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PODCAST

Island Treasures

Alison van Schie

Island Treasures began as a platform for caregivers with its guests sharing their stories to encourage, provide insights, and resources to support those in the midst of caregiving. With over 100 heartfelt episodes, it reminded caregivers they were not alone, as it uplifted voices of wisdom, empowerment, and compassion. In October 2025 Island Treasures enters a new chapter.This relaunched season explores life after caregiving—the transitions, transformations, and moments that follow with former

society & culture relationships

All Episodes

38:55

Life After Caregiving: Heart Memories

Island Treasures ·

2026/03/23

In this episode, we welcome back a familiar voice from Season 5, Episode 1 — Grace Block returns to share what life looks like after caregiving. She opens up about the transition from being a full‑time caregiver for her mom, who lived with dementia, to stepping into her next chapter. Grace reflects on the privilege of being able to take early retirement so she could be fully present during her mom’s final months, and how working part‑time in a casual role helped her stay connected to her own ...

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6:14

Island Treasures Nature Spotlight: Sea Lions on the...

Island Treasures ·

2026/03/09

A rare gathering of California Sea Lions turned a quiet Vancouver Island shoreline into a living, breathing wildlife spectacle. In this Island Treasures spotlight episode, come along as we get an unusually close look at these massive, captivating mammals as they rest and jostle for space on the beach during the lead‑up to the herring run. With photos andvideo accompanying the audio version of the podcast on YouTube, this episode brings plenty of coastal atmosphere, offering a refreshing break...

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45:44

Life After Caregiving: Reconstructing Sharon

Island Treasures ·

2026/02/23

After eleven years as the sole caregiver for her mom living with young‑onset dementia, Sharon Davis wasn’t prepared for the grief, anger, and loss that followed her mother’s passing. Holidays lost their sparkle, her faith felt fractured, and life paused as she stepped back from work and withdrew - unsure how to move forward in a life no longer defined by caregiving. Healing felt distant — until an unexpected and unconventional opportunity appeared. It was surprising and exactly what she neede...

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44:03

Family Is Everything: Helping Children Understand...

Island Treasures ·

2026/01/23

Carol Steinberg is an accomplished writer/editor and a former award-winning journalist who contributed regularly to The New York Times, Success magazine, and other publications. In addition, Carol brings a deeply personal lens to the world of Alzheimer’s disease. After supporting her mother as the primary caregiver for her father, she witnessed firsthand how this illness reshapes the lives of everyone it touches. Following her father’s passing, she applied her journalism skills, experie...

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51:52

Caregiver Recovery: Redefining Normal and Moving Forward

Island Treasures ·

2025/12/23

Caregiver Recovery: Redefining Normal and Moving Forward invites listeners into another honest conversation with Christina Keys about life after caregiving. Too often, caregivers are left 'soul tired' and unprepared for life after caregiving. Christina is a caregiving advocate, national speaker, and founder of Keys for Caregiving. After a decade-long journey caring for her mother post-stroke, Christina now empowers family caregivers to prioritize self-care, navigate life after caregivin...

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47:35

Grief, Grit, and Growth: A Caregiver’s Guide to...

Island Treasures ·

2025/11/23

In our first full episode since the relaunch, we sit down with former caregiver, Licia Thompson-Young, who shares what it means to grow forward with intention after caregiving. From stepping beyond her comfort zone to embracing the unknown in unfamiliar environments, she reveals how healing began when she allowed herself to feel — and how grief, once buried, found release in her HIIT (High-intensity interval training) workouts at the gym. This is a story of courage, change, and the quiet powe...

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9:24

Life After Caregiving: Finding Your Footing

Island Treasures ·

2025/10/23

When caregiving ends, it can feel like standing at the edge of a cliff—grief, uncertainty, and a quiet question echoing: “What now?” In this heartfelt episode of Island Treasures, we explore the transition from active caregiving to life beyond the role. Whether your caregiving journey spanned years - or months, the ending often brings a profound shift in identity, routine, and emotional landscape. In this episode we talk about the “treasuring” phase of caregiving, where former caregivers are ...

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0:57

Island Treasures Relaunch 2025

Island Treasures ·

2025/10/06

After six seasons, Island Treasures returns with a fresh focus. We’ve rebranded to explore life after caregiving—the stories, reflections, and quiet renewals. This new season shines a light on what follows caregiving, because that matters. You’ll hear candid conversations with former caregivers, offering insight, hope, and the kind of connection that helps us move forward. And in addition to these heartfelt episodes, we’ll occasionally celebrate the treasures of Vancouver Island itself—after ...

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5:45

Island Treasures Podcast: Change is A-Coming!

Island Treasures ·

2025/06/06

Island Treasures Podcast is taking a short break from publishing new episodes to reflect and seek future direction! Over the past six seasons, we've explored the many facets of caregiving, sharing insightful conversations and meaningful stories. While our existing content will remain available for you to revisit anytime, we feel it may be time to venture into new territory. We look back over the life of the podcast thus far as its focus has been on caregiving, with exceptional guests - many c...

