The Senior Zone
The Senior Zone is the DMV’s #1 weekly radio program dedicated to empowering adults 50+ to live fuller, healthier, and more informed lives — now available on demand as a podcast.
Hosted by Shawn Perry since 2012, The Senior Zone features thoughtful conversations with trusted experts, community leaders, advocates, and everyday people doing extraordinary work in aging, health, finance, caregiving, and purposeful living. From timely resources and consumer protections to inspiration, wisdom, and real talk — this is where experience meets opportunity.
Whether you’re planning your next chapter, supporting a loved one, or simply committed to thriving beyond expectations, The Senior Zone delivers insight, clarity, and encouragement — one meaningful conversation at a time.
🎙️ New episodes weekly
📍 Originally broadcast on WYCB 1340AM (Washington, DC)
The Senior Zone
Ep. 717 | Listen, Adapt, Live Better: Age-Friendly Communities and New Tools for Managing Pain
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What helps us live better as we grow older? It begins with being heard, having access to trustworthy information, and knowing that support and new possibilities remain available.
In this episode of The Senior Zone, host Shawn Perry welcomes Margaret Foster, Editor of The Beacon Newspapers, for a look inside the August 2026 issue and the stories older adults and caregivers should know.
Next, Shawn Brennan of Age-Friendly Montgomery discusses how Montgomery County is listening to older residents, gathering community input, and working to create communities where people can remain independent, engaged, connected, and supported.
Then, pain-management expert Dr. Ann Aspnes explains how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help older adults better understand the connection between thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and chronic pain—and develop practical tools for improving daily life.
The program also includes the Weekly Vitamin, Birthdays of the Week, Dear Grave Woman featuring Joel Simone, and the Later Life Lowdown.
The Senior Zone airs Mondays from 10:00–11:00 a.m. Eastern on WYCB 1340 AM and streams live at MySpiritDC.com.
Thank you for listening and until we meet again…keep your head high, your heart full, and always — be someone who makes someone else look forward to their tomorrow.
Welcome to The Senior Zone
SPEAKER_07Welcome to the Senior Zone, where we connect older adults with the organizations and resources that serve them.
SPEAKER_05The Senior Zone's goal is to educate, empowered, enlightened, entertained, and engage older adults with the toes of information to stay healthy, happy, and secure.
SPEAKER_01Great guests, help to upcoming events and useful information.
SPEAKER_05Get ready to take notes.
SPEAKER_01It's now time for the senior zone.
SPEAKER_08Good morning, good morning, family, and welcome to the Senior Zone, the DMV's number one Thanks2U weekly radio program serving our 50 plus community. I am your host, Sean Perry, and whether you are listening across the DMV or joining us beyond the DMV, I am grateful that you have chosen to spend this hour with us as we begin a new month. It is another opportunity to become more intentional about how we live, care for ourselves, and support one another because aging well is not simply about adding years to our lives. It's about protecting our independence, strengthening our connections, and continuing to live with meaning, purpose, and confidence. And
Weekly Vitamin: The Power of Being Heard
SPEAKER_08that brings me to this week's weekly vitamin, a dose of encouragement and inspiration to carry you through the days ahead. So here we go. Family, never underestimate the power of being heard. Sometimes change begins when someone truly listens, not to respond, but to understand what you need, what you fear, and what you still hope for. And remember, needing support does not make you weak. Adjusting your approach does not mean you have given up. It simply means you are still participating in your own life. So this week, speak honestly, live generously, and remain open to the people and possibilities that can help you live better. And that is your weekly vitamin. Coming up in segment one, Sean Brennan of Age-Friendly Montgomery joins us to discuss how Montgomery County is listening to older residents and using their voices to build more supportive, connected, and age-friendly communities. And then in segment two, pain management expert Dr. Ann Aspines will explain how cognitive behavioral therapy can help older adults develop practical tools for responding to chronic pain and regaining greater control over daily life. Later in the show, we'll celebrate with Birthdays of the Week, then share Dear Grave Woman featuring Joelle Simone, and then bring you your later life lowdown. And remember, folks, after today's broadcast, the Senior Zone Podcast, it's available on demand through Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon, and most major podcast platforms. Before we move forward, I want to share some love and gratitude to our sponsors and partners. So thank you, Legal Counsel for the Elderly, AARP of the District of Columbia, AARP of the state of Maryland, Compassion and Choices, Jewish Council for the Aging, Mary Center, and the DC Department of Aging and Community Living. Well,
Inside the August Beacon with Margaret Foster
SPEAKER_08family, let's keep it moving. If you are someone who likes staying informed, staying inspired, and staying ahead of the curve after 50, then this next conversation is for you. I'm joined now by Margaret Foster, editor of the Beacon Newspapers, and we're diving into their August 2026 issue. What's on the cover, what's inside, and what may help you move, think, live, and plan your next chapter. Margaret, welcome back to the scene to zone, my friend.
SPEAKER_09Hi, Sean. Great to be here.
SPEAKER_08It's a pleasure to have you here, my friend. So, Margaret, uh, I'm looking undercover. Who is Anne Friedman and what inspired her to create Planet Word in downtown DC?
SPEAKER_09Well, I don't know if you've been to Planet Word, but you should try to go. It's really fun. I had never been, but I had heard of Ann Friedman and how she kind of just conjured this new private museum out of thin air, which is hard to do in a town like DC, you know, where we've got these free public museums. She saw an article, she's a former Montgomery County school teacher. She saw an article one day about a math museum, a mathematics museum up in New York. And she thought, I'd like to do that, but with words and language. And she's the heiress of a um shopping mall family. So she took her own money and sought out some experts and found an old um school, the um a school in downtown DC that was empty and renovated that and leases it from the city. And it's a beautiful, fun museum that's really for all ages. It's not just children.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, but a good place for us seniors to uh to go to is called Planet Word, uh, folks. Planet Word in downtown DC. It sounds like a fascinating place where uh language, you know, truly uh comes alive, I suspect. I haven't been there yet, but I'm gonna go find out one day uh soon. Uh flipping over into one of my uh favorite sections, uh Margaret, the health section. I see it covers wildfire smoke, bug bites, plant-based meat, and reducing salt all together in your health section. What should our older adults know about the health section this month?
