Episode 55 – What is Care Management and How Can It Help Someone With ADHD?

What if growing older didn’t mean slowing down—but stepping into a more vibrant, intentional life?

In this inspiring episode of Grandma Has ADHD, host Jami Shapiro sits down with Dr. Corinne Auman, founder of Choice Care Navigators, to explore the power of care management and the fresh, exciting possibilities of aging today.

Dr. Auman shares how a deeply personal family caregiving experience led her to create a service that helps families navigate the often overwhelming world of senior care—while bringing dignity, choice, and clarity to every decision. From juggling multiple medications to making big life transitions, she explains why having a care manager can make all the difference, especially for those aging solo or living far from loved ones.

But that’s not all—Corinne also opens up about her own ADHD evaluation journey, the perfectionism and “deadline-driven” habits she’s carried for years, and how ADHD often hides in plain sight, even well into adulthood. Together, Jami and Corinne break down the myths of aging, talk about why we need to de-prescribe medications as much as we prescribe them, and share practical ways to simplify life and embrace growth at every age.

Whether you’re 50+, supporting aging parents, or simply rethinking what getting older can look like, this episode is packed with wisdom, humor, and permission to live fully—without waiting for “the right time.”

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Dr. Corinne Auman – Website & Book Keenagers: corinneauman.com
• Choice Care Navigators: choicecarenavigators.com
• Silver Linings Transitions: silverliningstransitions.com
• Grandma Has ADHD Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573783106742

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Grandma Has ADHD! We hope Jami's journey and insights into ADHD shed light on the unique challenges faced by older adults. Stay tuned for more episodes where we’ll explore helpful resources, share personal stories, and provide guidance for those navigating ADHD. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this podcast with friends who might benefit. Remember, Make the rest of your life the best of your life.

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Transcript

Have you ever thought, is this just me? When struggling to stay organized, start tasks, or manage time, for those of us over 50, these challenges might not be just aging. They could be ADHD hiding in plain sight for decades. I'm Jami Shapiro, host of Grandma has ADHD, and I'm building a community where your experiences matter.

Whether you are diagnosed, questioning or simply curious. You are not alone. Our Facebook group is filled with vibrant understanding. People over 50 who share their stories, strategies, and yes, even their struggles with plenty of laughter along the way. Ready to find your people. Join our growing Grandma has ADHD Facebook community.

Please like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen and share it with someone who might need to hear. They're not alone because ADHD doesn't have an age limit and neither does understanding yourself better. Together, we're changing the conversation about ADHD after 50 come be part of the story.

[00:01:25] Jami Shapiro: Hi, and welcome to the latest episode of Grandma Has ADHD. I am super excited to be bringing you Dr. Corinne. Is it Auman or Auman? Yeah. 

[00:01:37] Corrine Auman: Yeah, 

[00:01:38] Jami Shapiro: Auman. Auman, thank you. That's something I probably should have rehearsed, but welcome to today's episode where we're joined by Dr. Corinne Auman, founder and CEO of Choice Care Navigators.

[00:01:50] Jami Shapiro: Dr. Auman's journey into senior care began with a deeply personal experience watching her mother struggle to make difficult caregiving decisions for her grandmother while juggling a full-time job and raising two children. That teenage observation sparked a powerful thought. There has to be a better way.

[00:02:09] Jami Shapiro: Today, Dr. Auman has created that better way through Choice Care Navigators, where she and her team help families navigate the complex world of senior care to make well-informed decisions. Their mission is to help families make the best choices while making what can be an overwhelming process as stress free as possible.

[00:02:30] Jami Shapiro: Dr. Auman brings impressive credentials to this vital work. She's a nationally certified guardian and an advanced professional member of the Aging Life Care Association. She earned her PhD from North Carolina State University where she specializes in developmental psychology with a focus on adulthood and aging.

[00:02:48] Jami Shapiro: And she is an experienced educator, researcher, and author. She's written the book, teenagers telling a new story about aging, which challenges traditional narratives about it, what it means to grow older. What makes Dr. Auman's perspective particularly valuable is her unique combination of academic expertise in aging, psychology, and real world experience, helping families navigate some of life's most challenging transitions.

[00:03:16] Jami Shapiro: She understands not just the practical logistics of senior care, but also the emotional and psychological aspects that families face during these pivotal moments. Whether you're currently facing caregiving decisions, planning for your own future, or supporting others through these transitions, Dr. Auman's insights promise to offer both practical guidance and a fresh perspective on aging with

[00:03:38] Jami Shapiro: Dignity. And we'll tell you more about how you can find Dr. Corin Auman, later in this episode. But I also want to share a personal introduction. I actually met Dr. Auman. She was a speaker when I attended the Certified Senior Advisors conference. Where, I spoke about ADHD in older adults and of course that sparks conversations with people when they hear me speak about ADHD.

[00:04:03] Jami Shapiro: And it is very common for someone to come up to me and say I'm being evaluated, and, that is actually the case. Do you prefer Dr. Auman or Corinne? 

[00:04:12] Corrine Auman: It's Corinne and Corrine. You can call me that, that's fine. Okay. 

[00:04:15] Jami Shapiro: But I have to say, I know that you're in the process of being evaluated, but your bio reads like somebody with ADHD.

[00:04:21] Jami Shapiro: I mean, if you listen to the other podcast episodes, you'll be quite impressed with all of the things. So, where you said, I always ask if I can out somebody, and I hate to even use the term out because I don't see ADHD as a disorder. Sure. I'm working to de-stigmatize it. So I feel like if we're hiding it then, then we're saying there's a stigma, there's something to be ashamed of.

