In this relaunch episode of Before the Crisis, Liz sits down with Stephanie Wilson, MS, Manager of Programs and Community Engagement for APDA Iowa, for a candid conversation about a topic many families, care teams, and senior communities avoid: sex, intimacy, and connection in later life.

Stephanie brings her background in gerontology, neurology support, and Parkinson’s community programming into a wide-ranging discussion about how aging, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, medication changes, erectile dysfunction, caregiving, grief, and changing bodies can affect intimacy between partners. The conversation also explores APDA’s ParkinSex resource, a kit created to help people with Parkinson’s and their partners reconnect around physical and emotional intimacy.

Liz and Stephanie talk openly about why older adults are often treated as if desire disappears with age, why that assumption is harmful, and why intimacy can include much more than intercourse. They discuss handholding, lying together, deep conversations, companionship, safe touch, and the emotional need to still feel wanted and connected.

This episode also gets into the complicated questions families often do not know how to answer: What happens when one spouse has dementia? How do we think about consent, caregiving, and changing roles? What happens when one partner can no longer participate in intimacy the same way? And how can families start talking about these issues before they become a crisis?

This is an honest, adult conversation for caregivers, adult children, senior living professionals, healthcare workers, and anyone who believes dignity does not end when bodies, relationships, or care needs change.

Topics discussed include:

• Sex and intimacy in older adulthood
• Parkinson’s disease and relationship changes
• The APDA ParkinSex kit
• Dementia, consent, and caregiving
• Medication side effects and erectile changes
• STIs and senior communities
• Dating after loss
• Family caregiving and dignity
• Why sex education should not stop in middle school
• How to make taboo conversations safer and less shame-filled

Disclaimer: This episode is for educational and conversational purposes only and is not medical, legal, sex therapy, marriage counseling, or mental health advice. Listeners should speak with qualified professionals about their own medical, legal, relationship, or care-planning questions.

What happens when something feels off… but no one tells you what’s really going on?

In this episode of Before the Crisis, Angie Sly shares her raw and honest experience caring for her mother through dementia without a clear diagnosis, without guidance, and without knowing what resources were available.

From early signs like behavior changes and missed medications to dangerous falls, hospitalizations, and navigating multiple care facilities, Angie walks through what it actually looks like to figure things out in real time.

She opens up about the emotional weight of being the primary decision-maker, the financial strain of paying out of pocket before understanding Medicaid, and the overwhelming process of finding safe care.

This conversation sheds light on the reality many families face:

You don’t know what you don’t know until you’re already in it.

If you are caring for a loved one or starting to notice changes, this episode will help you understand why planning early matters and how much easier this journey can be with the right support.

Golden Concierge helps families navigate aging, Medicaid, and care decisions before it becomes a crisis.

In this episode of The Golden Hour, Liz sits down with Golden Concier teammates Tasha Tucker and Jody Jones to talk about what real advocacy looks like in senior care and to officially welcome Jody to the team.

They unpack the idea of “dignity of risk” and why seniors deserve the right to make their own choices, even when those choices feel uncomfortable to families or professionals. The three also get personal, sharing their career paths through hospitals, Medicaid, PACE programs, senior living, real estate, and why all of those roads led them to Golden Concier.

You will hear how the team supports families who feel overwhelmed by decisions, paperwork, Medicaid, housing, and homes that are packed full of a lifetime of belongings. They talk about their unique balance of personalities including how Jody often plays the role of translator, why passion in advocacy can be misread as pushy, and how they protect seniors by being both gentle with clients and fierce in care meetings when needed.

If you have ever wondered what a true senior advocate does behind the scenes or what makes Golden Concierge different, this conversation pulls back the curtain.

In this episode you will hear about dignity of risk in aging, advocacy versus control and how the team stands with families, the introduction of Jody and her many years of Medicaid experience, the way Golden Concierge combines social work, Medicaid, and real estate in one place, the ethical use of an investor list to help with unsafe and overwhelmed homes, the emphasis on clear documentation and recorded communication, and the plan to add a fiduciary and accountant role for vulnerable seniors.