Chronic pain isn’t just physical—it’s deeply emotional and psychological. And the connection between chronic pain and depression? It’s stronger—and more dangerous—than most professionals realize. In this powerful episode, Dr. Regina Koepp sits down with pain psychology expert, Dr. Jennifer Steiner, to uncover the complex and…

Chronic pain isn’t just physical—it’s personal, emotional, and deeply misunderstood. And when it comes to older adults, the pain often hides in plain sight. In this episode, I sit down with pain psychology expert, Dr. Jennifer Steiner, to explore the invisible impact of chronic pain…

Depression after stroke, also called post-stroke depression, affects approximately one third of stroke survivors at any one time after stroke. When stroke survivors experience depression, they are more likely to have fewer gains in their recovery, a poor quality of life, and increased risk for…

Cancer affects individuals, families, and communities. According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2020, an estimated 1,806,590 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United States and approximately 39.5% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes. The…

More than half of the people in the US living with HIV are 50 years old and older. With the use of antiretroviral medications, people who were diagnosed with HIV decades ago have been able to live well into older adulthood. This is great news.…

Have you had an end of life conversation with a loved one? What feelings came up for when you read this? Fear? Sadness? Longing? Remorse? Naturally, when we experience these feelings, we often want to run from them, rather than toward them. But, did you…

In honor of world AIDS day on 12/1, I am devoting today’s episode to HIV and Aging. And, yes. HIV is an important topic when it comes to aging. An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States had HIV at the end of 2018.…

November is National Caregiver Month, but I really think this entire year should be dedicated to caregivers for all that they have been through during COVID. In today’s episode, I share statistics about the toll of caregiving during COVID and 5 self-care strategies for caregivers…

Cannabis use, marijuana, and medical marijuana is becoming more and more acceptable and popular among older adults. In fact, millions of people are finding it useful for chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, PTSD, fibromyalgia, colitis, and a wide variety of medical conditions. This is not, however,…

As a society, we have so many unrealistic expectations for caregivers. As much as you hate to admit it, you may have even caught yourself thinking I can’t believe that she moved her father into a nursing home, or I would never have made THAT…

With COVID rates on the rise, and African American and Latinx folks 2-3 times more likely to have COVID than White Americans, I wanted to bring an expert on the podcast today to share a little bit about why this health disparity exists and what…

You care about your older loved one so much and for some reason, they’re just not listening to you and your pleas for them to go to the doctor. You try and you try, but nothing you say is convincing your older loved one that…