[00:04:42] Jami Shapiro: Yeah. So, thank you very much for being open to having that conversation. But there's so many reasons that I wanted to bring you on. One, of course, is your own why you think you might have ADHD. But also because decisions are so difficult with people with ADHD four people, with ADHD, I thought, you you kind of touch on so many of the nerves.

[00:04:59] Jami Shapiro: So welcome. 

[00:05:01] Corrine Auman: Thanks, thanks for having me. It's like you, you have all the problems, so please come talk to us. 

[00:05:08] Jami Shapiro: You don't have the problems, you have the solutions. 

[00:05:10] Corrine Auman: There you go. 

[00:05:11] Jami Shapiro: Yeah. Yeah. And, I'm gonna apologize if you've listened to my podcast on a regular basis, and I was telling this to Corinne. Benji seems to want to be vocal, right when I get on to interviews.

[00:05:22] Jami Shapiro: He's like figured out that he will get continued treats. And so when you hear little crispy things opening up or whatever, that is me, trying to pacify my 1-year-old dog, Benji. 

[00:05:31] Corrine Auman: 

[00:05:31] Jami Shapiro: He knows he's learned. He's like, oh, he's, weak in this moment. Yep. Oh, he's got me, I've got the ring light on and I'm in the front of the microphone and in the pretty section of the house.

[00:05:41] Jami Shapiro: So tell our listeners a little bit about your journey. I love the title of your book, keenagers. That's also like so incredibly creative, which is another reason I'm like, if it walks like a duck and it talks, because one of the best features of ADHD is our creativity.

[00:05:56] Corrine Auman: So to start from the beginning. you said this a little bit in the bio. I got into working with older adults in general because I did kind of watch my mom and her sister go on this caregiving journey, where they kind of became caregivers overnight that my grandfather had been doing such a good job of protecting my grandmother.

[00:06:16] Corrine Auman: and she had dementia. And really nobody in the family knew the full extent of how bad it was because he had been such a good caregiver. 

[00:06:24] Jami Shapiro: 

[00:06:24] Corrine Auman: And then he passed away pretty suddenly and all of a sudden it was like they went from having two parents to having one parent and realizing that one parent needed 24 hour supervision, really could not be left alone.

[00:06:37] Corrine Auman: And that happened, he passed away when I was in eighth grade. And then watching my mom and her sister carry that experience until I was a junior in college. My mom, my grandmother passed away when I was a junior in college. And over those years, how do we find caregivers in the home?

[00:06:55] Corrine Auman: Sometimes, they don't show up. we've gotta find new people. They quit. Then we have to move into a facility. How do we choose a facility? we chose one, but now we don't like it. we're regretting that we've gotta choose another one. Just kind of all the things along the way.

[00:07:11] Corrine Auman: And it's really one of those situations where you don't know what you don't know. Until you get in that moment. And I just, remember thinking. Why isn't there somebody who helps you with this? This is really dumb and I think a lot of people think it's gonna be like the social worker at the hospital or somebody who is gonna guide you through these things.

[00:07:32] Corrine Auman: And this is no offense to the social workers at the hospital, but their job is to get you out of the hospital, and then once you get home or get to wherever you're going. You are not their responsibility anymore. And so they really don't have guidance to give you at that point. And that's where we come in and try to help families kinda walk through that process and, we tell them the things they don't know so that hopefully they can, avoid the pitfalls 

[00:08:00] Jami Shapiro: and have a smoother journey.

[00:08:01] Jami Shapiro: Okay. Wow. I mean, that is so incredibly helpful. And I remember, I actually went through cancer 20 years ago and I remember thinking back then there should be somebody who goes through this process with you, and I think they do now have cancer navigators. But yeah. that was brilliant. And so tell me, I wanna talk about that, butalso I'm so drawn to the title of your book, keenagers, because, for those of you who are listening and you can't see it on YouTube, the book is keenagers Telling a new Story about Aging. And of course, that's the shiny penny that's growing, my attention. Can you tell us about that?

[00:08:34] Jami Shapiro: Yeah, so one of the things I 

[00:08:35] Corrine Auman: see in my care management business. Is, I really get to see, oh, let me back up one step. When I started my business I was very wrong in that I thought I was gonna be working with 40 year olds who were caring for 70-year-old parents. And this is a stereotype, right?

[00:08:55] Corrine Auman: Like I had this idea in my head that the 70 year olds were the ones who were, Needed all the care. And the reality is that I am typically working with 70 year olds who are caring for their 90 something year old parents. And I have realized over the years that I had that so wrong, and if I had it so wrong.

[00:09:15] Corrine Auman: My education is in working with seniors. And I was completely wrong about who I was actually gonna be working with. And if I was that wrong, boy, everybody else has that stereotype wrong too. And I think it's so common that we think, oh yeah, 70, you'll be in bad health and it'll be all downhill.

[00:09:35] Corrine Auman: That sort of thing. And what I see with my clients and just in the world is no, at 70, a lot of people are still working. They're active, they're doing things. And so the whole book is about reshaping our cultural story around aging, because being an older adult today is very, very different than the way it was for your grandparents or your great grandparents.

