Content note: This episode includes candid conversation about aging, dementia, and caregiver stress.
What’s the right time to talk about senior care—and how do you even begin? In this episode of Hope Comes to Visit, I sit with Shona McIntyre, a senior care advisor, social worker, and certified dementia practitioner with nearly two decades of experience helping families navigate complex decisions with clarity, compassion, and confidence.
We unpack the messy middle: noticing early signs of change, starting “the talk” without stripping dignity, and why planning before a hospital crisis protects both options and peace of mind. Shona explains the real differences between independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing—and why modern senior communities look more like apartment living with support (think chef-prepared meals, robust activities, and on-site care).
We also dig into caregiver guilt, how to frame conversations around safety + independence, what actually determines a good fit (level of care, lifestyle, and budget), and the huge time savings of working with a local advisor who has walked the buildings, tasted the food, and knows the teams.
If you’re caring for an aging parent—or love someone who is—this episode is a steady hand on your shoulder and a practical path forward.
Guest: Shona McIntyre — seniorcommunityconnections.net
Resource: The Caregiver’s Advocate (Vol. 2)
Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this conversation helps, follow the show, share it with someone who needs hope today, and leave a review – it helps others find their way to these conversations.
New episodes drop every Monday, so you can begin your week with a little light and a lot of hope.
For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit
xo, Danielle