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8:06

Island Treasures Mini Podcast: No Regrets

Island Treasures ·

2025/05/09

A central theme of the full podcast episode with Rayna Neises, called "Rayna's Caregiving Wisdom: No Regrets and Cherished Memories" was how to have no regrets when caregiving. After 26 years of caregiving during which Rayna completed her training to become a certified coach, Rayna shares what enabled her to be able to look back on her caregiving experience and say she has no regrets. We review how to define regrets, what it means to embrace a growth mindset, and we hear what questions...

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53:04

Rayna’s Caregiving Wisdom: No Regrets and Cherished...

Island Treasures ·

2025/05/02

In this episode we are joined by Rayna Neises for an enlightening conversation about her extensive caregiving journey. Rayna is a dedicated Caregiving Coach, author, and advocate for family caregivers. With a heart deeply rooted in faith, Rayna has transformed her caregiving experiences into a mission to support others navigating the challenging path of caregiving. She was introduced to caregiving as a teenager, caring first for her mom who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and later for ...

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8:45

Island Treasures Mini Podcast: A Dementia Companion

Island Treasures ·

2025/04/11

This mini episode highlights key points from “Creating Connections with a Dementia Companion” featuring Gina Awad. Gina, who studied Dementia as part of her Health and Social Care degree, is a valuable resource for those living with dementia and their caregivers. She noticed common themes like fear and system navigation during her early information sessions. Recognizing the need for clear guidance after a dementia diagnosis, Gina emphasized the importance of discussing dementia and providing ...

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58:52

Meaningful Connections with a Dementia Companion

Island Treasures ·

2025/04/04

Gina Awad's heartfelt journey into dementia caregiving began with her childhood visits to care homes, sparking a lifelong mission to support families navigating this challenging landscape. She studied Dementia as part of her Health and Social Care degree in 2011 to further explore the challenges and realities of dementia. As a dedicated advocate, she shares her path from those early impressions to becoming a dementia champion, highlighting the emotional and social challenges both caregivers a...

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8:20

Island Treasures: Thinking Ahead with Betsy Haddad

Island Treasures ·

2025/03/14

This mini episode visits a few of the key takeaways Betsy Haddad shared with the listeners in the full episode "Thinking Ahead about Alzheimer's and Care Needs with Betsy Haddad". Since her caregiving experience she has become an activist and wanted to share about: Why she became an activist?Hybrid Long Term Care InsuranceClinical TrialsBlood Test to Detect Protein related to dementia.As an activist, Betsy not only talks about dementia, but she is also proud to be part of the science. "...

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56:04

Thinking Ahead About Alzheimer's and Care Needs with...

Island Treasures ·

2025/03/07

Betsy Haddad has returned to the podcast to share some exciting news on the fight against Alzheimer's Disease. Since the passing of her beloved dad, Edward, Betsy has had time to reflect on his suffering and that has channeled her grief into activism in the fight against the disease. Betsy is a member of Generation X and she grew up in the era of 80's music. She has two wonderful adult sons who are the light of her life. In her spare time, Betsy loves to sing - perform...

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8:07

Geri-Gadgets®

Island Treasures ·

2025/02/14

Angela Fairhurst demonstrates the 3 Geri-Gadgets ® buckets that, as an entrepeneur she designed and created to enhance the lives of folks living with dementia. There's the Fidget-Gadget ® bucket, the Shapes bucket and the Flower bucket. Each bucket has its own unique contents to bring activity, joy and engagement to your loved one. "Click Here to Leave a Comment"

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45:43

A Caregiver's Innovative Creation

Island Treasures ·

2025/02/07

Angela Fairhurst was the primary caregiver for her mom who after a misdiagnosis and several different medications was eventually diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Angela's passion to find engaging activities for her mom led her to create Geri-Gadgets® and as the founder and CEO of Geri-Gadgets®, she is dedicated to enhancing the lives of those affected by dementia. Angela has over 25 years of experience as a non-fiction television producer and journalist through Fairhurst Productions...

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19:47

Island Treasures 'Treasure Chest' with Judy Cornish

Island Treasures ·

2025/01/17

Another 'Island Treasures Treasure Chest' bonus episode. In this episode we revisit "Skills Retained: Strengths-Based Approach to Dementia Care" Season 2, Episode 13 featuring Judy Cornish.Judy Cornish is the founder of the DAWN Method - a strengths-based approach to dementia care. From the treasure chest we hear about two sets of thinking skills: the sensory and the rational thinking skills. We examine dementia through the lens of the disease or medical model and compare th...

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7:56

Island Treasures Mini Podcast: Caregiver Respite

Island Treasures ·

2025/01/10

Rebekah Dowhy, grew up being the caregiver for her mom. Through her caregiving life she learned the importance of support. She describes the rare opportunity she had to experience the joy that came with taking a break. A break that to many would be taken for granted, as she was able to join her classmates for an outing. Rebekah's take on this outing was that it felt like a vacation. Learning the power of taking a break from such a young age, Rebekah created ...

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55:33

Normal Life Plus Caregiving

Island Treasures ·

2025/01/03

This episode offers valuable insights to both caregivers and non-caregivers, featuring valuable tips from Rebekah Dowhy for those who aren't caregivers but want to lend a hand.Rebekah's journey into caregiving began at birth, as her mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis the same year she was born. Growing up, Rebekah, along with her dad, took care of her mom. Through this experience, she learned the critical importance of support and the need for respite breaks. (You’ll hear how for Re...

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