In this episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Arden shares that the podcast is going on a brief hiatus. It will return in June 2024 with a fresh, new spin. Please stick around – we’ll be bringing you top-notch guests, including professionals and individuals with inspiring personal journeys. During our new podcast, we'll be shedding light on stories of resilience and addressing challenging topics not often discussed. Ensure you're subscribed to our newsletter for updates on the upcoming show. You can sign up on our website at www.OConnorPG.com. 

Although Diana and I will continue as co-hosts, we will have a rotating group of hosts who are other O’Connor Professional Group staff members. For announcements, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms. Thank you for your continued support!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [:29] Arden shares Beyond the Balance Sheet will be on a short break until June 2024 

• [1:02] Sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss exciting announcements about the new show. Diana and Arden are co-hosts with a rotating group of other OPG hosts and guests

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• When the podcast returns in June, there will be new guests and stories of resilience. Please don’t unsubscribe; stay tuned for the new format and guests. 

RESOURCES:

Beyond the Balance Sheet Website

In this revisited episode of Beyond the Balance Sheet, Dr. Craig Heacock joins us. He is an adolescent and adult psychiatrist and addiction specialist in Colorado and the host and co-producer of the podcast Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories. First, Dr. Heacock gives us a brief history of ketamine from the last fifty years as an FDA-approved drug. We talk about how ketamine became a go-to treatment for resistant depression and bipolar disorder. Tune in as Dr. Heacock reveals how a state-of-the-art assessment delivery and follow-up for ketamine would look like.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [02:00] Ketamine: a brief history of the past fifty years.  

• [05:00] How would a state-of-the-art assessment delivery and follow-up for ketamine look like?  

• [09:00] Who is running the ketamine clinics if there’s a shortage of psychiatrists?  

• [11:55] How money and profit drive some of this ketamine delivery. 

• [16:09] Dr. Heacock’s experience with individuals who abuse ketamine.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Ketamine is a go-to treatment for resistant depression and bipolar disorder.

• A state-of-the-art ketamine therapy involves a true psychiatric evaluation to see if there are other things that should be happening first.

• Ketamine does not replace medications; it augments them and helps them work better.

• Most people that are receiving ketamine treatments are very middle class.

LINKS MENTIONED:

craigheacockmd.com

Podcast: Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/back-from-the-abyss-psychiatry-in-stories/id1469826718

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/theabysspod/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/backfromtheabysspodcast/

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-heacock-md-1a8618196

BIO:

Dr. Craig Heacock is an adolescent and adult psychiatrist and addiction specialist in Colorado and the host and co-producer of the podcast Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories. He was a co-therapist in the Phase 3 trial of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD and has particular interest in the use of ketamine and other psychedelics to treat severe mood disorders and PTSD. He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and did his psychiatry training at Brown University.

In this revisited episode, we are joined by OPG’s Director of Aging Services, Sam van Kalkeren. Sam discusses how to help a loved one faced with a dementia diagnosis. He gives excellent information on how to communicate with a loved one to ensure their voice is heard as they navigate this difficult path. Sam talks about the benefits of having a care partner and what type of support they can offer the family. It is vital to have a care partner if the ailing family member lives out of state. We touch on what happens when someone with a dementia diagnosis gets a psychiatric admission and give excellent tips on keeping the loved one safe. This episode contains great information to help your aging parent handle cognitive decline. 

IN THIS EPISODE

• [2:20] How does a child support a parent facing cognitive decline? 

• [5:20] What are the benefits of having a care partner? 

• [8:52] What is the best way to communicate with someone with  dementia? 

• [10:40] What does Sam recommend to children when they first hear the diagnosis? 

• [12:04] How do family members help someone struggling with dementia avoid being taken advantage of financially? 

• [14:24] What happens when someone goes into the hospital with a psychiatric admission?

• [20:25] How do you help a family member who doesn’t want to accept their diagnosis? 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Have hard conversations about how the ailing parent wants to live the rest of their life. Do they want a DNI (do not intubate) or DNR (do not resuscitate)? Know all medications and have everything laid out to help the parent.

• Form a relationship with a care partner if you are out of state or need additional support.

• Those with dementia need a lot of support. Some people can continue to live at home, work, and speak for themselves, but the proper support needs to be in place.

• If your loved one goes into the psychiatric emergency department, they may get scared and become aggressive. If they are sedated due to that behavior, it can be difficult to go back to inpatient care. An impatient home may not want to take the patient back if they display aggressive behavior. It’s important to have a care partner to help avoid the loved one being put in a psychiatric department.  

RESOURCES:

Beyond the Balance Sheet Website

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-van-kalkeren-msn-rn/

BIO:

Sam van Kalkeren, MSN, RN, CDP, is OPG’s Director of Aging Services. He has been working as a psychiatric RN since 2012 and is a Certified Dementia Practitioner. Sam has worked with all age populations suffering from mental illness, from pediatrics to geriatrics. He has experience working with clients suffering from substance use and co-occurring disorders, complex mental health diagnoses, neurocognitive disorders, and personality disorders. Most of his nursing career has been in the inpatient psychiatric setting. Sam joined OPG from Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Before Tufts, he was the Patient Care Director for the geriatric and adult inpat