SPEAKER_09Well, I liked the story on wildfire smoke, you know, because that was relevant. And you don't know, you know, you know it's not safe to be outdoors, but is it safe to be indoors? And the answer is yes. If you've got a good air conditioning um unit with a good filter, you're safe, you're fine. Um the other story that that caught my eye was the plant-based meat one because I do wonder about that. You know, the people say you should do meatless Mondays, and um I do wonder like what's in that meat. Um, so this one is all about kind of just describing what's in it. It's not chemicals in there, it's usually pea protein or some some other kind of protein in there. Um so it kind of gives you more of a um an introduction to it if you've never tried a plant-based meat. So it's it's I actually like these Beyond Burgers, and um they're in the restaurants now, and even even Burger King has a um plant, you know, plant burger, and it tastes great. When you have all the topics on it, it tastes the same.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, I'm usually uh Margaret not an early adopter of a lot of things, right? I'll let it get tested out and you know, before I jump on the bandwagon and plant-based meat is one of those uh things as well. Because I wonder, like you, what's really, really inside of it. But uh uh thank you for that article there. So it's just a lot of practical information that you provide for our listeners and your readers each and every uh month. So thank you, thank you, thank you. The money section. Smartphone scams are becoming more convincing. I think I can attest to that. What scam should older adults watch you know most closely for?
SPEAKER_09Well, this is something I've heard of but didn't really understand. It's called a SIM scam. Um, you know, a SIM card is that little um physical sort of chip that goes in your phone that um that tells the the pro that it kind of denotes ownership. Um well now there are sort of cyber villains out there that can collect your data and pretend that um, you know, if you've got stuff out there on Facebook saying, you know, your birth date and where you live and your high school and on and on, they can sort of piece together all that information and then steal it and pretend that they're you and then steal your whole phone. And I don't know about you, but I've got a lot of information on my phone in terms of just passwords. Um you know, someone these thieves do not have to steal your phone physically, they can do it kind of, you know, in their tricky little internet ways. Um so this article is all about that and what can you can do to prevent it. And some of it is stuff we already know. You know, have good passwords, um try that two-factor identification thing where you know you have to sign in two ways every time you sign into a place, like you get an extra code. That's actually a great idea, and you should keep doing it. So the article taught taught me something, and I thought our readers would like to read about it too.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, it seems maybe uh, you know, somewhat laborious, but you know, the risk versus reward, you know, is much better than do the two-factor authentication, authentication. Did I pronounce that correctly?
unknownI'm not sure.
SPEAKER_08Well, another article in the beacon. Uh, you guys are asking whether people should claim social security early. You know, if so, what factors should one consider? And I'm in that bandwidth right now. I'm I'll be 63 very soon. Uh so help me better understand if I should file early or not.
SPEAKER_09Well, the quick answer is probably no. Try to try to hold off. Um, but people are worried, you know, that social security is just gonna collapse. Um this article kind of says uh Congress will probably act on this finally, for heaven's sake. You know, it's a problem. It and um, but it it says if you can hold off, you you should. But there are certain sort of if you've got a medical condition, sure, get you know, file rate it right as early as you can. Um But for all other people, we should probably hold off and hope that Congress does what it should do.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, absolutely. And that decision, you know, can affect retirement income for many years, and it's different for every everyone, right? So tough, tough time uh uh when it comes to deciding, you know, 62, 65, 67, or even 70. Uh, but I wish all the best there. Travel section. Uh this month travel section I see features Alaska, Richmond, Virginia, as well as money-saving uh tips. I'm listening for the Alaska because I'm headed there in a few short weeks, Margaret.
SPEAKER_09Well, this is by my favorite um travel writer who writes for us, and he calls himself the Adventure Geezer. Um so he's kind of always going off the beaten path. And in this case, he says, you know, there's more to Alaska than just that that cruise up the coast and Denali. You know, he says you should go to this place called Canai, and it's um it's got a lot of wildlife and it's um a microcosm of the whole state right there. So he describes going to three different very remote lodges. Um and he's about I think he's around 82. And he said, It's trips like these that keep me going. And um yeah, it's a beautiful, beautiful piece. And when I read it, I just felt so much calmer. You know, it's uh it really relaxes you just to read it.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, yeah. And what about Richmond? Very close to us.
SPEAKER_09Yes, um, our writer who often goes to Richmond to see, you know, the museums, she decided to not take I-95 this time. She took a much less stressful route called Route 301. I'm sure you've been on it. Um, but she also stopped at these historic sites on the way. So it's a nice little way to, you know, she she turned a two-hour trip into more of a six or eight-hour trip. But it sounded a lot less stressful and more interesting. She learned a lot about John Wilkes booth and um, you know, Revolutionary War sites, and she met a lot of nice people at these little museums on the way.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, you know, I love it when I when I do when I decide to get off the interstates, right? No matter where you are, and you can see, you know, rural America, suburban America, just differently than when you're just flying by it that's 55 and up uh on our interstate. So uh good, good article uh there. I'm gonna, we have time, uh Margaret. I want to go over to your art section. I see there's a local author, Carolyn Bach, uh, who uh wrote her first novel at age 66. I'm impressed.
