Show Notes
My 20-Year Safari with Dad’s Alzheimer’s Lori La Bey talks with Steve Kosareff, a Los Angeles-based author and a passionate advocate for Alzheimer’s awareness and caregiver support. For twenty years, Steve and his family navigated the complex, emotional, and exhausting terrain of caring for his father, John, who lived with a rare, long-term form of Alzheimer’s disease. This deep personal experience inspired his newly released memoir, Something Like That: My 20-Year Safari with Dad’s Alzheimer’s, available on Amazon at https://a.co/d/0gDMLXJD. Drawing from two decades of firsthand observation, Steve writes with a unique blend of raw honesty, practical insight, and healing humor. His mission is to break the isolation felt by millions of unpaid family caregivers and provide a voice for those facing the prolonged realities of dementia. As a local speaker and media guest, Steve offers families actionable advice on pacing themselves for the caregiving marathon, protecting their own mental health, and finding unexpected moments of joy amid crisis. Book Summary Big-rig truck driver John Kosareff began misplacing his keys in 1997. He soon graduated to making dangerous turns with the family car into oncoming traffic and getting lost in a mental fog, driving miles from home. Before long, he no longer recognized Susan, the wife he loved for fifty years, who was abruptly woken one morning by John choking her. Despite the threat to her life, Susan continued to care for John at their home. She also refused to acknowledge her husband’s Alzheimer’s and failed to address her own well-being. Instead, twelve years after John’s disease began and due to the stress of being her husband’s caregiver, Susan’s life came to an abrupt end when she suffered a massive heart attack. The responsibility of taking care of John, Susan’s death and funeral, and all the attendant financial affairs that followed would now be up to their children. Were they up to the challenge?
Author Steve Kosareff (Satin Pumps: The Moonlit Murder That Mesmerized The Nation) recalls the tragic, and even at times, humorous, story of his father’s twenty years with the rare long-term disease as he navigates the Alzheimer’s care maze. Kosareff moves back and forth in time over six decades as his family lived in their home, as he revisits the chain of events his father’s Alzheimer’s set in motion and how he and his sisters responded. Something Like That is both a cautionary tale from an Alzheimer’s caregiver and a personal account of the emotional, financial, and physical toll the disease took on the author’s family. Learn: How many families are navigating a Long-Term Diagnosis. The realities of dementia care. The cost of caregiving. Learn about some of the unforeseen events that drain caregivers. Finding joy in crisis. Why getting legal paperwork in order is critical.
Alzheimer’s Speaks Blog Post https://alzheimersspeaks.com/my-20-year-safari-with-dads-alzheimers/ Watch the Video Interview Below https://youtu.be/aJSfn36GSrw?si=RtYTnsVkCi2GpwWA Listen and Subscribe to Alzheimer’s Speaks Podcast on Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-20-year-safari-with-dads-alzheimers/id986940432?i=1000783968303 Listen and Subscribe to the Alzheimer’s Speaks Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/7eKSIHjYexVAscVAs4UQZG Other Podcasts https://pod.link/986940432 Dementia Map https://dementiamap.com/events/#!event/2026/8/11/my-20-year-safari-with-dad-8217-s-alzheimer-8217-s
Contact Steve Kosareff Purchase The Book SOMETHING LIKE THAT on Amazon https://a.co/d/0gDMLXJD On Amazon, listeners can also find a story summary there; read the first nine chapters for free; purchase and post reviews (which I encourage as long as they are constructive and help other Alzheimer’s families find the book). If they click on my photo or name below the story summary, it will take them to an author bio and links to my three previously published books and the foreign la
More from Alzheimer's Speaks
Rethinking Bathroom Safety: 4 in 1 Chair Increases Safety For Older Adults Aging in Place With Greater Independence And Dignity #ShowerChair #TransferChair #Toilet Riser #Commode #PeriChair #Affordable #Safety #Dignity #Independnce #SpaceSaver #EaseWhenCaring Lori La Bey talks with Vince Ehrenberg, the founder of PeriChair, an innovative 4-in-1 bathroom safety chair designed to help older adults and individuals with mobility challenges maintain greater safety, independence, and dignity at home. He created PeriChair after recognizing the need for a more versatile solution that could support showering, toileting, and transfers with one thoughtfully designed piece of equipment. PeriChair saves time, money, and space!
Beyond Adult Day Care: Rethinking What’s Possible in Dementia Care #TherapeuticDementiaCare #RespiteCare #AdultDayCare Lori La Bey talks with Melanie O’Connell, the Founder and Executive Director of All in 4 You, a Therapeutic Dementia Care Center in Belleville, Illinois. She is passionate about moving dementia care beyond simply keeping people safe and occupied by creating purposeful opportunities for cognitive, physical, creative, and social engagement. Learn: What does a traditional adult day care model look like? What is a Therapeutic Dementia Care Center is. Learn about activities that have purpose. What does a typical day look like at All in 4 You? How does cognitive, physical, creative, and social engagement work together in your approach to dementia care? What changes has Michelle seen in the people they serve? If we changed the way we think about what people living with dementia are still capable of doing, what could the future of dementia care look like?
The Words She Left Behind - How Alzheimer's Changed Our Story Lori La Bey talks with Tanya Taibl, a special educator for over 30 years. She became a caregiver in 2023 for her aunt with Alzheimer's. Through this experience, Tanya has taken courses, workshops, and completed a certificate program in dementia care. Recently, she has published an award-winning book about her experiences and what she has learned along the way. It's called The Words She Left Behind - How Alzheimer's Changed Our Story. Learn: Why is Tanya’s book so different and insightful? Who can this book help? See the evidence of her Aunt’s decline through her personal journaling. What was the most challenging part of writing the book? How is the book structured, and what can you expect in it? What was Tanya’s biggest discovery in your journey? What surprised Tanya the most when caring for her Aunt? What is a Caregiver Café?
Optimizing Alzheimer's Care Lori La Bey talks with Stephanie Wierzbicka, who for 22 years worked at the ComForCare Franchise Systems, LLC. Her current role is Director of Strategic Health Care Programs, where she has developed programs designed to optimize client care and health outcomes across 375 US and Canadian locations. Her extensive hands-on experience visiting facilities, hospitals, and senior residences enables her to create tailored initiatives that help older adults and their families thrive.
Caregivers Helping Caregivers “In The Moment” Companionship On Your Caregiving Journey Lori La Bey talks with Denice Kennedy and Mike Weinberger, who are co-founders of Now What Publishing, LLC CaregiverCompanionAI and CARAforWorkplace.com Denice Kennedy has been a caregiver for several different family members, which positioned her to be a respected entrepreneur, transformational coach, and caregiver advocate. Her passion is helping caregivers receive support “In the moment” when their caregiver journey is hardest. Mike Weinberger is the author of “My Wife has Alzheimer’s, Now What?”. He has been a sole caregiver to his wife Nora. Mike’s passion is helping all caregivers never feel alone and receive the support they need and deserve.