[00:10:01] Corrine Auman: It's a totally different story, and so I was trying to write a book about this and tell a positive story about aging, and if you go, just Google words for older adults. They're almost all really, really negative. So it's cojar, old coot, hag, crone. I mean, there are some neutral words like older adult, there's like active agere, that's a kind of positive one, but very few.

[00:10:32] Corrine Auman: And so, We came up with this word keenager because a friend of mine. Asked her mom, Hey, what do you guys like to be called? And she's like, oh, we like to be called keenagers because the definition of keen means highly developed or having a lot of interest in something. And I was like, that is perfect.

[00:10:51] Corrine Auman: That is exactly how we wanna describe this period of life where you're highly developed and you still have a lot of interests and you are capable of being involved and being active, engaged in all these things and whatever you wanna do. And so that's where it comes from. And again, it's because I see in my practice that aging today is so different.

[00:11:16] Jami Shapiro: Than what our stereotypes would tell us. It is actually like.Well, it's so funny too because I talk about the Golden Girls. I mean, I'm 55 and the women that were playing, the Golden Girls were in their. Fifties. Yeah. And now, you wanna look at like, J-Lo who's my age, and that's what 50 looks like now, right?

[00:11:33] Jami Shapiro: So that's just, but I am on a soapbox. First of all, I hate the word anti-aging. I had cancer 20 years ago as a 34-year-old. I want to age. I mean, yes, I'm not excited about all of the changes that happened to my body, but I'm loving, the freedom that I'm stepping into of becoming myself. And one of the other reasons that I'm so passionate about this work is that I've had people say with the ADHD, why does it even matter at this point?

[00:11:59] Jami Shapiro: They're, why does it matter? They're 70, 80 years old. And I'm like, so you're telling me when you're 70 or 80 years old, you just wanna sit in a rocking chair and just like drool, or do you wanna continue to grow and experience things and take in your natural curiosity.

[00:12:11] Jami Shapiro: So you're totally like hitting everything that is so important that I'm so passionate about. 

[00:12:16] Corrine Auman: Well, and it's so interesting too because It is almost like we see older people as other, right? Like they are somehow different than me and you. And aging is one of those things, and ageism is one of those things.

[00:12:31] Corrine Auman: bias against, so it's gonna apply to you at some point hopefully if you, hopefully there's an alternative. Mm-hmm. But it's gonna apply to you at some point if you live long enough. At what point? Would you like to stop being viewed as a whole person with wants and needs and desires and feelings?

[00:12:58] Corrine Auman: I mean, just all the things, and it's like we somehow put older people in this category, like they aren't fully human anymore, right? they don't have passions and purpose and all these things. And yet, isn't that what you would want for yourself? Absolutely. Tell me at what age you would like for us to assume that you don't have any passions or purpose or feelings and Yeah, you wanna just go sit and drool on yourself, like, 

[00:13:27] Jami Shapiro: yeah, and that's a great question.

[00:13:29] Jami Shapiro: At what age and like you are trying to change the narrative on aging and like the whole anti-aging, like let's spin that. That's not what it really needs to be. It's more positive aging. And you're right, keen. And again, I think I shared with you, in the beginning of the podcast, I'm trying to de-stigmatize ADHD.

[00:13:46] Jami Shapiro: And it's a very similar, I seem to have two big platforms, and you intersect them. I would love to chat a little bit with you about your ADHD experience and where you are and, 'cause you shared with me that you're deciding to be, Evaluated. Yeah. what brought you to that?

[00:14:00] Jami Shapiro: 

[00:14:00] Corrine Auman: so I have a friend who, I have coffee with every week and she, she got evaluated and then she was telling me, about the process and she had this like checklist Of things. 

[00:14:13] Jami Shapiro: And as she went through her checklist, I went. Oh, that me too. Right? Like, that's too, that's how I found out.

[00:14:21] Corrine Auman: That's, that's me too. And honestly, it really kind of surprised me. I mean, I didn't have anything against going and being evaluated, but it had never really occurred to me to schedule it to get it done until she went through that checklist with me and I went. Huh?

[00:14:42] Corrine Auman: Because it was specifically looking at like characteristics in women, for ADHD and, I think I shared with you when we met at the conference too, that I can look at my dad very clearly and see that in all likelihood he's had undiagnosed ADHD Most of his life. 

[00:14:59] Corrine Auman: his whole life. andso I can see that. And then I look at myself and I go. Oh. And, yeah, so that's, what's led me down that path. It's actually scheduled in October. I don't know when this episode's gonna air, but, yeah. So I've scheduled it and, we'll see what comes out of it.

[00:15:16] Corrine Auman: I'm really curious at this point and I think you and I talked about this too, like so many people, particularly women with ADHD, I've functioned, right? I've functioned well, and I've never had any problem medic behaviors where they said they needed to go get me evaluated to have me sit down.

[00:15:33] Corrine Auman: I've made it through, and yet at the same time. That doesn't mean that it's not there. It's Right. We've developed these strategies Work with it. 

[00:15:42] Jami Shapiro: Yeah. We mask, and, I've learned through doing this podcast about perfectionism and perfectionist tendencies and And we are over achievers and that's why I said your bio reads like someone with ADHD. Mm. I think part of it is, and this is my experience, you tell me if this applies to you. I don't do well sitting. I have to have something that I'm working towards. If I don't have something and I've got like a day with nothing, I panic.

[00:16:08] Jami Shapiro: I don't know what to do with myself and I shut down and I think that is. Are you, she's nodding her head, by the way. In agreement. So, 

[00:16:15] Corrine Auman: I dunno, my husband kinda laughs at me and doesn't understand. 'cause he can take a Saturday and like, watch movies or read books or just do nothing. Just do nothing.