SPEAKER_09Yes, she had she had studied with some famous writers back at um in college. Um Raymond Carver, Tess Gallagher, Tobias Wolf, um they were her professors. And uh she was she just thought she would be a writer. Well, she got off track, um, had this great career in PR in Manhattan, but then she got to be 40 years old and said, Oh my gosh, I haven't written anything at all. So um she wrote a couple of young adult novels, and now recently she's written a novel, um you know, kind of fiction, literary fiction novel. And the other thing is she's a big volunteer that supports other writers in the DC community and gets their book published. So they're all cheering her on because she's cheered them on for years.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, well, it's an empowering uh uh reminder that it's just never too late uh to pursue, you know, one's uh dream and inspiring story by Caroline or Caroline uh Bach. My last question for you, uh my friend, you know, uh, where can our listeners you know get their hands on this month's the August edition of the Beacon Newspaper?
SPEAKER_09Well, you can pick it up for free at any library or senior center. We are at various CVSs and giants and and safe ways. Um, and we are always online. You can flip through it online at thebeacon newspapers.com.
SPEAKER_08Well, Margaret, thank you, thank you, thank you for giving us this quick look, this teaser look inside the latest edition, the August edition of the Beacon News Papers family. Pick up your free copy of The Beacon or you can read it online. Margaret Foster, editor of the Beacon News Papers. Thank you once again for joining us.
SPEAKER_09Thank you, Sean. My pleasure.
SPEAKER_08Look forward to our September chat next month, my friend. Folks, this first break is brought to you by Legal Counsel for the Elderly, providing free legal and social work services to DC residents most in need. Don't change that doll. I promise we'll be right back.
SPEAKER_01Legal Counsel for the Elderly champions the dignity and rights of DC elders by providing free legal and social work services to those in need. Worried about eviction or foreclosure? Need help obtaining social security or veterans benefits? Call Legal Counsel for the Elderly at 202-434-2120. Income eligibility applies. LCE is an affiliate of AARP 2024-2120.
SPEAKER_04Attention, listeners, criminals are consistently developing new ways to steal your hard-earned money and personal information. But the AARP Fraud Watch Network is here to help you protect yourself and your loved ones. See or report scams in your area with our scam tracking map. Get guidance from our trained fraud specialists, and sign up to receive information on the latest scams. Knowledge is power. If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam. Get more tips and resources at aarp.org slash fraudwatch network.
SPEAKER_08Welcome back,
Age-Friendly Montgomery with Shawn Brennan
SPEAKER_08family, to the senior zone. I am your host, Sean Perry. Now, if we want communities to truly work for older adults, we have to listen to older adults, not guess, not assume, but really listen. Today we're focusing on Montgomery County and the ongoing work of age-friendly Montgomery, looking at how the county is listening to residents, gathering input, and better understanding what older adults need to age well, stay connected, remain independent, and feel supported in their very own communities. So joining me now is Sean Brennan, program manager for age-friendly Montgomery. Sean, my namesake, welcome back to the Senior Zone.
SPEAKER_10It's great to be here. Great to talk to you, Sean.
SPEAKER_08It is a pleasure to have you back. So, Sean, with the time that we have, let's just get started. Let's start with the basics. For listeners who may not be familiar, what is age-friendly Montgomery and what does it mean for a community to be age-friendly?
SPEAKER_10Well, age-friendly Montgomery is the county's effort to work within government, nonprofit organizations, business, the healthcare system, everybody to look at what we need to do to make our community a place that people will live want to stay throughout their lives and have high quality life. And you know, the age-friendly movement is a global movement. And now there are more than 1,000 communities involved in this movement around the world.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, I think it is so, so uh important. As I understand it, uh, Sean, Montgomery County has been looking closely at the needs and experiences of our older uh residents through the age-friendly community assessment uh uh program, I'm assuming it's called a program. What was the purpose of that assessment and why was it important to hear directly from older adults? Which includes myself, by the way.
SPEAKER_10Exactly, and depending on your definition, me too. Um you you have to understand the needs in order to come up with a strategy to meet the needs, right? And so uh this is part of what the age-friendly process includes. You start with an assessment, you hear from people what is their experience, what do they think needs to change, and then you make a plan for making those changes, and then you circle back and you say, Well, how well did that work out? And what else should we be doing? So it's an ongoing kind of quality improvement process, if you will. But it's a the whole ecosystem. Instead of just thinking about aging services, social services, human services, you say, Oh, we gotta remember the roads, we gotta have a place where people can walk safely, drive safely. We need houses that are, you know, meet the needs of people if they if their accessibility needs change. We need recreation, libraries, parks that are gonna meet people of all ages. So it's very holistic.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, yeah. You know, and that phrase uh directly from older adults matters because sometimes decisions they're made about people or for people without enough input from the people that are most uh affected. So I am glad to uh hear about age-friendly uh Montgomery and its outreach. But since the work is being uh reviewed and analyzed right now, uh Sean, let me ask you it, let me ask you a question this way. Without getting ahead of any final report or official announcement, what are some of the broad areas or themes that residents were asked during the assessment?
