week.Have a question you'd like Teepa to explore on the show? Email Greg at GTPhelps@shaw.ca and cc info@teepasnow.com.Learn more about Teepa Snow and Positive Approach to Care® at teepasnow.com.#DementiaCare #PositiveApproachToCare #TeepaSnow #CarePartner #PAC
• 356: Rethinking Environments for People Living with Dementia 15.05.2026 7min

  What makes an environment truly supportive for a person living with dementia — and for their care partners, as well? In this episode, Teepa walks Greg through an evolution of one of her most-used frameworks: the four Fs and four Ss of supportive environments, now expanded to 4+1.The original four Fs ask whether a space feels Friendly, Familiar, Functional, and Forgiving. The four Ss ask whether an environment offers the right Space, Sensory match, Social match, and Surface-to-surface contact. But Teepa kept noticing something was missing — like a hand without its thumb. So she added Flexible to the Fs (because brain change keeps shifting, and rigid environments stop working) and Satisfaction to the Ss (because a space can check every box and still leave someone seeking rather than settling).Teepa also shares how she tested this update with Positive Approach to Care® mentors and trainers in the field before bringing it forward — and why satisfaction must belong to everyone in the space, not just the person living with dementia.If you're thinking about a home setup, a care community, or simply why a loved one seems restless in a room that seems like it should work, this conversation provides practical aspects to consider.In this episode:Why the original 4 Fs and 4 Ss needed a thumbFlexibility as a response to ongoing brain changeWhat satisfaction really means in a shared spaceHow Teepa trials new ideas with the PAC mentor communityWant to take this conversation from framework into practice? Teepa's streaming program Designing a Supportive Dementia Care Environment provides over two hours of room-by-room guidance for setting up a home that works for both you and the person in your care — covering the spaces, routines, and small adjustments that protect quality of life as brain change unfolds.Watch it here: https://shop.teepasnow.com/product/designing-a-supportive-dementia-care-environment-streaming/Learn more about Teepa Snow and Positive Approach to Care at teepasnow.com.Have a topic you'd like Teepa and Greg to explore? Email GTPhelps@shaw.ca and cc info@teepasnow.com.#DementiaCare #PositiveApproachToCare #TeepaSnow #CarePartner #PAC