Mini-Ep 469: Return of the MAC

Summary

Forever35, Mini-Ep 469: “Return of the MAC”

Hosts: Doree Shafrir & Elise Hu
Date: November 12, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this lively mini-episode, Doree and Elise blend their signature humor and self-awareness to answer listener questions and share updates spanning skincare (including night creams and the exciting return of MAC Cosmetics to Sephora), personal wellness (quitting coffee, the value of a gratitude practice), and practical life management (work boundaries, caring for aging parents, and decluttering for joy). The episode balances product talk with deep listener stories about caregiving and boundaries—touching on the realities of adulthood and self-care, especially as women approach new life stages.

---

Catching Up: Upcoming Travel & Thanksgiving Plans

Timestamps: 01:42–05:48

• Elise is prepping for a TED event in Atlanta: She describes the previous venue's “Dune vibes,” inconvenience for fashion (“you couldn't wear heels,” 02:09), and how TV productions have increasingly moved to Atlanta.
  • “Rob was like, I think I've been here before. ... You could convert them [Pullman Yards] into sound stages, and they probably are often converted into sound stages, given so much of Hollywood has moved out there.” (02:53 – Elise)
• Both hosts express disbelief at how quickly November arrived and discuss Thanksgiving plans.
  • Doree: Will spend it with siblings, no cooking required.
  • Elise: Plans to keep the holiday quiet (“I’m on an austerity plan ... have to make sure I have enough saved for my taxes at the end of the year,” 04:24), avoids travel due to airport chaos—delays, lack of TSA workers, and potential government shutdowns.

---

Listener Q&A and Beauty Product Chat

MAC Cosmetics Now at Sephora!

Timestamps: 05:48–07:21

• A listener rejoices over MAC now being available at Sephora, sparking a nostalgic and practical product deep-dive.
  • Elise: Still loyal to MAC’s under-eye concealer. Describes MAC as essential for “stage and screen” during her TV news days, praising wide shade range and inclusivity:
    • “They [MAC] tend to have a lot more yellow pigments ... so it’s good for people of color. My Black colleagues liked MAC. The Asian girlies liked MAC.” (06:49 – Elise)
• Doree: Acknowledges the excitement and nostalgia among listeners.

Vitamin E Oil Uses

Timestamps: 08:25–12:44

• Listener shares a tip about using Trader Joe’s Vitamin E oil for winter dryness and chapped skin, especially around the nose.
  • Elise: Admits she just breaks open vitamin E capsules for lip care, surprised to learn about Trader Joe’s version.
    • “I didn't know Trader Joe's had vitamin E oil. I guess I haven't been paying attention.” (12:12 – Elise)

The Great Towel Debate: Costco & Parachute

Timestamps: 12:44–14:18

• Follow-up from the original Costco towel recommender, who was thrilled to hear her tip on the pod.
• Doree: Buys new towels based on listener rec.
• Elise: Expresses desire to KonMari all house towels for uniformity.
  • “I just want to like replace all the towels at once in mass and get the exact same towels for all of the bathrooms so you can't mess it up.” (13:38 – Elise)
• Listener suggests Parachute brand towels; Doree recalls Parachute’s earlier podcast sponsorship.

---

On Work Boundaries & Burnout

Timestamps: 14:20–17:59

• A listener shares a New York Times op-ed about boundaries in healthcare as a model to combat burnout.
• Elise reads:
  • “While hours on a given shift can be grueling, they’re also a known quantity. ... The effect is that people can set plans with ... childcare providers, partners, friends, and family members. ... Other industries could learn from healthcare.” (15:16 – Elise/Hu reading Corinne Low)
• Both hosts discuss unpredictability in industries like law, advertising, and TV writing.
  • Elise: Cites legal work culture and TV news’s “always-on” demands; the pandemic shifted her perspective on routines and boundaries.
    • “It was such a shift during the pandemic when I had left my job in Daily News ... That was the first time in my life where I was like, okay, I’m gonna have three to four units of exercise per week and just make sure that I do it.” (16:52 – Elise)
  • Doree: Notes the toll unpredictability takes on family plans (re: Matt’s writer’s room job).