SPEAKER_10Well, the assessment included surveys, which were much longer than typical surveys are. They took like 15 to 20 minutes to complete. And it's because we were so interested in everything. You know, is it affordable? Do you feel safe? Um, you know, are there enough services? You know, all these kinds of questions. And then we also had listening sessions because you get something a little bit different when you sit down in a room and you let people talk. And then based on what we were hearing from the surveys and the focus groups, I mean the listening sessions, we decided to target certain subsets of the community that we we felt like we hadn't heard enough from, and we dove into certain topics to your question about big themes. I mean, affordability and in particular affordability of housing came up. This is a big surprise. It's a really big issue in in the country and in Montgomery County in particular. We heard a lot of concerns about social isolation. Interestingly, it wasn't usually people speaking for themselves, but they would talk about other people that they were worried about. Um, although one person I remember talking about feeling like she hadn't talked to anyone in her apartment building, and it was a senior apartment building, you know, that she hadn't even had any conversations with people on her floor. So that's really dicey when you, you know, you are in close proximity to people, but still feeling socially isolated. That came up. Um feeling confused about where to turn, where to get information, how to navigate the resources that we have, that came up quite a lot too. And then, of course, this big theme lately of financial exploitation. It it can happen from families, but you know, nowadays it's these frauds. You know, people are afraid to answer their phone, open the door, uh, respond to an email. This was something else that came out as a big concern.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, well, I love it. I uh, you know, I think the age-friendly Montgomery assessment, you know, has framed it in a very useful way. And you've touched on a few points because it's my contention, uh, Sean, that listeners don't need us to jump to conclusions. They need us to understand what kinds of real life issues are being explored, you know, on their behalf. And I want to uh uh address isolation again, uh Sean, especially, you know, after retirement for folks, after losing a spouse, right? Or when someone moves away, or when health or transportation becomes a challenge for an older adult. How does age-friendly Montgomery think about social isolation and loneliness as part of this larger conversation?
SPEAKER_10Well, you know, age-friendly is broken down into 10 different domains, and one of them is civic and social involvement, but we also have health and wellness and you know, transportation mobility. All of these things relate to people bringing people together and um connecting with one another. You know, one of the things about social isolation is it can make other issues even more difficult, right? Because maybe you uh had eye surgery and you're not able to drive even for a short term period. If you had friends, you could just ask them for a lift. But when you don't your friends move away or they die or whatever happens, and you don't have those people, now you've got this transportation problem that maybe wouldn't have been there if you weren't isolated. Or you want someone to play uh pickleball with and you don't know where to go and you don't know who's playing. So specific and social involvement is always a big part of age friendly efforts. And are and and under that in Montgomery County, we have Like the villages kind of fall under that, the people coming together, the volunteering that happens in Montgomery County, and there's so much of it. Uh, the recreation and the socialization, and the when we have groups of people who share a common background, like for example, maybe they're from China or they all speak Spanish. These things can be a source of bringing people together. So it's definitely a really big issue that we're very aware of. And the Commission on Aging did a really big um forum this year that really looked at the problem of social isolation and the solutions in terms of how we can bring people together.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, it is truly a big, big uh issue because you know, loneliness, as you already know, is not about feeling sad, right? It can affect uh health, it can affect safety, it can affect one's quality of life. So I'm glad that that's being addressed in Montgomery County. I want to circle back also to housing again, um uh Sean. Uh I'll keep the question short. How does housing fit into the age-friendly conversation in Montgomery County?
SPEAKER_10Well, people in order to live here need to be in housing that they they can pay for, right? And then as their needs change, maybe they don't need the large houses anymore, but then trying to find a smaller one that they can actually afford because of the way the pricing has has gone. It might be way uh uh less expensive to stay in your big house, ironically, than it is to try to move to something smaller that might be accessible. It's just sort of the economics of housing. So our government has done a lot to partner to create more senior living communities and communities that can be accessible, affordable, they're chipping away at it. Um, it's not easy. It's also an issue of looking at, well, I want to stay in my home, but I need to create some safety features, grab bars or a ramp, perhaps. Um, wider widen the doors if I'm using a wheelchair. Things like that can sometimes happen where people they would like to stay, and if they could have some help with paying for some of these modifications to their home, they can. And and those things exist, but it goes back to that. It's hard to find the information. And one of the things we always end up doing when we're talking about age-friendly and all the issues is encouraging people to call aging and disability services. Um within HHS, Health and Human Services, but they tend to know a lot about even things like that. How do you make home modifications? Okay. And our phone number there is 240773000. So I've always encouraged people to do that because it's very difficult to know yourself all the resources. And so, my colleagues in the aging and disability services, if they don't know the answer, they often can send you to someone who might.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, great information, uh, my friend. Sean, we're going to round off time. I know it, but we're going to have you back once this assessment uh is approved and finalized. But let's talk about transportation. It's a major issue for older adults. What kinds of transportation concerns are important when we talk about aging well in Montgomery County?
SPEAKER_10I mean, it boils down to you need a ride where when you need it, you know? And uh a lot of times people need rides on short notice. And so while Montgomery County has a lot of resources compared to other communities, there's there's a plus and there's a minus to almost all of the resources we have. You might be able to use Uber and Lyft, and that's a plus, is that it can come and we have a fair amount of those kinds of services, but it does have a have a deep price. Um you might have we have free buses for everyone, and those buses are accessible, but it might be quite a distance to get to the bus stop, depending on where you live. We have volunteer programs which are free and comfortable, and you can be in a very comfy vehicle, but you might have to request a ride two weeks in advance. So these are the things we have the services, but there are still gaps in making them available to everyone in every situation. It may not be completely realistic, right? But we have to keep showing that transportation safety net so that the holes are smaller and smaller, and that the likelihood is that something can meet your need and get you where you want to be grows.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, great information. Uh, Sean, what I love about Montgomery County is its incredible uh diversity racially, culturally, economically, linguistically, as well as geographically. With all of that being said, how important is it that an assessment like this hears from older adults across different communities, just not one part of the county?
