Aging Together // Unfiltered
TL;DR: A podcast for adult children of aging parents and family caregivers who want honest, no-fluff conversations about aging, care, and caregiving. We talk about what’s working, what’s broken, and what needs to change—without sugarcoating or euphemisms.
Aging Together // Unfiltered explores the real challenges and hard decisions families face as they support aging loved ones. Hosted by Dr. Pooja A. Patel—a double-board certified occupational therapist and gerontologist, and longtime caregiver advocate—this show moves beyond “proper” conversations and into the realities families are navigating every day.
After four seasons of carefully curated, polished discussions, this podcast is now intentionally unfiltered. Not for shock value, but because polite language hasn’t fixed broken systems—or made caregiving easier. Our elders and their families don’t need softer words. They need better care, clearer information, and honest conversations that lead to action.
Each episode features clinicians, caregivers, innovators, and leaders who bring both professional expertise and lived experience. Together, we dive into aging in America—what’s working, what’s failing, and where families are being left to figure things out on their own.
Topics include:
- Aging in place and long-term care options
- Care planning, transitions, and crisis moments
- Mental health, grief, and caregiver burnout
- Navigating healthcare systems and resources
- Advocacy, accountability, and better models of care
This podcast is for the sandwich generation, long-distance caregivers, aging adults planning ahead, and professionals working in aging and care who want the truth—not platitudes.
👉 Follow Aging Together // Unfiltered if you’re navigating aging parents, caregiving decisions, or a healthcare system that wasn’t built with families in mind—and you’re ready for real conversations, not polite ones.
🎙️ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube.
A production of Aging Together LLC.
Aging Together // Unfiltered
S4E04: End-of-Life Emotional Insurance Planning | Dr. Kim Harms, JD
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Summary
In this conversation, Dr. Kim Harms, an end-of-life expert, shares her personal journey through grief and the importance of legacy planning. She discusses the concept of emotional insurance, the significance of building emotional legacies, and practical steps individuals can take to prepare for their end of life. The conversation also touches on navigating difficult conversations about death, overcoming procrastination, and the impact of cultural attitudes and spirituality on the end-of-life experience. Dr. Harms emphasizes the need for open discussions about death and encourages listeners to take proactive steps in legacy building.
Takeaways
- Dr. Harms emphasizes the importance of legacy planning for emotional well-being.
- Grief is a personal journey that requires time and effort to process.
- Emotional insurance is crucial for leaving loved ones in a healthy space after death.
- Practical steps for legacy planning include organizing important documents and writing letters.
- Difficult conversations about death can be framed as acts of love for family.
- Procrastination is a major barrier to effective end-of-life planning.
- Cultural attitudes towards death can influence how individuals prepare for it.
- Spirituality can provide comfort and purpose during the end-of-life journey.
- It's essential to educate future generations about death and legacy planning.
About the Guest:
Dr. Kimberly Harms has been around the block in life. She has served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service, a dental school professor, a grief counselor, a death doula, a civil mediator, a clinical dentist with her late husband Jim in Farmington MN, a school board Chair, President of an international women’s organization, the first woman President of the Minnesota Dental Association, a National Spokesperson for the American Dental Association (21 years), Coach for Widows, an award-winning, best selling author and international speaker on the topics of grief, conflict and legacy planning and the cohost of the RethinkingDeath.Life Podcast. She has also suffered many personal losses, including the deaths by suicide of her mother and son and the death by broken heart of her husband after their son’s death. These days, she enjoys her most important role yet: mom to two remarkable kids and grandma to six delightful grandkids, splitting her time between Kansas City and Minneapolis to soak up every precious moment.
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