---

Aging Parents: Navigating Senior Care

Timestamps: 17:59–31:05

Listener Tips and Lived Experience

• Multiple listeners continue weighing in on caring for aging parents—insurance, long-term care, financial strategies.
  • Tips:
    • Investigate veterans’ benefits (“if your parent is a veteran or the spouse of a veteran, they may be eligible for benefits that cover similar services that Medicaid would otherwise cover,” 18:09).
    • Consider long-term care insurance early (“it’s much more affordable if you sign up when you’re young and healthy.”).
    • Utilize dependent care benefits via insurance enrollment.
    • Engage financial advisors early.
  • Alert about hospital policies (“insurance companies are getting stingier ... approving shorter rehab stays.”).
  • Start hard conversations early; get professional help.

Listener Voicemail with Personal Insights

Timestamps: 24:22–29:47

• Caller shares her own family’s labyrinthine journey:
  • Trusts as asset protection, state-specific look-back periods (e.g., 15 years for Massachusetts).
  • Navigating MassHealth applications: “It took three of us ... hours and hours and hours of time spent on the phone and collecting bank statements ...” (25:35)
  • Even home care (not just nursing homes) is hard to secure and support is minimal.
  • Emotional/physical toll: “It's very physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing to care for an aging person. ... It's not like caring for a baby. They were very aware that they once were independent and now no longer are. ...” (27:18)
  • Importance of sharing the caregiving load—“Caregiving should never just fall upon one person. It’s too much.” (28:28)
  • Honest about limits: “I hope to never have to do it again, to be perfectly honest ... even though it was something I respected her wishes ...” (29:38)
• Doree & Elise reflect:
  • “Just as there isn’t enough affordable child care for the very young, there is not enough affordable care for the very old. Like this society is really failing the youngest and the oldest, which is like, shame on us.” (29:47 – Elise)
  • “Everybody in the middle too, like middle class, middle-aged people, we’re having to help care or stretch ourselves even thinner ... we place way too much responsibility for structural or systemic problems on individuals.” (30:24 – Elise)

---

Memorable Quotes

• Elise Hu (on MAC): “MAC was really good for like stage and screen and things like that, at least back then ... I really like their shades because they tend to have like a lot more yellow pigments ... so it’s good for people of color.” (06:41–06:57)
• Doree Shafrir (on towel uniformity): “Totally do it.” (13:55)
• Elise Hu (on work boundaries): “I’m not saying it’s healthy or normal, but ... I’ve worked my entire life in news, and as a result ... It was such a shift during the pandemic ... to establish some routine ...” (16:52)
• Caller (on eldercare): “It’s very physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing to care for an aging person. ... Caregiving should never just fall upon one person. It’s too much.” (27:18–28:28)
• Elise Hu (on systemic failures): “This society is really failing the youngest and the oldest, which is like, shame on us.” (29:47)

---

Key Takeaways

• MAC at Sephora: Listeners and hosts share nostalgia and practical use cases; MAC’s shade range and performance for diverse skin types highlighted.
• Simple Skincare Swaps: Vitamin E oil (Trader Joe's version especially), is a winter must-have; small skincare changes can make a big difference.
• Home Comfort Upgrades: Costco towels get rave reviews; minimalist longing for household uniformity.
• Work-Life Boundaries: Drawing firmer lines between work and life can reduce burnout. The healthcare model—predictable, isolated “on call” time—is held up as an example, but other industries lag behind.
• Caring for Aging Parents: The challenge is immense, multi-layered (legal, financial, emotional). Listeners and the hosts emphasize professional help and community support, and express frustration at structural shortcomings in the US.
• Open Conversations: Forever35’s community continues to be a place listeners can turn to for practical advice, camaraderie, and the acknowledgment that none of these challenges should be faced alone.