SPEAKER_10Well, right, it's vital. I mean, we had um a special focus group in Damascus. No, I'm sorry, Poolsville. We had one in Damascus. We had a listening session in Damascus and a focus group in Poolsville. And we really learned how isolated people feel, largely because of the transportation. There are there are very limited public transportation options out there in Poolsville. And as a result, people are isolated, and there are all kinds of things that flow from that. So they have a unique situation there that someone in downtown Silver Springs certainly doesn't face. People who don't have English as their first language or are not comfortable speaking it, even if they have have spoken English, but they're not comfortable, especially maybe with some of the emotional things or financial things. Um, that's another issue. And we have a lot of people in that boat. Um, we have a lot of partner organizations that have language competency in multiple languages. I mean, well, different organizations have different competencies. And the county has worked really hard to build those relationships with those partner organizations. It makes a big difference.
SPEAKER_08Yeah. Uh I think it's my last question. If we have time, I may have another one. But once the county gathers all of this information from the assessment, uh, Sean, what happens next? How does the community input move from listening to planning to eventually action in motion?
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_10Well, I think hopefully formally the government will lead a process of coming up with a plan, a strategic plan to address the needs that we learn about. But more informally, the the report, which is going to be over 340 pages, is a resource that people will be able to refer to. Say, for example, they're in a nonprofit organization and they want to apply for a grant and they say, I want to do something related to bringing people together. Hey, here's some good justification on the problems of social isolation. Go to this report and pull some data. There might be some quotes in there that a percentage of people who cite it as an issue. So it's a resource that we're hoping people will draw from. If they're looking for ideas, we got a lot of ideas from people about what they think would help. So go to the report, look for the sections that talk about the focus group suggestions, pull those and go for it. So it's not just government, it's you know, the whole community can refer to this tool as they come up with their own ways for making the community more age-friendly.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, and Sean, unfortunately, my friend, we are out of time, but I do want to offer you a few seconds before any closing remarks.
SPEAKER_10I just hope people will uh overcome ageism, which is a huge issue, and take advantage of the resources we have, the senior centers that are nearby, or the volunteer programs. Um, even if they you say to yourself, I never thought I would do that kind of program, you know, give it a chance.
SPEAKER_08Absolutely. A lot of opportunities in Montgomery County. Uh, Sean Brennan, program manager for Age-Friendly Montgomery County. Thank you, thank you, thank you for joining us today here on the Senior Zone. And family, the takeaway is simple. Building an age-friendly community starts with listening. Whether we're talking about housing, transportation, social connection, safety, caregiving, or simply feeling seen and heard, older adults must be part of shaping the communities they call home. And for our Montgomery County listeners, stay engaged. Your voice matters, your experience matters, and your community. We still need you. Folks, we'll be right back. Sean Brennan, thank you, my friend. Bye for. All right, folks, this next break is brought to you by Compassion and Choices, empowering everyone to chart their own end-of-life journey. We'll be right back. And life choices matter.
SPEAKER_06Compassionate choices is here to support you on your journey. Our organization provides a wealth of resources to help you navigate difficult assistance with compassion and understanding. Be guys on end-of-life choices. Visit our website at compassionatechoices.org for a range of informative articles, school kits, and personal stories. Our compassionate team is just a call away. Ready to assist you. Because, let's face it, talking about death is not gonna kill you. Compassionate choices, empowering you to make choices that reflect your values.
SPEAKER_07Hi, neighbor. I'm inviting you and your wife to my husband's 65th birthday party next week.
SPEAKER_03Great! Has he applied for Medicare yet?
SPEAKER_07Not yet. It's very confusing.
SPEAKER_03Call Montgomery County Chip. They help me with questions about my Medicare coverage.
SPEAKER_07What's Montgomery County Chip?
SPEAKER_03It's Chip like a boat. Montgomery County State Health Insurance Assistance Program. They help seniors like us, or people with disabilities, or caregivers and families with Medicare insurance questions.
SPEAKER_07Can anyone call them?
SPEAKER_03Sure. As long as you live in Montgomery County. You can call them at 301-255-4250. Or check out their website at www.medicareabcd.org.
SPEAKER_07What's that number again?
SPEAKER_03Montgomery County Ship. 301-255-4250. Made possible with a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living through the state of Maryland and Montgomery County.
SPEAKER_08Ladies
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Pain with Dr. Ann Aspnes
SPEAKER_08and gentlemen, welcome back to another enlightening episode of the Senior Zone. I am your host, Sean Perry, and today we are diving into a topic that affects countless individuals in our community, pain management. But here's the twist: we're talking not just about the physical pain, we're exploring how cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, can be a game changer for seniors dealing with pain. So, joining us today is a true expert in the field, Dr. Ann Ospinus. Dr. Ospinus is a renowned figure in the realm of pain management and has dedicated her career to understanding the intricate connection between the mind and body. With years of experience under her belt, she's here today to shed light on how cognitive behavioral therapy can provide you, our seniors, with new tools to tackle pain head-on, leading to more fulfilling lives. Dr. Osminus, thank you for returning to the senior zone.
SPEAKER_02I am so happy to be here. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_08It's a pleasure to have you. So to start, can you provide our listeners, Dr. Osminus, with a brief overview of what CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy, is and how it's used to manage pain in seniors?
SPEAKER_02Sure, I'd be happy to. Okay. So cognitive behavioral therapy, we can break down as a kind of talk therapy. The cognitive part is just thoughts. Um, the behavioral part is the actions that we take. So the idea behind CDT for pain management is that we often get in a place that's not really helpful in terms of our thoughts. Um, it's totally understandable. It's what our brains do. But if we think about pain, even those that don't have chronic pain, but if you've had a moment of really terrible pain, then it's not unusual for your brain to go to a place where it's like, this is never gonna get better, this is terrible, how am I possibly ever gonna cope with it? If you think about that, those kinds of thoughts, they generate a lot more stress. And so even if the physical pain hasn't changed, it makes you more anxious and more upset and it feels worse. So that's the thoughts. If we think about the behaviors, there's also things that we can do that are actions, um, strategies that we can take to help relax the body, to try to work with our bodies with the kind of pain and injuries that we have.