[00:16:28] Corrine Auman: I do not know how to do that. And in fact, what you said about if I have a day. Where there is nothing scheduled, like there's just time to relax. 

[00:16:37] Jami Shapiro: I almost have a anxiety attack. Yeah. Like I either have to schedule, I have to create a schedule for myself. Like, here are the things that I'm gonna get done today.

[00:16:47] Jami Shapiro: 

[00:16:47] Corrine Auman: Oh. But like, let's just sit around and do nothing. 

[00:16:51] Jami Shapiro: do you feel 

[00:16:51] Jami Shapiro: guilty if you're not being productive? Yes. Okay. Yes. Absolutely. So, again. You look at a bio like yours and you're like, okay, she's striving. She's striving. I also have found that a lot of times, because people with ADHD we're so, now and not now, and we're just so driven that we don't even stop to savor our accomplishments to like, oh, I did that.

[00:17:13] Jami Shapiro: And one of the things that I learned in my ADHD coaching is a lot of us have to go back and look at our LinkedIn bio, even if we remember to update, and she's laughing again. Alright. LinkedIn bio because we're just Okay. Next thing. Next thing. I feel like my brain, it's almost like I have more brain than can fit in my head, if that makes any sense.

[00:17:29] Jami Shapiro: and I cannot like, just retract like there's too much. It's, so, anyway, that's actually the title of my book is about too much too. Having too much, feeling too much. Being too much. so you said you think your father's got it. My father, by the way, also has hyperactive ADHD and was never formally diagnosed either because they just didn't diagnose.

[00:17:49] Jami Shapiro: That generation. But I have a half brother. We share a father, and he was diagnosed with hyperactive ADHD and had to be put on Ritalin. And so when my ex-husband, accused me of having ADHD, I was like, no, I don't, because I'm not that A behavior issue. But I didn't know that constant brain going, or like when you were in class, did you procrastinate on projects?

[00:18:11] Jami Shapiro: Mm-hmm. Okay. 'cause we needed that. Like, that hit that dopamine. Well, 

[00:18:15] Corrine Auman: and I 

[00:18:16] Corrine Auman: am 

[00:18:16] Corrine Auman: still Deadline driven. Me too. when I was writing the book, the only way the book got, 'cause I've been thinking about writing a book for years. Me too. the only way the book got written was that I signed up for like a writing coach.

[00:18:31] Corrine Auman: And I had deadlines, I had to have something for them to read every single week. And that deadline. Did that for me and I'm actually working on my second book now. And I also am working with that same writing coach 'cause I've got to have the deadline or I can't do it. And even then I procrastinate.

[00:18:50] Corrine Auman: I procrastinate up until the deadline and then it's like, okay, now I'll do it. And that has worked for me. It drove my mother insane when I was in school. But yeah. 

[00:19:01] Jami Shapiro: Yeah. Yeah. I would do science projects the night before. They were due homework on the bus on the way to school or the class before it was due?

[00:19:08] Jami Shapiro: Yeah. So with my book, which is coming out October 1st, so I, will not air until after October. So I don't know where, if it'll be October or November, but I basically put it on Facebook. My book is coming out October 1st. And at that point it was about. 50% written, but there's nothing like I have declared this to the world.

[00:19:26] Jami Shapiro: Yeah, it is going to be done. And I'm actually interestingly calling the first version, the perfect is the enemy of done version because I know sometimes. And it's funny, I'm not a perfectionist about my desk, my closet, but how I present to the world, when I do a presentation or I put on an event, it's gotta be right.

[00:19:46] Jami Shapiro: So I just decided I was gonna put it out there. what if I go out there and say it doesn't have to be perfect, then you get to step into the world and say, it doesn't have to be perfect. And we are really embracing vulnerability, which I am liking these days. It's like, okay, I'm gonna take the mask off.

[00:20:02] Jami Shapiro: This is who I am. Just like I was talking about, feeding Benji and the like this is the reality. I mean, I could go into a podcast studio and record, but then I'm leaving my dog alone all day. so it's just all of these things and I'm like, you know what? I'd just rather like bring people into my home and say, this is my life.

[00:20:17] Jami Shapiro: I was laughing a little while you were talking about your book because, I don't know if you allow cussing on your podcast, but Oh, please. It's a sign of intelligence. When I was writing my first draft, not the final draft of the book. But when I was writing the first draft, the only way I could get myself through it was to continuously, I had a big like post-it note on my, behind my computer where it said.

[00:20:43] Corrine Auman: This is your shitty first draft. 'cause my writing coach said that basically we can edit anything but a blank page. So this is your shitty first draft. It's gonna suck. It's gonna be terrible, but you have got to get things on the page so that we can edit and get the final version, that sort of thing.

[00:21:07] Corrine Auman: But that perfectionism, well, that's what had kept me from doing it because what I would want to do, I would write something and then I would want to edit it. And I'm like, well, where's this gonna go? And I couldn't figure out where, what to do with it. And so then I would just stop. And it's like, you gotta put it out there.

[00:21:23] Jami Shapiro: And I continuously have to do that to say just, it's fine, whatever. You gotta produce something because then you can perfect it. And there is 

[00:21:35] Corrine Auman: pain. 