---

Notable Timestamps

• 01:42 – Atlanta TED event & travel woes
• 05:48 – MAC Cosmetics comes to Sephora
• 08:25 – Vitamin E oil hacks
• 12:44 – Costco towels triumph and towel uniformity dreams
• 14:20 – NYT op-ed & work boundaries
• 17:59 – Senior care resources and strategies
• 24:22 – Personal voicemail: real talk on eldercare
• 29:47 – Systemic reflection: "shame on us" for failing young & old

---

Forever35 continues to be a touchpoint for practical tips, humor, and community support as listeners and hosts age—and grow—even wiser together.

Transcript

[Elise Hu]

Think enterprise software is too costly, too complex and takes too long to get up and running? Think again. Workday Go makes simplifying your small or mid sized business simple. HR and finance together on one powerful AI platform right at your fingertips. Workday Go gets you live fast and fits the needs of your business. Find out what Workday Go can do for you. Go with Workday Go. Did I talk too much? Can't I just let it go? I wish I would stop thinking so much.

[Ad Voice]

Take a breath.

[Elise Hu]

You're not alone.

[Dory Shafrier]

Let's talk about what's going on.

[Ad Voice]

Counseling helps you sort through the noise with qualified professionals and online therapy makes it convenient. See if it's for you. Visit betterhelp.com randompodcast for 10% off your first month of online therapy and let life feel better.

[Dory Shafrier]

Hello and welcome to Forever 35, a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves. I'm Dory Shafrier.

[Elise Hu]

And I'm Elise Hu. And we're just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums.

[Dory Shafrier]

And this is a mini episode where we hear from you, we share your comments and your thoughts, and we answer your questions to the best of our ability. But please remember we are not experts, we're podcast hosts and we do always encourage you to seek support first and foremost from a medical and or mental health professional as needed.

[Elise Hu]

Before we get to your comments and your calls, we typically just catch up for a bit. We are recording this before I have a trip to Hotlanta Hotlanta, Georgia, but I'm excited to do that. There's kind of two main Teds and one is always in Vancouver, the other one tends to be in Atlanta. Now it was previously in like Palm Springs area and this Atlanta one last year had this real dune feel to it because it was out at something called Pullman Yards, which those of you in Georgia will know or in Atlanta will know. It's like it seemed like it was out on horse stables or something cause it was all like dirt pathways and then when it was, when it got windy it really had kind of dune vibes. So and then you couldn't wear heels. So anybody who was like a fashion play and wanted to look cute for Ted couldn't like walk around comfortably on the grounds. So this year it is not there. This, this year it's in a more traditional kind of hotel, convention center or performance center kind of setting and you can wear whatever shoes you want. So I think that's going to be an improvement. I I remember I had brought I Brought Rob out there, and he was like, I think we shot MacGyver here. Like, it was. You know, it was one of those places where there were huge buildings, like airplane hangar type things that you could convert into anything you wanted. You could convert them into sound stages, and they probably are often converted into sound stages, given so much of Hollywood has moved out there to Atlanta.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

But, yeah, Rob was like, I think I've been here before. And they had converted it into this big TED gathering. But, yeah, it was far. It was kind of far out there. I spent a lot of time in Ubers with people who were telling me they didn't care who was elected president because it was right before the 2024 election. And all my Uber drivers are like, well, what difference does it make? They both are bad. And I was just like, okay, we're gonna see about that. We're gonna see about that.

[Dory Shafrier]

Oh, my goodness.

[Elise Hu]

We're getting. I can't believe it's November already. Can you believe it? Like, yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

What happens when this airs? It'll be, like, mid November.

[Elise Hu]

So are you gonna be, like, with everyone, do you think, or are you gonna have kind of a small Thanksgiving? Is it gonna be expansive with all of the siblings?

[Dory Shafrier]

Yes, I will see. I will see my siblings for Thanksgiving, so.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, that's good.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

Do you have to cook or. No. Usually, do you get out of it?

[Dory Shafrier]

No, I do not have to cook. What about you?