SPEAKER_08Yeah. And I'll be honest, Dr. Ospin is I'm trying to wrap my head around it as well because this is new to me and I want to understand it because you know it's a help for our seniors dealing with pain. So, can you share some examples of specific techniques or strategies within CBT, you know, that seniors can use to just better cope with their day-to-day chronic pain?
SPEAKER_02Yes. And actually, these work really well for um just physical symptoms in general. So I'm actually gonna give you what's gonna seem like a very silly example for my own life, but makes a lot of sense from this. I get terrible motion sickness. So I had to fly recently, and there was so much turbulence that I started to get so nauseous. And what happens is I do exactly what everybody's brain does. I go to the worst possible scenario. I'm looking at the bag in the back of the seat. I'm looking at the poor man next to me, thinking like this throw up on people. And I start getting really anxious. I can almost see it in my head that this is gonna happen. And then a light bulb goes off and says, Oh my god, I know exactly what this is because I'm a psychologist, I am practicing this. And so I start looking at what I'm saying to myself, and I think, okay, that's what my brain has come up with, but none of these things have happened yet. And by thinking of the worst case scenario, I'm getting really worked up. So let's try and do the opposite. So, in that situation, what I did is I was like, Well, this is temporary. You know what? Like, even if that does happen, it's not the end of the world. There's a reason they have the bags there, you know. So I can I can tolerate this. This is okay, it's not gonna last forever. Even if it is something that's chronic, it comes and goes. Like, I have a lot of tools that help me manage that. So that's a strategy that is purely a thought-based strategy, right? That helps us to calm ourselves by using our thoughts to our advantage. Um, the other thing I did is I started doing relaxation exercises, and some of these are more complicated, like, and there's some really beautiful ones out there, but sometimes it's really simple. When we get stressed, our breath comes fast, right? Shallow and fast. There's good reason for that. It prepares us to respond to something bad in the environment. It doesn't help you when you're stuck on a plane and there's nowhere to go, um, like I was. So instead, um, what we can do is we can notice that breath and be like, okay, I'm gonna slow this down. If you think about what do people do when they're stressed, a lot of times they sigh, right? I tease my husband about this all the time. I can tell, I'll be like, Are you stressed? And he's like, No, I'm not. I'm like, Yeah, you just sighed like 10 times in the last 60 seconds. You're stressed because that's what your body does. It's like a reset button on your breathing. So if you think about taking air in, filling up your lungs, and then just exhaling it all the way out, you do that over and over again. Your whole body starts to calm down and your mind starts to calm down. And so those are really simple, quick things you can do. And they work for, well, in my case, motion sickness, they also work for pain. So they work for whether it's a simple like you stubbed your toe, like it's a simple pain that is right then and there and it's gonna go away, but it can really help people who have chronic pain. If you know you're gonna wake up every day and your back is gonna do that, or going up and down the stairs hurts your knees. Knowing those things are there, you can breathe, you can already start breathing and you can start kind of be your own cheerleader instead of thinking how terrible things are. Um, try to try to give yourself a chance to um look at the positive side.
SPEAKER_08Yeah. So let me understand. So let's say I'll use the toe stub example. If I uh stub my toe, my reaction may be a few cuss words, you know. Maybe, you know, I don't know, I'm on a faith-based station, but that's gonna be my reaction, you know, something along that line. And you're saying that just trying to how do you how do you catch yourself in that moment to implement, you know, CBT strategies?
SPEAKER_02So this is what's really helpful about working with the therapist, but you can do this on your own. If we know there are things that are triggers that are things that are gonna set us off to be more stressed out, um, I know stabbing my toe is gonna put me in that space, cuss words or not. Um, so once it happens, I can say, Oh, all right, I'm gonna breathe. Like this is pain that is temporary, it's gonna pass, like it's not fun, it's not comfortable, I don't like it, but I can accept that it's there. So now if you're thinking about this being more of a chronic thing, then sometimes that gets a little more challenging because our brains kind of go to this negative place. There's nothing wrong with you if you're the person who thinks like this is terrible, it's never gonna end. Um, that's pretty normal, but it doesn't have to be the truth. So, like our brains come up with all kinds of information that or all kinds of thoughts that aren't necessarily correct. Um, they're just interpretations of what's happening in our world. So, why not give ourselves the chance to try to take a more positive interpretation? Like, I can cope with this, I have strategies, there's things I'm gonna do, this is this is gonna come and go. I've got I've got resources.
SPEAKER_08In your practice, Dr. Ospinus, have you seen patients, you know, come to you with chronic, you know, pain issues, back, knees, hips, you you you name it, Nick, you name it, and have been able to execute, implement CBT strategies and move off of prescribed medications? Just curious.
SPEAKER_02So it varies by the individual. Yeah, so there are people who can come off of some of the more serious um medications, particularly if they can move to a place where. So I'm gonna talk about another strategy. One thing that has been that's both kind of like cognitive and behavioral is mindfulness. So, mindfulness, when we think about mindfulness, we often think about like a monk sitting and paying attention to their breath. Like it's this zen kind of uh experience. But for most people, mindfulness is just paying attention on purpose and trying to do it without judgment. Okay, so now what does that look like when you're in a lot of pain? So, what that means is you can actually move your, you can get really good at moving your attention to something else. So when that pain flares up, instead of going to a place where you're just totally 100% focused on the pain, what we try to do is practice some relaxation strategies, maybe breathing, um, maybe more extensive body relaxation, um, and then we get good at putting our attention someplace else.
SPEAKER_08Gotcha. So, as the as the understanding, Dr. Ospinus, of pain management, as that continues to uh evolve, how do you see the role of CBT? That's cognitive behavioral therapy, folks. How do you see CBT evolving in the future for seniors and the broader population at large?
