Home Podcasts The Dementia Collective
The Dementia Collective

The Dementia Collective

blueBell Village 58 Episodes Sep 21, 2026

The Dementia Collective is a podcast for caregivers of people with dementia, offering practical support and fresh ideas. Hosted by Andrew Karesa, founder of blueBell Village, each episode features conversations with caregivers, clinicians, and innovators. The show covers daily challenges, emerging supports, and personal stories from others on the journey. It aims to provide real help and resources so that caregivers don't feel alone.

Episodes

Inside Canada's First Dementia-Inclusive Park
Inside Canada's First Dementia-Inclusive Park Sep 21, 2026 00:56:13 What would it look like if our public spaces were designed to include people living with dementia?In this special episode of The Dementia Collective, Andrew Karesa sits down with Junette Huynh, Director of Projects, and Lindsay Paul, Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships at Parks Foundation Calgary, to explore the story behind the Martin Family Legacy Garden, Canada’s first dementia-inclusive
Building a Better World for Dementia (with Valerie Larochelle)
Building a Better World for Dementia (with Valerie Larochelle) Sep 16, 2026 01:29:23 What if we could build a world that works better for people living with dementia?In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Valerie Larochelle, CEO and co-founder of Eugeria, to explore how better products, technology, environments, and communities can help people living with dementia maintain independence, autonomy, and quality of life.Valerie’s work is deeply personal. Three of her four grand
The Letter in the Headboard: A Novel Born from Dementia (with Michael A. Booth)
The Letter in the Headboard: A Novel Born from Dementia (with Michael A. Booth) Sep 2, 2026 01:08:33 What happens when the caregiver becomes the person living with dementia?In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Michael Booth, dementia advisor, educator, advocate, and author, to explore what it means to navigate life after a young onset Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis while continuing to create, teach, and challenge the stigma surrounding dementia.Michael shares the deeply personal journey o
The Gift of Talking About Death Before It's Too Late (with Lisa Pahl)
The Gift of Talking About Death Before It's Too Late (with Lisa Pahl) Sep 9, 2026 01:40:36 What happens when we stop avoiding conversations about death and start talking about what matters most?In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Lisa Pahl, licensed clinical social worker, end-of-life educator, healthcare and death doula, and CEO of The Death Deck, to explore why some of life’s most difficult conversations may also be the most important.Drawing on nearly two decades of hospice
Ask the Experts: What Comes After a Dementia Diagnosis?
Ask the Experts: What Comes After a Dementia Diagnosis? Jul 23, 2026 00:19:23 People sometimes describe receiving a dementia diagnosis as something that feels like it will shatter their life.In this Ask the Experts conversation, Andrew Karesa asks Michael Booth, Samuel Simon, Phyllis Fehr and Jim Mann:“As someone who has been through this journey, what is the first step that you would have to support someone in moving past the initial fear and reclaiming control over their
Five IRONMANs to Beat Alzheimer's (with Hassan Fadli)
Five IRONMANs to Beat Alzheimer's (with Hassan Fadli) Aug 26, 2026 01:24:49 What does it take to turn one father’s final request into a movement that is changing how the world thinks about dementia?In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Hassan Fadli, engineer, endurance athlete, filmmaker, and founder of the nonprofit initiative Five Ironmans Beat Alzheimer’s. After his father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Hassan was asked to do something not just for his family, but fo
What a Dementia Village Actually Looks Like (And Why We Don't Have More)
What a Dementia Village Actually Looks Like (And Why We Don't Have More) Jul 13, 2026 00:16:57 In this bonus episode of The Dementia Collective, Andrew Karesa takes a close look at what a dementia village actually is — and why, despite decades of evidence that they work, Canada has yet to build one at scale.The video begins with a simple number: more than 400 Canadians are diagnosed with dementia every day. By 2050, that number is projected to reach 1.7 million. Andrew uses that as a starti
When Words Fail, Stories Heal in Dementia Care (with Dr. Cindy Weinstein)
When Words Fail, Stories Heal in Dementia Care (with Dr. Cindy Weinstein) Aug 19, 2026 01:32:59 What happens when someone whose life has been built around words is forced to watch the person they love slowly lose the ability to find them?In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Dr. Cindy Weinstein, the Eli and Edythe Broad Professor of English at Caltech, Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, and co-author of Finding the Right Words. Together, they explore her father’s journey wit
Reframing Dementia: The Case Against Assisted Dying (with Samuel Simon)
Reframing Dementia: The Case Against Assisted Dying (with Samuel Simon) Aug 12, 2026 01:17:39 What does it mean to keep living fully after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, especially when the world so often treats dementia as the end of a person’s life?In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Samuel Simon, playwright, former consumer advocate, and the creator of Dementia Man. After a lifelong career fighting for the public interest, Sam is now using theatre to challenge one of the most damag
Why Dignity in Care Looks Nothing Like You Think (with Varsha Bhat)
Why Dignity in Care Looks Nothing Like You Think (with Varsha Bhat) Aug 5, 2026 01:03:28 What does it mean to care for someone with dignity when culture, language, family, and personal identity are often overlooked?In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Varsha Bhat, business and innovation leader, caregiver advocate, Vice-Chair of the Alzheimer Society of Montreal, and host of the Aging With Dignity podcast.Varsha shares how her mother’s dementia diagnosis and her father’s sudd
When Caregiving Becomes Stewardship (with Lizette Cloete)
When Caregiving Becomes Stewardship (with Lizette Cloete) Jul 29, 2026 01:16:45 What happens when dementia challenges not only how we care, but what we believe about a person’s value?In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Lizette Cloete, founder of Think Different Dementia, occupational therapist, dementia advisor, family caregiver, and host of the Dementia Caregiver Support for Christians podcast.Drawing on more than 30 years of experience and her own caregiving journ
Caregivers Are Not a Given: Why the System Is Breaking (with Stephanie Muskat)
Caregivers Are Not a Given: Why the System Is Breaking (with Stephanie Muskat) Jul 22, 2026 01:14:36 What happens when the people holding the care system together start to break?In this episode, Andrew Karesa sits down with Stephanie Muskat, an award-winning registered clinical social worker, psychotherapist, caregiver advocate, and founder of Compassion in Caregiving, to explore the emotional, practical, and systemic realities of caregiving.Stephanie shares her story of becoming a caregiver at 1

Recommended