[Elise Hu]

I'm often just responsible for the turkey because I do the Alton Brown. I think that's that guy's name, with the bucket brine overnight, the ice thing. But this year, we're just gonna keep it really quiet and keep it chill because, a. I'm on an austerity plan due to the aforementioned. I think on previous episodes I've mentioned, like, have to make sure I have enough saved for my taxes at the end of the year because I do it all at once. And so. And I also don't like to travel or fly anywhere the week of Thanksgiving because there's a lot of folks who travel during Thanksgiving. It's often folks who maybe don't go through a TSA security line, except for the week of Thanksgiving. And so it can be very frustrating. And then also, we might still be in the middle of a government shutdown, and already flights have been disrupted.

[Dory Shafrier]

It's going to be a mess.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. I was coming back from Deadwood, South Dakota, and had to fly through Denver, and the Denver airport was backed up. LAX didn't have enough air traffic controllers. And so our Flight back to LAX was delayed. There's just a bunch of cascading issues. There's. The Houston airport has had big problems because they haven't opened. They haven't been able to open enough security lines due to the lack of TSA workers.

[Dory Shafrier]

I know it's going to be rough. Yeah. Well, Elise, we got a text that said, can we just take a moment to rejoice that Mac cosmetics is now available at Sephora? Maybe it's nostalgia, but I've always loved Mac, yet haven't bought any in literal years because I'm such a Sephora devotee. I'm so, so thrilled about this. Yay.

[Elise Hu]

I still wear, I still wear Mac's concealer. I really like their under eye concealer. Yes. And I usually go to Ulta or an airport to buy it because I can't get it at Sephora. But yes. So they have Mac at Ulta and so if you have Ultas nearby, that, that usually is my workaround. But they have a great. I can't remember, it's called like something 24 hours in it. And I also like the Mac shades I always have. We wear a lot of Mac makeup for TV, you know, when I started in TV news in like the year 2004, because I think that was kind of the beginning of HD camera or HD screens and HD cameras and Mac makeup was really good for like stage and screen and things like that, at least back then Mac and then makeup forever. And so, and I really like their shades because they tend to have like a lot more yellow pigments, you know, in a lot of their shades, like one of the lines. And so it's good for people of color. Yeah. So there were people, you know, women, my, my black colleagues liked Mac. You know, the Asian girlies liked Mac. So yeah, still still devoted to a few of their products for sure.

[Dory Shafrier]

Wow. Okay. All right, well, before we take a break, just a reminder that you can call or text us at 781-591-0390. Email us at forever35podcastmail.com Our website is forever35podcast.com we have links there to everything we mention on the show. We're on Instagram @forever35 podcast. Our favorite products are at shopmy us/forever35. And also our newsletter has moved to Patreon. It is still free. All you have to do is go to patreon.com/forever35. Just sign up at the free tier and you will get our newsletter. And then if you want to join us at any of the paid tiers. Please do. There's a lot of bonus content that we do on Patreon, like our weekly casual chats, our monthly pop culture recommendation episodes, our ad free episodes discussions. There's like, there's just a lot. So check that out. Patreon.com Forever35 all right, after the break, Vitamin E oil. Ooh, and work boundaries.

[Elise Hu]

So is somebody doing something different with their vitamin vitamin E oil besides just cutting open a supplement and rubbing it on their lips as I do? We will find out. We'll find out after the break.

[Caller]

Foreign.

[Elise Hu]

The countdown is on. Holiday shopping season is officially here. I can't believe it. Uncommon Goods takes the stress out of gifting with thousands of unique, high quality finds you won't see anywhere else. Don't wait. The most meaningful gifts get scooped up fast, and now is the perfect time to cross names off your list. Uncommon Goods looks for products that are high quality, unique, and often handmade or made in the U.S. many are crafted by independent artists and small businesses. I have ordered a set of glasses with my Mizzou University of Missouri details on it that you can see some of the campus, which is very cool. And I can send it to my fellow Mizzou alumni friends if as a gift. Or I could just send them the link so they can get it for their friends or get it for themselves. When you shop at Uncommon Goods, you're supporting artists and small independent businesses. Many of their handcrafted products are made in small batches, so shop now before they sell out. And with every purchase you make at Uncommon Goods, they give back $1 to a nonprofit partner of your CH donating more than $3.1 million to date. So don't wait. Cross those names off your list before the rush. To get 15 off your next gift, go to UncommonGoods.com Forever35 that's UncommonGoods.com Forever35 for 15% off Uncommon Goods we're all out of the ordinary.