[00:21:35] Jami Shapiro: Yeah. There's nothing worse than staring at a blank page. I mean, especially when you don't know how to prioritize begin tasks, you become overwhelmed.

[00:21:42] Jami Shapiro: And that's been, actually as a coach, the biggest thing I'm experiencing with my clients seems to be the perfectionism. It seems to be the beating themselves up. I'm not doing it the way I think it should be done. I don't wanna put it into the world until it is. And I mean, you know, hosting a podcast and coaching has just.

[00:21:59] Jami Shapiro: It. I mean, I know my ADHD now because I've been learning about it. But when I get to hear other people's experience, and I always say in every podcast, and maybe you're bringing audience to this podcast that hasn't heard, Grandma has ADHD. If you meet one person with ADHD you meet one person with ADHD.

[00:22:16] Jami Shapiro: ' Cause we really all have very different experiences. And that leads me to, if you're listening to this podcast and you are enjoying what you are hearing, please share it with your friends. And because that's how we grow and that's part of the movement of, de-stigmatizing this and just saying, Hey, me too, me too.

[00:22:34] Jami Shapiro: In a more positive. Me too. Not, not that old, negative. Me too. And also Corinne, I wanna give you an opportunity to also share how people can find you and who you work with. But before we do that, we're going to take a pause to allow a word from our sponsor. And I'm just going to say selfishly our sponsor is Silver Linings Transitions, which is the business that got me into all of this in San Diego.

[00:22:59] Jami Shapiro: We do home organizing and move management. Senior move management is our specialty. Especially somebody with ADHD who has to make a move. That's a big project and that's kind of like staring at a blank canvas. We go in and we guide our clients through the entire process. So we're gonna take a pause that is how I am paying for this podcast.

[00:23:19] Jami Shapiro: And then we are going to bring Dr. Corrine Auman back and let her tell you a little bit more about how you can work with her. So here is a little behind the scenes tour of how I do this podcast.

Hey there. Amazing listeners. Get ready because something incredible is coming your way. And trust me, you are not going to wanna miss this. I am thrilled to announce my very first virtual book signing event for this explains so much. And here is the best part. I'm not doing this alone. I'll be joined by someone extra special.

My mom, Vicki Armel. That's right. It's going to be a family affair and we're going to have. An absolute blast. Mark your calendars because this explains so much, will be available for purchase on Amazon starting October 1st, just in time for ADHD awareness month. That gives you plenty of time to dive into the pages, absorb all those aha moments, and come ready for our interactive book club discussion.

Whether you're sipping your afternoon coffee on the West Coast at 4:00 PM or. Or settling in with your evening tea on the East Coast at 7:00 PM We've got you covered. We will be live on Sunday, October 26th. This isn't just any book signing. It's your chance to connect with me and my mom, ask questions, share your thoughts, and be part of a community that gets it because honestly.

This really does explain so much, and I can't wait to explore it all with you. So grab your copy on October 1st, start reading and get ready for an incredible virtual experience on October 26th. Trust me, you belong here and we can't wait to see your faces on screen. Until then. Keep being awesome. And remember, the best stories are the ones we discover together.

See you October 26th.

Ever wondered why helping a loved one declutter feels like speaking different languages? I did, especially with my mom. It wasn't until I founded Silver Linings Transitions helping San Diego seniors organize and move for over a decade that I discovered why we all experienced clutter differently. And for those of us with ADHD, it's a whole other world.

If you are listening in the San Diego area and feeling stuck with moving. Paperwork, photos or home organization. Our team at Silver Linings Transitions gets it. We understand ADHD's unique challenges and we won't just help you get organized. We'll create sustainable systems that. Finally stick Schedule a consultation with our team today at 7 6 0 5 2 2 1 6 2 4.

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[00:26:42] Jami Shapiro: When I take the pause, I usually have a sip of water and I ask my guest, how do you feel the interview is going?

[00:26:46] Jami Shapiro: Is there anything we didn't touch on that we should? And then sometimes there's a conversation that I feel like, oh, we need to bring this out for the audience. So we definitely wanna talk more about care management, so I'm gonna leave you with that. But also we were talking about, see there is my brain going blank on you and I like when it happens in real life because people can say, and I'm not panicked about it anymore.

[00:27:07] Jami Shapiro: Like I used to give a presentation, I would forget what I was saying, like in the middle of, in front of everybody. And then I would like step back, take a sip of water, hope that I could. Figure out what I was saying. And then usually it would come back to me. Now I'm like, okay, do you guys, can you tell me what I was saying?

[00:27:21] Jami Shapiro: You know? So we were talking, I said, now I remember. See I said, how did it present in your childhood? And you said you felt like it for the most part. We touched on it with procrastination and perfectionism, but you were telling me about the conversation that you had with your child. Friend who was evaluated.

[00:27:36] Jami Shapiro: So I would love for you to just share a little bit about that with me. 

[00:27:39] Corrine Auman: Yeah. Well so she had her checklist and everything, and I'm looking at the symptoms and going, oh yeah, okay, this is, this is me. And then the other thing she said, because she had gotten evaluated and did start medication, and she said all the noise in her head.

[00:27:56] Corrine Auman: Had quieted down. And I think about that noise in my head almost like they're people, right? Mm-hmm. Like it's different parts of me and they're competing for attention and time, and what do we need to do next? That sort of thing. And soI was like, oh, I can get all the people in my head to sit down at the table.