SPEAKER_02So, this is a really cool question. So I used to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and one of the things I loved is that there was very, we were mental health was integrated everywhere. Like if there is a pain clinic, if there was an oncology clinic, we were always there because it was understood that we can do things for people that don't just involve taking more medication with more um, you know, side effects. So, like if you have, for example, I used to work in a pain clinic where we saw tons of people with chronic back pain, and some of them had had multiple surgeries, and that didn't fix it. Um, we knew the pain was gonna stay there. So once you're in that position, you kind of have some your main options for figuring out how to live with it. So that's where CBT really comes in, is we help to support people so they can come to a place of acceptance and peace with what their experience is and not keep what we call suffering on top of pain. So, like when you stub your toe and you experience pain because your toe hurts, um, that's pure pain. That's it, that's the pain. Um, but then when we start adding on to it and like, why is my, you know, why'd my husband leave that there? Like, um, uh, like how does this gonna ruin my morning? That's suffering. So you've got the pain, the pain's gonna be there. But if then you have a much more manageable pain that you're dealing with.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, yeah. So for our listeners out there, oh go ahead, Dr. Osmus.
SPEAKER_02So I was gonna say, in a perfect world, you would have um therapists integrated in these clinics. Like that's what I loved about the Veterans Affairs, is they they definitely had this. But even so, if you're going to a pain management clinic, they'll often have recommendations at CBT therapists who can be really helpful for you. Um, and um, one of the best places to find us is uh psychology today. You can actually look for people who um deal in pain management or chronic pain.
SPEAKER_08You must have been reading my mind, Dr. Osman is. Because my next question is going to be you know, for our listeners out there who may have an interest in CBT, you know, what steps can they take to find qualified therapists or resources? And you just mentioned it. So mention it one more time.
SPEAKER_02Okay, so psychology today has a search function where you can actually choose the specialty of the therapist at ABC. So you can choose it's either chronic pain or pain management. You can also look at um, if you look at there's a website called abc.org. And that's a particular kind of therapy. It's called acceptance and commitment therapy. Um, that goes therapist practices that an umbrella to determine after one of those treatments, and you're going to be very effective for managing pain. But you can also search for therapists on that website as well.
SPEAKER_08Yeah, well, thank you for that. It's uh psychologytoday.com. Uh, folks, so go to psycholytoday.com and uh search for you know CBT qualified therapists uh out there. We're nearly out of time or approaching uh the end of our time, Dr. Osfinus. And uh so I want to thank you one for joining us today. But before we wrap it up, do you have any final thoughts, any advice you want to leave, or do you want to repeat just one or two strategies that our seniors can take away from this conversation?
SPEAKER_02Sure. So uh one thing that I would just say is that when you um experience pain, and it's a stressor, right? It's a normal thing to feel stressed. And that's the part we can help with is if we can um intervene there and give you some strategies where we can help. And so even if you're not in a you can absolutely look for strategy, mindfulness strategy um that can help you with kind of notifying. So a couple I would recommend um actually mindful. Um and then there's actually another one called COVID 19, which I know doesn't feel like it's necessarily. But they put together a whole host of management strategies that were for anything um when COVID came out and they have just left it available.
SPEAKER_08And lastly, how can our listeners get in touch with you and your practice?
SPEAKER_02Okay, you can look up our website. Our website is cdtmaryland.com and that's cdt um and then Maryland is fell down. And I am always happy to try to help direct people, even if you are Colin from DC or someplace else, I'm always happy to try to help people find a good therapist, a good fit for them.
SPEAKER_08Well, my friend, you are a friend to the senior zone. This is not your first time uh here, and I just appreciate all that you bring. And this is new and refreshing, maybe foreign uh to many folks that are listening, but we want to, you know, dive into this, you know, further and and and get folks to maybe trying to implement. If there's just a few that can implement this and relieve some of their acute as well as chronic, you know, pains and stresses, then this has been a worthwhile conversation. So thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr. Ospinus, and I look forward to talking with you again.
SPEAKER_02Thank you for having me on. I always enjoy it.
SPEAKER_08All right, ladies and gentlemen, we've been speaking with Dr. Ann Ospinus, a licensed psychologist and practice manager with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy of Maryland. She can be reached at cbtmarilyn.com. That's cbtmarilyn.com. Folks, this next break is brought to you by AARP DC, your wise friend and fierce defender in Washington, D.C. When we return, it's birthdays of the week, followed by Dear Grave Woman featuring Joelle Simone, and then it's your later life lowdown. News, resources, and events you can use. We'll be right back.
SPEAKER_06Today is your day to connect with AARP in DC. AARP is here in the District of Columbia working hard to make it an even better place to live, work, and play for people of all ages, and you can help. Put your skills and talents to good use as an AARP volunteer where you can help lead local events or become an advocate for the issues that matter in your community, like funding for programs that help district residents age with dignity and independence. AARP is also helping you get the most out of life. Check out their educational workshops where they can help you grow as a caregiver, find a job, and teach you about the latest technology, or enjoy a night out at any of their exciting local events, like their happy hours and free movie screenings. Today is your day to connect with your community and with AARP. So let's take on today and every day. Learn more at aarp.org slash DC.
SPEAKER_01Happy birthday to you.
SPEAKER_06Happy birthday to you.