[Dory Shafrier]

As the air turns crisp and the holidays draw near, comfort becomes the best gift of all. Quince delivers layers that last, sweaters, outerwear, and everyday essentials that feel luxurious, look timeless, and make holiday dressing and gifting effortless. I am obsessed with my 100 organic cotton oversized cable cardigan. It is the perfect sweater for this weather. It's cotton, but it's like a thick cotton and it's a beautiful cable knit. I also got it in gray, this really pretty gray that I love. And I recently got the organic cotton boxy crewneck tee, which I think now Might be my holy Grail T shirt, so the combo is just killer. But Quince has it all. $50 Mongolian cashmere sweaters made for everyday wear. Denim that never goes out of style. Silk tops and skirts that add polish for that last minute party you're going to. And down outerwear built to take on multiple seasons. It's all perfect for gifting or upgrading your own wardrobe. And honestly, Quint's Italian wool coats are also at the top of my list. The cuts look designer and the quality rivals high end brands, but without the high end markup. By working directly with ethical top tier factories, Quince skips the middlemen and offers prices 50% less than similar brands. So step into the holiday season with layers made to feel good, look polished and last. From Quince, perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself. Go to Quince.com Forever35 for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com Forever35 to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com Forever35 all right, we are back. Elise, since you mentioned the vitamin E oil, do you want to read this?

[Elise Hu]

Happy to. All right. Hi Doran. Elise listening to mini app 467 in the caller using vitamin E oil and I also use it. I find it especially helpful in the winter when things get really dry and or when I'm sick and the skin around my nose gets really dry from blowing my nose just a little dab twice a day in those areas and my skin feels better. I've had a small bottle of TJ's Trader Joe's vitamin E oil for years and that's still going strong. I didn't know Trader Joe's had vitamin E oil. I guess I haven't been paying attention.

[Dory Shafrier]

Very interesting. Also something that I forgot to mention is we got a text from the original listener who recommended Costco towels.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, what did she say?

[Dory Shafrier]

And she said day made hearing my wreck on the pod today. Omg A true pause the pod moment. So glad for this community and y'.

[Elise Hu]

All.

[Dory Shafrier]

And I just want to say that Matt went to Costco this morning and I was like please buy some new towels. Like I was, I'm, I was just like our towels are so gross and I'm so done with them. Like I just need, we just need new towels. So we also got Costco towels today.

[Elise Hu]

Nice.

[Dory Shafrier]

Did you get the back use them yet? Yes. I haven't used them yet because we just got them. But yes, we now also have Costco towels. So this text was like very timely.

[Elise Hu]

As I mentioned with the socks and how I'm very tempted just to throw out all the socks in the house and get the same socks for everyone. I kind of want to do it with the towels. I just want to like replace all the towels at once in mass and get the exact same towels for all of the bathrooms so you can't mess it up.

[Dory Shafrier]

Totally do it. We also got a text that said, parachute, towels are great.

[Elise Hu]

Okay, I've never heard of it. I will check it out.

[Dory Shafrier]

Parachute. I think they sponsored the podcast briefly. I don't remember but they make like sheets and towels and they they had a like a bathrobe that was very popular for a while. So awesome.

[Elise Hu]

Check it out. All right, Worth checking out.

[Dory Shafrier]

We also got a text from a listener that said good morning, Congrats on the Dodgers win. I wanted to share this New York Times article that is super relevant to the discussions you've been having on the POD about work boundaries vis a vis burnout. I thought the example of the health care field as an industry to learn from was fascinating. If you're on call, you're on call. If you're not, you're not. Okay, and we will link to this New York Times article. But the it was an opinion piece, an op ed, and the headline was what Women Really Want to Not Answer work emails at 10pm and it is by someone named Corinne Low, who is an economist at the University of Pennsylvania, my alma mater. And yeah, it was an. It's an interesting. It's an interesting piece.

