From "...a musical gig" to a cause! Anthony Cirillo Shares His Passion for Caregivers

Hopefully caregiver here on zero 877-655-6755 877-655-6755 and that was my wife Gracie singing from her new CDs resilient and she does a great job if you will have a that CD will send it to you for each is our gift to you were asking for folks to just contribute any amount doesn't matter whatever tube standing with hope to help us with the trip coming up this summer with the shipping of prosthetic supplies with all the work we do with amputees. You can sponsor the show. Whatever whatever is on your heart to do, do it and then Gratian else in you that CD go out to hopefully caregiver.com. Use what's on the front page versus giving records. Click on that and glad to do that. All right John, I have been involved in a couple different interviews and summit of caregiver summits online with a friend of mine Anthony Cirillo and he is on the phone right now and he is he is the practice partner of GIS healthcare in their provider of caregiver related solutions to corporations and health providers.

Also the creator of the caregiver smile summit. The caregiver smile summit of a job that thing up. Despite FAA and he is a health and aging expert professional speaker. Immediate influencer. He is a fellow of American College of healthcare executives with a Masters in University Pennsylvania.

He's also a regular contributor to U.S. News & World Report every month and more importantly to you and me.

John well he's a caregiver, but he's also guitar player and keyboard player we get to keyboard players here that we got a guitar player would try to get the band together here. I think the greatest show. Well, if you're made I got you.

Did you click exit all Anthony a lot while there you go guys. I started out so I would depart player, guitar player, but you know the first man I joined at 12 in our bodies volume for guitar because you know the guitar players got all the girls right so I highlighted how to find a place you yes you know everything is based. Players start taking it backs up. Yeah most of my career I was the bass player in the band and until until the band got fed up with me and I went out of the solo and pick up the guitar again, not actually when I started singing for the four seniors how well you think I'm way too much fun. By the way we do in the R&B world I am the accordion player listen tell us what first off a little bit about your background, your journey as a caregiver, and they were getting some the things that you're helping shape across the country are sure, my background is always been pretty much healthcare actually start out in broadcasting labor, not in Philadelphia but II didn't want to go to Bemidji, Minnesota or no offense to that to those boats but to micrograph had a because I was, as you mentioned, I was a fly was also a full-time musician at night which is pertinent to my whole story and career, and why do I what I do so I wound up getting jobs in medical publishing and then somebody recognize that I might have skills to be a director of corporate communication the hospital so I was 12 years in hospitals in Philadelphia and then a funny thing happened. I was no singing got in the band seriously and that night and then they don't got out and said you know God gave it his talent the same. What am I gonna do it and one the guys work for me in the hospital was also a professional juggler on the side and he said to the others. All these thousands of places there just I am for entertainment. So I went into a CCR seeing others continuing care retirement communities. I guess they call it something else these days but and I was my first gig and when I left Philadelphia I went was doing 100 gigs part time in all these places and a change my whole trajectory because I realized I was I was getting a heck of a lot of fulfillment out of it and I was also giving a lot and that, led to a job in New York where we were working with seniors and the baroreceptors in the barrows around different healthcare plans and things like that and I joke with people that John asserted coalesced my career as a you know marketing guy in healthcare and as a musician, because when is the marketing guy would stage an event in the barrows and as the eye would show up and become the empty and stated BJ and the singer and that your name is Cirillo and you sings an entrepreneur in New York. Well, you know you know the rest of that story shocks. I think exactly what I think you're on the right shows there you are.

Tell me this you been watching a lot of the policy things going on in the healthcare world in our country and in the things coming out of Washington and having one of the states from the country you you you got your finger on the pulse of this year.