[00:28:12] Corrine Auman: Like, everyone could just chill and relax. Because I do think, we were talking earlier about feeling like if I've got a bunch of free time, I don't know what to do. It's almost like. Those different parts of me, all of a sudden they go, oh, I wanna be in charge. And there's all this kind of chaos that happens, which creates all the anxiety and that kind of thing.

[00:28:33] Corrine Auman: So I'm really interested in whether or not I can get all the parts to sit down and chill out. Could they relax for a whole day? Is that something that is possible right? I do wanna say though, like if I go on vacation Like if you take me out of my normal environment Then I can relax. Yes. Right? Like if you take me somewhere different, I can't. But if I'm here Yep. It's say what needs to get done next. 

[00:28:58] Jami Shapiro: For me it's productivity. So I don't feel guilty if I'm not productive on a vacation. 

[00:29:02] Corrine Auman: That's right. Yeah. Then I can actually go do stuff. Yep. But there's no staycation for me that's not gonna be a 

[00:29:07] Corrine Auman: 

[00:29:07] Jami Shapiro: Yeah. Wow. So see I just. Added another tool in my toolbox. I do wanna touch on medication really briefly, just because I do stay away from that conversation just because, and this is something you're gonna know as we age, we have so many other conditions that are going on that have to be managed.

[00:29:24] Jami Shapiro: Yep. That sometimes we can't bring in another pill or we can't take a stimulant. I am not saying I'm against it in any way, shape, or. Form. I just stay away from it because of, who my audience is. But I'm, open, I am now taking a little bit of Wellbutrin on the lowest dose. My ADHD was pretty manageable.

[00:29:43] Jami Shapiro: And then as I was sharing with you, I think at conference that as I am approaching menopause, I have not had a period since January of 2025. We're now in September. And so I'm not menopausal yet, but it's looking like it's gonna happen.

[00:29:58] Jami Shapiro: Although I did have a dream that I was menstruating last night, hopefully that's a terrible 

[00:30:03] Corrine Auman: dream. 

[00:30:04] Jami Shapiro: But, my ADHD has gotten to the point where I'm impacted by it. Yeah. So I decided, I did Wellbutrin, went on Wellbutrin for anxiety while I was going through my divorce and starting a business, and then I went off of it.

[00:30:18] Jami Shapiro: So I knew that one of the off labels of Wellbutrin was easement of ADHD symptoms. And so I take that and that has helped. So, like I said, I'm not anti-medicine. I'm just 

[00:30:30] Corrine Auman: not. Yeah, I think that's an excellent point. I mean, We are a really good society of prescribing medications.

[00:30:37] Corrine Auman: We're not terribly good at de-prescribing medications. And one of the things, I see all the time in care, our care management practice is seniors who are on. So many medications from different doctors. And the doctors are not communicating with each other. One of the services we offer, we have a nurse on staff and she will come in and review all their medications.

[00:31:00] Corrine Auman: And then if she sees things like duplicate blood pressure medicines or things that she can't figure out why they're on it, they've been on it for years and the client doesn't know why they take it anymore. They just do. She'll call the doctors with the patient there and try to get everything straightened out so that if we can reduce that medication load we want to, because.

[00:31:22] Corrine Auman: our bodies change as we get older. Mm-hmm. 

[00:31:24] Jami Shapiro: And 

[00:31:24] Corrine Auman: so how we process the medications changes. We don't get 'em out of our system as fast. And of course, the more medicines you take, the more potential there is for drug interactions. Yep. when you've got somebody on 13 or more medications, nobody has ever run a study going, well, let's see what this combination of medications does.

[00:31:46] Corrine Auman: And we're kind of, We are the lab rats in that situation. And if your loved one isn't, if they've got other symptoms, if they've got progression of dementia or things like that, the number one thing we look at is what medicines are they on and are there things we could get them off of?

[00:32:03] Corrine Auman: Because sometimes that dementia is actually medications that have a lot of side effects and are muddling and giving them brain fog. 

[00:32:13] Jami Shapiro: Sure. And I wanna say also ADHD can cause that brain fog as well, and people aren't aware of that. And I also learned as a certified senior advisor in my years of working with seniors is that it can also be a UTI.

[00:32:25] Jami Shapiro: and I've actually had a friend whose mother started to show signs of dementia and, and I'm not a doctor, but I'm like, I've heard it could be. and sure enough, she had a UTI, so. I would love to hear a little bit more about care management from you, just so that our audience knows, that it exists and how they can be helped.

[00:32:41] Jami Shapiro: And you're in the North Carolina area, is that correct? 

[00:32:43] Corrine Auman: Yeah, I am. so our professional organization is called Aging Life Care because we really can help do care management for people of all ages. You people with developmental disabilities, all kinds of groups. But typically we're working with older adults.

[00:32:58] Corrine Auman: That's the most common. but aging life care.org and you can use the search feature on that website to find a care manager anywhere in the United States. And so that's a really great resource 'cause I'm in North Carolina and what you really want. Excuse me, is someone in your local area because they're gonna know the resources.

[00:33:20] Corrine Auman: And what's available to you in that area? I know Central North Carolina. If you put me in Missouri, I'm not gonna know the laws. Or the rules or any of the resources in Missouri. But care management itself is really, I joke sometimes that we're like adult daughters for hire and my team happens to be all female.

[00:33:40] Corrine Auman: There are male care managers out there too. But we really do everything that an adult daughter would do if she wasn't working a full-time job and also raising her children and just all the things that we have going on in our lives today. So we will. Hire and coordinate home care. If your loved one needs that, we will go with your loved one to doctor's appointments and make sure that the doctor hears what they actually need to hear.