[Elise Hu]

So I'll get to the I'll read the relevant paragraph, which is about healthcare. Because while hours on this is quoting the piece, while hours on a given shift can be grueling, they're also a known quantity. Even on call time, common in the medical field, is predictable. Your phone might ring on a Saturday night, but only if it's your assigned time to be on call. The effect is that people can set plans with childcare providers, partners, friends and family members. They can build a life outside work knowing that they won't be interrupted as a moment's notice. It's not a matter of working remotely, during which personal life and work life can seep into each other, nor of simple flexibility. It's about a clear delineation between work and every other aspect of life. Other industries could learn from healthcare. The industry that I'm thinking of that could really learn from healthcare, though I'M sure there's many. And advertising, which was the original callers industry is one of them, is the legal field. I find lawyers work all the time at any time. Like, it's so client service, you know? And it's wild to me how normalized it is for lawyers just to be like, my lawyer friends in particular, who are like, we had front row tickets to the Hollywood bowl this summer, for example, and she was like, I can't go. I have to prepare something for my, you know, partner, because she's an associate on some merger or what, Something that didn't seem like that big of a deal to me. But I'm like, but what about our front row tickets at the Hollywood Bowl?

[Dory Shafrier]

Right?

[Elise Hu]

No, I'm used to working all hours, too. And it's not. I'm not saying it's healthy or normal, but it's because I've worked my entire life in news, and as a result, it's like, you know, if there's a tornado, there's a tornado. If there's a tsunami, there's a tsunami, and you get. There's an earthquake in Nepal. You got to be in Nepal, you know? And so it was very normalized for me. And it was. It was such a shift during the pandemic when I had left my job in Daily News and also didn't go anywhere. But I feel like it was such a necessary shift, too, to, like, establish some routine and then have some. That was the first time in my life where I was like, okay, I'm gonna have three to four units of exercise per week and just make sure that I do it, you know, because otherwise you're just really at the whim of your. Your industry, your field.

[Dory Shafrier]

It's so true. Yeah. I mean, there is something about the predictability, even if you're working long hours, just knowing that you will be working long hours.

[Elise Hu]

But then when you're off, I remember you're off.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah. Like, when Matt was in a. A TV writer's room, I mean, sometimes he never knew when he was coming home.

[Elise Hu]

That's crazy.

[Dory Shafrier]

It was like, sometimes he would be home at midnight, and sometimes he'd be home at, like, 6. But, like, you never knew, so you could never make plans. You could never count on anything. So very timely. Very timely essay. Thank you, listener, for sharing this. All right, shifting gears. We continue to get messages about aging parents and caring for aging parents and the finances of caring for aging parents and all the things. So clearly, this is a topic that is resonating with a lot of you and I'm going to read one message that we got this week. Someone writes, I wanted to add a few, albeit measly, suggestions for senior care after hearing the Aging Parents episode. It is true that Medicare does not cover assisted living or homemaker services, but if your parent is a veteran or the spouse of a veteran, they may be eligible for benefits that cover similar services that Medicaid would otherwise cover. Another option is long term care insurance, although unfortunately it is somewhat like pet insurance in that it's much more affordable if you sign up when you're young and healthy. And depending on the plan you're offered, you might be paying giant premiums when you could also put that money aside to spend if the occasion arises. But long term care benefits can also help cover the cost of memory care, assisted living, or caregiver services. One more potential option is if you can sign up for dependent care benefits as part of your insurance enrollment. I have worked as a social worker at a hospital and repeatedly shared in family members frustrations when they're confronted with similar realizations. Vanessa was describing. Sometimes patients qualify for short term rehab after being in the hospital, but insurance companies are getting stingier and stingier, approving shorter rehab stays or not approving rehab at all if they suspect what a patient needs is really long term care. It is such a flawed system and the best advice I can give is starting these conversations earlier than you might think is necessary. And as Vanessa said, if your parents do have assets involving a financial advisor to help in navigating these challenges. Thanks for bringing these conversations to the forefront because I agree that so many people are struggling silently despite the growing number of Gen X slash millennials being impacted these days.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. Thanks for writing. I think that we're going to continue to get texts and calls on this subject. Yeah. And it's great that we can be a place for everybody to share. So keep them coming.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yeah, it does feel like the kind of thing where like there's so much of this information is picked up from like friends or podcasts or like people are sort of piecing all of this stuff together. It feels very overwhelming, I think. And I think it's also easy, like this listener said, to feel like you're kind of alone in all of this when in actuality you're not.