You're really addressing some of these issues what's what's what's what's the burner under your saddle today about an in house. This affect the family caregiver. Yeah, absolutely. And I was a caregiver for my mom, and justice of the audience when it's been in the background on how she she was living with my sister and my sister became other statistics and predeceased her we move on the North Carolina and I was a caregiver for a couple years and I think that's when I really got intently involved in all this, but you know some of the things that I'm saying I mean there's some great movement out there with some of the national things the race you know caregiver acting those folks were starting to get together today no point people in the right direction and I'm giving them the hope that you talk about all the time. But the thing where I'm concentrating most of my work now is it. And it's because of my healthcare background in the gaps that I see is no kind of yellow caregiving in the workforce and then email healthcare healthcare profession where I know pretty much a grown-up and sand kind of their relationship to caregivers and went what prompted me to reach out to you as a you said that what what was bugging me and there was a study that came out in the Journal of the American Medical Association this past week so the expression right and its scientific and you know it it it kind of confirm what antidotal he week kind of know and and that basically said that you know when you're encountering the healthcare profession.

There really good at helping you understand you know the treatment for a mom or dad or whoever it might be in all the things that are going on with the patient, but their horrible mean or nonexistent when it comes to asking think the caregiver kind of know how you doing you know and what can we do for you. In fact, no more than half of these folks don't don't mask and and so it really brought home to me the gaps in healthcare because you know essentially jam it concluded the raises important questions about the role of healthcare workers and supporting the need of family family caregivers, and so you know what I'm trying to do and in healthcare is to an end in Gallic caregiving in the workforce is to elevate the notion of caregiving, and you know there's a lot of jargon in healthcare in one of the ones they're throwing around right now. They call them social determinants of health and the 80% of the things that you know don't happen in the physician office or in a hospital it's you know, transportation or food insecurity in all these different things can impact you know a person's health and well-being.

You know it when we tell employers you know to give a gym membership at your employee does not transportation that that the social determinants of health right to make and get to the gym so I'm trying to move it. Elevate what caregiving is in the whole scheme of things right that it's in that it is another social determinants of health. When there is a caregiving situation that yellow involved that this this bears looking at it bears looking out looking at a solution in a different way and getting to that gap that Nina was raised in this JAMA study so you know, this kind of falls under the outcome of a bigger issue of what what they call population health management and NN.

Essentially, if you really just want to skinny it down. It just says were all in this together. The community the patients to caregivers dissociation the organization. I have some employers are starting starting to get it.

We had a wonderful conversation last week with a major insurer and not a whole bunch of sliding on to talk about all my great expertise fair value of social determinants and and population health and and you employers need to start looking at that is the issue not the issue of work in order to provide a caregiver benefit of some sort.

Let's check the box type bank and the person from this company basically said you know, we understand that the overall health of our employee a is the most important thing, and before and Anup are customers because it was really more of a customer conversation I said before we can ever get them to consider our XYZ policy or whatever other product we have we have the make sure the day is a caregiver are healthy and will and less stressed where they can make better decisions and and then we could leave them in a conversation about you know the things that we have and I said wow you guys just you just read my first five slide lessons on this matter. Skip ahead to this whole thing felt left, where I'm I'm looking right now to kinda concentrate that book I'm trying to first elevate the conversation about what is caregiving when you talk to health professionals and you start spelling it as a social determinants of health one of big buzzwords out there and in the hospital and physician practices right now they start and so yeah absolutely. And so you know that the that JAMA article you know I sent it to you know I don't how many hundreds of people and it's open a lot of conversations now about you know how you how you do that and we were sufficiently of assumptions the situation were doing it now with the with the company and am working for them very passionate about, but that's kind of the bigger issue that I'm seeing a caregiving in the workplace is reaching a tipping point, and that you know until you a note get you know it happening to the CEO.

You know always get the trickle down amine ART and and now Bree organization called reacquisition but I'm sure you know about respect the caregivers time in a list of the bunch of benchmark companies that are doing this, but there you know there's not many out there out tell you a quick story from the summit that the Peter you participated in. There is a gentleman named Don Weber from logistics health and not he was on the PBS program. That's where I Solomon first and reached out to him and he is so enlightened and it's because of his own caregiving situation with his employees about the kind health benefits that they provide to them. They give them wellness time every week to just go do whatever they need to do an employee employer employee whose mother had cancer, the very young age and she was obviously the daughter was in her 30s are some they held her job worked out a financial arrangement with her protected her look after her. You know their nose companies are few and far between. So you know the part of this. The problem is that we don't often. I'm sure this comes up and you know my wife and I we fly family destined for years and remotely Latino from 13 to 18. We were just in turmoil and we never really end out some of those were caregiving situations, but we never necessarily considered ourselves caregivers right in so many of your listeners you know can relate to wages were doing what we had a deal itself. Caregivers don't self identify in the workplace and settling shortly. Sometimes when they do they could be a career ending thing.