[00:34:08] Corrine Auman: Because sometimes our older adult loved ones are not reliable reporters. They, go to the doctor and they say everything is fine and everything is not fine. Well, 

[00:34:18] Jami Shapiro: I wanna say that just having gone through cancer, when you're in that fight, flight, or freeze mode, you also aren't processing information, right.

[00:34:26] Jami Shapiro: So we're having another person there that's hearing that conversation. And I do wanna bring up two other things. And that is I could see a solo ager working with a care manager. Yep. And I wanna highlight, and this was, something that I've become really open about. I did not grow up. I have not been close with my mother since my twenties.

[00:34:45] Jami Shapiro: And then when you work at, predominantly as a senior move manager, and you would have these people coming into communities and the marketing people would say, I don't know where that adult child is. The parents' on their own. and I used to just say, You don't know what that relationship has been, you don't understand.

[00:35:00] Jami Shapiro: So let's not pass judgment on that adult child. Right. And because of my mom's and my understanding of ADHD and its impact on our relationship, we've finally been able to address those things that caused us not to be close and to have that friction. And she now sees my perspective and I now see hers.

[00:35:20] Jami Shapiro: And to me that's a really, really I'm actually speaking, I'm the keynote speaker at the Aging Life Care Manager Conference for Western Region. I'm going tomorrow. Wonderful. Yeah, so I think it's really important that people also know, and again, so that there's no guilt because nobody wants to walk away from their parents.

[00:35:38] Jami Shapiro: That's not the choice that most people will make. I mean, most. I'm not gonna use the term normal, but a narcissist is a narcissist, but that's not what we want. Right. that's not natural. So I do wanna bring up, that somebody who maybe isn't an adult daughter, or doesn't have an adult daughter, might also want to have.

[00:35:56] Jami Shapiro: Yeah. 

[00:35:57] Corrine Auman: And, we have clients who are solo agers. They never had kids. We also have clients who, their kids just live really far away, like some of our clients we have one that's the adult child's in the Philippines. We have another one, the adult child's in Portugal. And so. For all intents and purposes, those people are solo agers, even because their kids live so far away, it's not practical for them to To help on a daily basis. And in our practice we do serve as healthcare power of attorney for people who don't have anybody else to appoint. We also serve as guardian for some clients who. Don't have anybody else to be that guard. We'll do guardian of the person. This is sometimes called conservatorship that varies from state to state.

[00:36:41] Corrine Auman: And so we can really be a resource for people who just don't feel like. They've got anybody that they want to, I don't wanna say put the burden on, but it's a lot to ask of someone to be your healthcare power of attorney. 

[00:36:56] Jami Shapiro: And 

[00:36:56] Corrine Auman: we're not always comfortable asking a friend or a neighbor to do it.

[00:36:59] Corrine Auman: We may not want them all up in our business like that. And so for sure, there are professionals who you can work with to get those services and to know that you've got somebody who's really knowledgeable and can help support you in those times. 

[00:37:14] Jami Shapiro: I love that. That's super helpful. So I'm really glad we're bringing this information to our audience.

[00:37:19] Jami Shapiro: I want to just really quickly, if you could talk, just give me like a really good nugget if you had to sum up your book keenagers and also how people can find it. Like I said, it's right behind you, so I'm, I just keep looking at it and I love Yeah, it's beautiful. It's got an owl on it and it's kind of tilting.

[00:37:34] Jami Shapiro: its head and, okay. So, give us a little bit about keenagers and how someone could purchase it. Sure. So 

[00:37:40] Corrine Auman: purchasing is very easy. It's on Amazon or you can go to my website which is my name, corinneauman.com. And the book is linked there as well. I also have a little keenager store where you can get cute merch and positive aging merch.

[00:37:55] Corrine Auman: But the book is really about. How do, because fighting ageism is an inside job. You have to start with your own head. And what are you thinking about your aging experience and what are you saying? What are the words that are coming out of your mouth about your aging? And so it's filled with how do we do this, right?

[00:38:17] Corrine Auman: How do we prepare appropriately for. Our older adulthood and how do we plan to have a really good experience? It's also got a lot of interviews with people who are doing this really well. And so some people who've inspired me and I'm kind of telling their stories about here's what they did to make this a good experience.

[00:38:40] Corrine Auman: Here's, the things that they overcame, and none of these people. Are like these sort of perfect super age kind of things. They all have health conditions, they all have things that have gone wrong. Right? But they are still having a really fun experience and it makes me look forward to growing older and that's what I want for everybody who reads the book.

[00:39:04] Jami Shapiro: I love that, that is exciting. You know whatit made me think, I would love to have you back once you get your diagnosis. 'cause I think you'll probably get it, I'm not a doctor. And then maybe share some of the stories in your book. I think that could be kind of fun. Sure. I'd love to.

[00:39:18] Jami Shapiro: Yeah. So, and I do wanna tell anybody who is listening to the podcast and is not watching it, that Corinne is C-O-R-I-N-N-E-A-U-M-A-N.com. Mm-hmm. C-O-R-I-N-N-E-A-U-M-A n.com. Okay. So we covered a lot. It's a total ADHD conversation. We went from menopause to, All of it. I always say, this, I don't know if you're like this, but like I will end an interview or a podcast or a conversation and then I'll hang up the phone and I'll be like, I should have said whatever it was.