[Caller]

Right. Right.

[Dory Shafrier]

All right. And speaking of that, when we come back we have a couple of voice memos, voicemails from a listener also on these topics. So we're going to take another short break and we will be right back. Well everybody, the holiday season is almost upon us and Masterclass a great gift for the person who has everything. The person who wants some change in their life, or the person who wants to become a better cook, writer, entrepreneur or artist like they've always wanted. That's the gift of Masterclass. With Masterclass, your loved ones can learn from the best to become their best. Masterclass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200 of the world's best. That's why Wirecutter calls it, quote an invaluable gift. So gift Unlimited learning. Learn from any Masterclass instructor anywhere on a smartphone, computer, smart TV or even in audio mode. Help them build life changing habits with New York Times bestselling author James Clear, improve their physical and mental well being with gut and brain health experts, and build stronger relationships with renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel. I still use nuggets of wisdom that I learned in my classes with Shonda Rhimes about TV writing, not to mention my class on poker with Daniel Negrano. They were both amazing and the classes really make a difference. Three in four surveyed members feel inspired every time they watch Masterclass. Plus, every new membership comes with a 30 day money back guarantee, so there's no risk. Right now, Forever 35 listeners get an additional 15% off any annual [e-mail] Forever 35 that's 15% [e-mail] Forever 35 masterclass.com Forever 35 I am really feeling that the busy season has started. I don't know about you Elise. Yes, but I think what's really important is that we need to remember to put a little bit of ourselves first too. And we can do that with the brand new Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus. Powered by Peloton iq, it's Peloton's most elevated equipment with real time guidance and endless ways to move alone or with your favorite instructors. It's cross training reimagined with features designed to help you reach your goals effortlessly. And personally, I know that having a plan helps me stay motivated. Knowing that I have a certain class on a certain day, even at a certain time, helps me move forward with my fitness goals, even if I don't really want to show up on that certain day or certain time.

[Elise Hu]

I get it.

[Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Dory Shafrier]

Peloton IQ provides just that with their personalized plans and recommendations. This can include weekly recommended classes led by instructors who match your mood, vibe and personality, not to mention the variety and workouts available. Go on a 45 minute run on the tread plus or a 5 minute stretch off of it. With one smooth spin of that swivel screen, it offers endless ways to train for a well rounded routine. No matter how busy you are, let yourself run, lift, sculpt, push and go explore the new peloton cross training tread [e-mail] all right, we are back and I'm just going to play these voicemails.

[Caller]