Basically a chance on him accompanied me on will yeah Anthony night. I think it one of the things that employers would benefit greatly from understanding is the makeup of the family caregiver, we are high functioning multitaskers who have a over a hyper sense of responsibility because were showing up to deal with stuff that would not necessarily train for were showing a great amount of flex that I wrote an article about this in the market watch about the entrepreneurial heart of caregivers in hell that translates into business skills because we do things that are extraordinary with with conflict resolution. What's that worst employer with with no learning to be to adapt and be flexible to deal with a situation were not extra train for the week.

We embrace we go after the related training to do a fraction stuff I do as a musician and employers that don't hang onto these people are losing valuable, valuable employees and so it's in their best interest to to do this to to be able to go in and grab them and keep them in and and develop ways to help help them along the journey that it it seems to be a no-brainer, but I know you. You fought this battle talk with Anthony Cirillo work. He is the founder of the caregiver summit caregiver summit.org and just like a sales caregiver summit.org is good and noble way. If it was in trouble before. On the other side of the break.

If you would be a part of the show 877-655-6755. Have you had trouble here. Workplace is a caregiver is a bit of struggle for this is the place for there are some things you can do about this. You can learn to work through this okay caregiver.

Think about all the legal documents you need power of attorney will, living wills, and so many more than think about such things as disputes about medical bills. What if instead of shelling out hefty fees for a few days of legal help paid a monthly membership and got a law firm for life while we are taking legal representation and making some revisions in the form of accessible, affordable, full-service coverage. Finally, you can live life know you have a lawyer in your back pocket who at the same time is an empty it's called legal shield and its practical, affordable and a must for the family caregiver visit caregiver legal.com that's caregiver legal.com. Isn't it about time someone started advocating for you www.caregiverlegal.com on independent associate. Have you ever struggled to trust God when lousy things happen to you. I'm Gracie Rosenberger in 1983 I experienced a horrific car accident leading 80 surgeries in both legs and became it. I questioned why God allowed something so brutal to happen to me. But over time the questions changed and I discovered courage to trust God that understanding along with an appreciation for quality prosthetic limbs led me to establish standing with help more than a dozen years we been working with the government of Ghana and West Africa, equipping and training local workers to build and maintain quality prosthetic limbs for their own people on a regular basis. We purchased ship equipment and supplies and with the help of inmates in Tennessee prison. We also recycle parts from donated lambs. All of this is to point others to Christ.

The source of my help and strength these visits standing with help.com to learn more and participate in lifting others@extendingwithout.com.

I'm Gracie. I am staining with help and hope caregiver here family talk to serious exam 131 dispute Rosenberger that is my wife Gracie staff on the resilient copy that if you want good hope for the caregiver.com donate to stay with help with the presenting sponsor of the show to help with the prosthetic limb work or even sponsor the show Gracie dosage one of the Swede lived free to have it hope for the caregiver.com. By the way, you could also subscribe for free podcast, and I think you'll like it would put out the show. We put up full clips of the show we believe and put up some bonus stuff for you, maybe even something about John Butler who knows which is crazy. Me Anthony. I got just one minute left. I wanted just to in a nutshell combined what you're doing and how it can help the family caregiver where they need to go talk with Anthony Cirillo.

He is the founder of the caregiver summit he have had a chance to work together many times and he is really involved on policy stuff on our own on advocating for you and me as a fellow caregiver and in and in all the healthcare systems are out there and he's doing a great work Anthony working people go to find out more about you, Inc. and what can make with good what can they expect their cellular dimension caregiver summit.org yield. We also have our company website, GIS, HC.com, GIS, HC.com and that you want the M. A email me at it's my name Anthony Cirillo with the JR on the junior it's a NPH on why she IRI LLO JR Gmail essentially what were doing. You know that you know the company that I'm working with passion about what we do is because you know that all those videos that are part of the caregiver summit also part of our solution.