Birthdays of the Week
SPEAKER_08So let's get the celebration started. First up, we have Ronald Saunders, 74 today, August 3rd from Washington, D.C. Happy birthday, Ronald. Billy Laverne Smith. She never gives me that age, but I know she's a senior. She turns whatever she turns on Wednesday, August 5th from Washington, D.C. She is the former Miss Senior D.C. 2016. Happy birthday, Billy. Patricia Butler Jones is 69 on Thursday, August 6th from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Happy birthday, Patricia Pat Collins, 80 years young on Thursday, August 6th from Washington, D.C. Formerly or retired from NBC Four News. Happy birthday, Pat Marcia Mitchell is 79 on Thursday, August 6th from Washington, D.C. Happy birthday, Marcia. Pamela Johnson, 64 on Friday, August 7th from Washington, D.C. Happy birthday, Pamela. Karen Cobble, 70 on Saturday, August 8th from Temple Hills, Maryland. Happy birthday, Karen. And last but not least, we have Jacqueline Wilson, 80 years young, on Saturday, August 8th from Landover, Maryland. Happy birthday, Jacqueline, and from all of us here at the Senior Zone again. We wish you a very happy birthday, filled with good health, genuine laughter, meaningful moments, and people who make you feel loved and appreciated. And remember to have your birthday mentioned here. Send us an email. Send that email to info at theseniorzone.com. That's I N F O at the Senior Zone.com. Be sure to include your full name, your birth date, the age that you are turning, and the city and state where you are from. And now, family,
Dear Grave Woman featuring Joel Simone
SPEAKER_08we slow things down for a moment and make room for reflection. It's time for Dear Grave Woman featuring Joelle Simone. She is here to offer her wisdom and reminders to live more intentionally while we still have the opportunity. Joelle, the mic is yours, my friend.
SPEAKER_00Hello everyone, and welcome back to Dear Grave Woman. My name is Joelle Simone. I'm known all over the world as the Grave Woman. And this is your three-minute segment here on the Senior Zone where we talk about life, death, pre-planning, and everything in between. Did you know that August is National Black Business Month? And as a Black woman who owns a Black business, the Multicultural Death and Grief Care Academy, I thought it would be really cool to share resources and information with you this month that focuses all around end-of-life, death, and grief care black businesses. And so my first share of the month is Table Talk. Now, Table Talk is a resource created by a wonderful woman named Ashley Johnson. And Table Talk, Life, Loss and Legacy is a card game desired to inspire honest, compassionate conversation around life, grief, and end of life planning. By bridging the silence around death and dying, this game empowers you to live fully today while preparing thoughtfully for tomorrow. Now, Ashley did something very creative with this deck. She's broken it into three sections. Those sections being pause, reflection, grief and loss, culture and identity, end of life planning, and life and legacy. I am going to share four questions today that I'm going to challenge each and every one of you listeners to write down and ask not only yourself, but someone that you love and care for in either your family or community? From the life and legacy portion, who in your life deserves a thank you that you haven't given yet? And why? From the end of life planning portion of the day, what would a good death look like for you from the culture and identity part of the day? What food, music, or tradition from your culture would you want at your farewell? And last but not least, from the grief and loss section of the deck, what's one insight or lesson that li that loss has taught you? Your voice matters, your story matters, and your legacy matters. If you want to keep this conversation going and also have access to the full deck, which has amazing questions and conversation starters that can be used to break the ice about your pre-planning or deepen conversations that you're already having, please visit www.loyal-hands.com. Or if you're active on social media, you can follow Ashley and learn more about Table Talk at Loyal Hands. Thank you guys so much for tuning in today. As always, if you have any questions, they could be sent to thegravewoman at gmail.com, and I will do my best to answer them here on the radio. Sean, back to you for the later life lowdown.
Later Life Lowdown
SPEAKER_08Thank you, thank you, thank you, Joelle, for another meaningful dear grave woman reflection. And now, family, it's time for your later life lowdown. A quick look at news, resources, and opportunities that may help you throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia. First up in Washington, D.C., the DC Department of Aging and Community Living continues to offer in-person and virtual activities through senior wellness centers across the District of Columbia. Programs may include fitness classes, nutrition education, technology assistance, social activities, and health and wellness programming. To locate senior wellness centers serving your award or to learn more about available aging and caregiving services, call the DC Department of Aging and Community Living at 202-724-5626. That's 202-724-5626. In Maryland, older adults and caregivers who need assistance locating programs may contact the Maryland Access Point Network. The Maryland Access Point helps connect residents with information about transportation, meals, housing, caregiving, health services, long-term support, and other aging-related resources. Call 844-627-5465. That's 844-627-5465 to be connected with assistance in your local community. And in Northern Virginia, registration is now open for the 2026 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics. The games will take place from September 9th through October 4th and will feature more than 70 events, including swimming, pickleball, track and field, bowling, cycling, basketball, golf, and several new competitions. Registration remains open through August 24th. The registration fee is $20, and participants may enter an unlimited number of events. To register, email NVSO1982 at gmail.com. That's NVSO1982 at gmail.com. And family, before we close, here is our weekly reminder about a resource that could help you or someone you care about save some money. Visit this website, benefitscheckup.org. It's free, it's confidential. Benefits Checkup can help older adults identify programs that may assist with prescription medications, healthcare, food, utilities, housing, transportation, and so many other everyday expenses. That website again is benefitscheckup.org. And
Final Thoughts and Closing
SPEAKER_08folks, that's your later life lowdown, the pencil broke. That is all she wrote. That brings us to the end of another edition of The Senior Zone. And as always, I hope today's conversations gave you information you can use, encouragement you can carry with you, and perhaps something worth sharing with someone you love. Thank you to today's guests for sharing your time, knowledge, and expertise. And thank you to each of you for continuing to listen, support, and grow with the senior zone and family. Aging is not the end of your story. It's another chapter, and you still have the power to decide how that chapter will be written. So until we meet again, keep your head high, keep your heart full, and always be someone who makes someone else look forward to their tomorrow. We love you. Peace.
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