Receiving a dementia diagnosis can feel overwhelming, leaving families with more questions than answers. In this episode of Advice from Your Advocates, host Bob Mannor sits down with Alejandro DeJesus, Chief of Mentor Services at Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care (PAC).

Discover how PAC is radically transforming the dementia experience by shifting the focus away from what a person has lost and toward what they can still do. Alejandro breaks down Teepa Snow’s innovative Gem States model, explaining how understanding these unique brain states (from Sapphire and Diamond to Emerald and beyond) can completely change your approach to caregiving. Tune in to learn practical, person-centered communication strategies, explore the benefits of professional mentorship and coaching, and find out how to bring more positive, meaningful moments into everyday life.

Key Takeaways:

• Beyond the Diagnosis: Why standard medical stages often fall short and how the Gem States model offers a more practical, human-centered way to understand brain change.
• The Power of "What’s Left": Actionable strategies for focusing on remaining abilities rather than deficits.
• Practical Care Partner Tips: Simple ways to adjust your approach, reduce daily friction, and build empathy when communicating with a loved one.
• Resources for Families: How to tap into complimentary 30-minute consultations, online Champion courses, and Teepa Snow’s vast library of educational tools.

🎧 Subscribe & Listen: Don't miss an episode! Subscribe to Advice from Your Advocates on your favorite podcast platform, visit us online at mannorlawgroup.com, or watch the full video interview on the Mannor Law Group YouTube channel.

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ABOUT US:
Mannor Law Group helps clients in all matters of estate planning and elder law including special needs planning, veterans’ benefits, Medicaid planning, estate administration, and more. We offer guidance through all stages of life.

We also help families dealing with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other illnesses that cause memory loss. We take a comprehensive, holistic approach, called Life Care Planning. LEARN MORE...

Healthcare can feel like a maze built out of short appointments, confusing insurance rules, and medical records that never seem to follow you to the next office. Elder Law Attorney Bob Mannor sits down with Dr. Terry Adirim, a board certified pediatric emergency physician, author, and former senior health official, to talk about what actually helps older adults and caregivers get safer, faster, more effective care in a system that often feels fragmented by design.

We get practical about patient advocacy and health literacy: what information to keep in one place, how to prepare for a doctor visit so you leave with real answers, and why a concise medical snapshot can be more useful than a thick binder or a 3,000 page chart export.

We also talk through Medicare and health insurance basics that matter in real life, especially the moment a plan denies a medication, changes its formulary, or demands prior authorization.

The big point: most people never appeal, but appeals can be simpler than you think, and involving your physician can make a major difference.

Then we dig into AI in healthcare without hype. You’ll hear where AI is already showing up, including ambient scribes, imaging support, and administrative tools, plus how patients are using large language models to interpret test results and translate jargon into plain English. We also cover the risks that hit older adults hardest, including privacy concerns, bias, access gaps, and what gets lost when technology misses human context.

Subscribe to Advice From Your Advocates, share this with a caregiver or professional who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these tools for navigating aging, Medicare, and modern healthcare.

We'd love to hear from you!

Support the show

Listening Options
YouTube Playlist
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Amazon Music
iHeart Radio
Podcast Addict
Podchaser
Deezer
Listen Notes
Player FM

ABOUT US:
Mannor Law Group helps clients in all matters of estate planning and elder law including special needs planning, veterans’ benefits, Medicaid planning, estate administration, and more. We offer guidance through all stages of life.

We also help families dealing with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other illnesses that cause memory loss. We take a comprehensive, holistic approach, called Life Care Planning. LEARN MORE...