We have a caregiver solution that we bring out the two companies that involves no advocates as well as information for all life ages and ages so it's not just about caring for older loved ones could be an autistic child in foster situation.

Whatever might be so.

We have a combination of services and and Jack yell high Tech high touch that we believe can and it's all original content that we believe can changed Kenneth Howard looking at this and believe thing that I'm doing that I think is the most important is that we started to talk to healthcare systems about this and we actually have. You know a little card that that we can equip physician offices with so that when there on the ground white face-to-face with the caregiver, you can basically say hey, I've got something for you given the scar and entitles the doll that the other services are working to get health systems involved in this.

Realizing it at the end of the day this this impacts total overall health and get out some of that work works fact when I was a caregiver. My physician and me and for my physical and I keep myself in pretty good shape and then he wanted to see me.

Three months later and likable.

Why will he also was. He was also character my mom. That's all I found that he was so caring that I switched doctors and lentil on the near my mom every bit of her cognition till the end at 94 and I couldn't I could do a whole show with you on stories of mom, but he wanted me there because my stress level and you know it's physicians like him who tell me that innovative solution that we could just give the people because you know they don't have the time, they probably look at this time of study and say we wanted to have these things we don't have the time there's a there's a collective shrug and and I get that. What finite amount of seconds in the day and you have to put the right tool for the right job and their involved in so many other things that it's completely and still in Anthony you're the right person to do what you're doing right now, and in you're doing a great work on it and I appreciate you taking the time the culture wants to keep Cohen back able to address the subject's are periodically so don't be a stranger. I will not thinking about Anthony Cirillo appreciated very much GIS HC.com up with the settlement on our podcast as well.

In this other Facebook and hope for the caregiver.com on her Facebook page GIS HC.com hey listen up. Valentine's Day is coming up this week is also the richest one I wanted throw this out to eat. If you are caregiving spouse let go of the expectations and just deal with the day as it is Valentine's Day tends to be a little bit more of a prefabricated holiday. It's not scripturally saying should we just say that and I think it's driven mostly by Hallmark but that's just me. Call me silly and all right, you know, laughing my favorite holiday is Arbor Day you plant a tree you gifts of water.

You say a prayer you walk away. Nobody gets hurt, there's no parade. I but Valentine's Day is coming up and it comes with a lot of drama for the family caregiver, particularly if your spouse and maybe years, but your love one is in your wife or your husband is in the hospital Christ dementia or is that even know your name anymore.

Okay, these are painful things I get it so lower the expectations of what this is got to be just appreciate the beauty for what it is and if they can't get you a card.

Go get yourself a card okay send the credit card that honors the love that you to share even if your your husband or your wife can't do that with you sent it to yourself. Anyway I do something that's going to to feed your soul. That was her caregiver tip of the day feature so if you love what is going fix her favorite meal and celebrate and invite somebody over to share with you okay this was this was your husband's favorite meal. This was your wife a real whatever go to favorites just to something that honors that love is very nice.

I think that on the Internet recently that it was a it was and was an elderly gentleman in a booth in an arrest so that he was having coffee with a picture of his deceased wife that you know whatever feed your soul and if your spouse is a caregiver for parents and a lot of times is happening with husbands who take who are whose wives are taking care of their aging parents, be kind to them for Valentine's Day. Don't don't make it about expectations that she Scott somehow got to make this special for you on every level. Okay if things don't go the way you want it to make it just make it comfortable and special for her. It may be just that you have a nice dinner for her when she gets home from the nursing home or from hospice or whatever you have the bid fresh sheets and the bid put out her favorite pajamas, not a costume you want her to wear just just the favorite pajamas. Don't put on the Marvin Gaye music just just care for her heel folding the laundry will romance start sometimes in the laundry room or in the kitchen and and it may not be everything you want to be purchased be kind. Okay the love you have transcends one day make don't try to cram all that love and one day okay let it just bury this hope for the caregiver, hope for the caregiver.com love doing the show. I love having you here tell the caregivers make better caregivers will see you next week. Today's Great Lakes turbine health