[00:39:50] Jami Shapiro: Is there anything that you're like, I wish she'd asked me or I wish I had said? 

[00:39:54] Corrine Auman: I don't think so. Stuff like that doesn't come to me until about 30 minutes later and then something will pop up and I'll go, oh, we should have talked about that. But right this minute, no, I don't 

[00:40:04] Corrine Auman: have 

[00:40:04] Corrine Auman: anything. 

[00:40:05] Jami Shapiro: That makes me think, well, maybe I should have like a little segment on the podcast, like when I get that phone call afterwards.

[00:40:10] Jami Shapiro: Yeah. The follow up. That's one more thing to produce. I'm just trying to keep it simple. Sure. that would be my little PSA announcement for people who are listening. It's like, where can you simplify your life? I'll give you a really good story to end with. So I presented at the CSA conference, but before I presented at that conference, I was presenting at the San Diego certified senior advisor meeting.

[00:40:31] Jami Shapiro: And I was doing the presentation on ADHD and older adults. And it was my responsibility to bring breakfast. And I remember the woman who organizes the meeting says, don't make it a big breakfast. You know, a box of pastries, nobody will eat it anyway. Well, I'm a Jewish mom and I can't just not bring in like something, so I'm at Trader Joe's and I'm like, oh, I'm gonna get granola and the yogurt and the fruit and the blah, blah, blah.

[00:40:57] Jami Shapiro: And then I'm like, you know what? I don't need to bring the granola and the, you know, I don't need to do all of that. I can keep this easier, because if I did the granola then and the fruit, and the yogurt, then I was gonna have to have the bowls and the spoons and it was all, and then keep it all cold.

[00:41:11] Jami Shapiro: And so I simplified it. I still did hard boiled eggs, fruit, and pastries, but I did not do the yogurt. And that was an example of me just like, okay, pulling it back. Because again, I always feel like I have to put on this perfectionist. A persona for people because I want them to look at me and think I've got it together, because underneath I am like paddling that, under that water.

[00:41:34] Jami Shapiro: And then the other big thing that happened, I call this my purple plate story, is that I normally will go out and buy like the silverware, like the plastic wear. I hate to use that. And the paper plates and the napkins and they always match, whatever the theme is. And so the color for Silver Linings Transitions, my company is orange, which coincidentally I did not know. The A ADHD awareness color was orange. And now it's just like, well, of course. So I would've gone out and got all the orange plates and all of that stuff, and then I'm like, you know what? I'm gonna keep it simple. So what I happened to have at my house was my stepdaughter had her 13th birthday plates and cups, and all of this stuff left over and napkins.

[00:42:15] Jami Shapiro: And so I brought the 13th birthday. Yes, I see the laugh and you know what, it was fine, right? It was absolutely fine. So I am just suggesting to anybody who's listening that, perfect really is the enemy of done. And, don't worry so much about what everybody else thinks. They're not thinking that much.

[00:42:34] Jami Shapiro: In fact, I think almost they're sort of celebrating like, oh, she can do that, and no one's judging her. I don't have to do that either, so. Right. That's my little PSA I love it. Yeah. So any other, I know I like to talk. That's, why I host a podcast.

[00:42:51] Corrine Auman: No. Starting a podcast is another one of those things on my to-do list that I want to do but haven't done.

[00:42:57] Corrine Auman: So yeah, on that. Perfect. And part of it is that I feel like. I'm not quite ready. Like I don't quite have all my ducks in a row and I'm not, and I don't, so I haven't gotten there yet. 

[00:43:08] Jami Shapiro: You know what, if you start listening to podcasts, especially people's first podcasts, you'll see, I mean even mine is, has evolved of course.

[00:43:15] Jami Shapiro: And it evolves, but you've gotta start somewhere. Yeah. And to just start marking your claim and doing it. So I started this. Before I finished ADHD coaching. And I'm just like, at least wanna have my stake claimed, or my whatever. Yeah. So I'm gonna challenge you to Perfect

[00:43:32] Jami Shapiro: is the enemy of done this and just put something out there. Yeah. I mean, and then you will get better and better and better. We will see. Okay. I also advocate that, by the way, for seniors as or older adults, is that you have so much wisdom, especially those of us with ADHD, there's so much creativity, so much wisdom.

[00:43:53] Jami Shapiro: It's like, what can you do to use. All of that. So maybe you start a TikTok channel, maybe you start a podcast, maybe you write a book, you know? I love the idea of doing TikTok reels with grandchildren. I love seeing grandparents and grandchildren all over social media that, so just be thinking creatively.

[00:44:11] Jami Shapiro: Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed being on the podcast. I loved having you and learning. Yeah, 

[00:44:16] Corrine Auman: thanks for having me. It was great. 

[00:44:17] Jami Shapiro: Corinne Auman, and for all of you who listened, I appreciate you taking time out of your day to hear what we have to say. And again please like and give me a message.

[00:44:28] Jami Shapiro: Let us know what you think and then find us on the Grandma has ADHD Facebook page. Now that the book is written, I can go back to paying attention to that. 'cause I sort of, can only do one thing at a time and I neglected that. And now I wanna build a community. Find us and help me build The Grandma has ADHD community because we really are not meant to be alone.

[00:44:48] Jami Shapiro: whether it's family that we have by choice or family that we have by birth we can all be connected to other people. So those are my parting words. Yeah. So anyway, thanks so much for listening. Make the rest of your life the best of your life.

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