Hey Dori and Elise. I was just listening to Minneap 467 and someone had asked about like what to do with their parents if they have nothing to their names and whatnot. And dory we kind of went through something not similar, but we figured out how to prep for my grandmother's kind of demise and and whatnot. My grandmother lived to be 96 and was very hell bent on not going into a nursing home because her mother ended up in a nursing home and the nursing home took everything. So if your assets are not protected in a trust, you'd have to speak to a lawyer for more details about what sort of trust to put your assets, including your house and any money that you have in for a nursing home, not to take it, you know, and you have. And there is like in certain states, like in the state of Massachusetts, for example, there's a 15 year look back. So if you go into a nursing home within the 15 years that you put all your assets in a trust, it can be invalid and then the nursing home can still take all of the money down. And then once you have, you're below a certain threshold for your income, then Medicaid will in fact pay for the nursing home. We had to do it for my uncle who's up in Maine and my grandmother thought happened with her mother, so she ended up speaking to a lawyer and put all of her assets into this trust. And so thankfully we weren't left with nothing. But that being said, it was a lot to get her into the nursing home despite the fact that she had already like done all of this work. We had to apply for MassHealth because we live in Massachusetts and it took three of us, me, my sister and I, my sister, myself, my sister and my mom to fill out the application because it was so incredibly complicated. My sister's an accountant. She was able to do that piece. And then I work in health care, so I was able to kind of do that piece. I'm talking hours and hours and hours of time spent on the phone and collecting bank statements and everything else like that. So even if you have quote, unquote, nothing it's still a lot. Again, I know it's a lot of money for a lot of people to consider, but getting a lawyer who specializes in kind of like the elderly in transitioning to a nursing home is worth its weight in gold because they were super helpful. But it's still so much work and our country is just awful at this and you really need support. Figuring out how to get aging parents to qualify for a lot of the programs that are available is not an easy or like smooth task in any way, shape or form, you know, and we did. My grandmother didn't actually even go into a nursing home. This was just to get her home care services and get her like nursing support that she needed just to live because we physically couldn't do it. It's very physically, emotionally and mentally taxing to care for an aging person. It's not like caring for a baby. They were very aware that they once were independent and now no longer are. And sometimes it's not pleasant. My grandmother unfortunately was not very pleasant in the last few years of her life and really struggled with losing her independence. And also caregiving should never just, just fall upon one person. It's too much. And she needed a lot of like physical assistance. Like she couldn't shower on her own and toilet herself and stuff like that. So like, it's not as simple of a solution as like, cool, let's just move everyone into one house and be one big happy family. Like there's a lot that kind of goes into people aging that a lot of people don't really realize. And literally sometimes it comes down to like physically wiping your mother, father, grandmother's butt. And that's not for a lot of people and that is okay. But again, there's just no support for that. And I think a lot of conversations are just very short sighted. They think that these people are just like walking and talking and fully functional humans that can just like continue to care for themselves until they die. And that's very much not the case with the aging population that we have right now. As someone who works in healthcare and who is someone who's had a family member kind of go through it, you know, so it's just food choice thought. And like many of these conversations, it's not as simple as the general public sometimes makes it out to be. You know, we were lucky enough that we were able to provide the care that my grandmother wanted and deserved at the end of her life. But it was a lot and it's something that I hope to never have to do. Again, to be perfectly honest, even though it was something I respected her wishes and it was something that she was able to have. So again, just thank you so much for everything and I just needed to share my story because I understand how complicated this can be and it's a place that's very near and dear to my heart. All right, thanks. Right.

[Elise Hu]

Just as there isn't enough affordable child care for the very young, there is not enough affordable care for the very old. Like this society is really failing the youngest and the oldest, which is like shame on us. I just think just what? Shame on our society for being like in this country, for being the richest country in the world by GDP and unable to help the most vulnerable ends of our population.

[Dory Shafrier]

Like, that's such a good point. Yes, you're so right. It's really, it's really, really bad.

[Elise Hu]

And then as the caller points out, it's not just that the ends, right, the toddlers and these septuagenarians or octogenarians, nonagenarians are suffering. It's that like everybody in the middle too, like middle class, middle aged people, we're having to help care or stretch ourselves even thinner to help our parents and, or our children or grandchildren. You know, it's like everybody is stressed out because we place way too much responsibility for structural or systemic problems on individuals.

[Dory Shafrier]

Well, on that uplifting note.

[Elise Hu]

Yes, but thank you for calling. We can continue to be a place for these kinds of conversations and dialogue. And then if you want to help each other too, or if you have questions and want to kind of ask the Forever35 community, please do call in and text in and write in. We're happy to be a place for all of that and we aren't experts, but happy to try and take your questions too.

[Dory Shafrier]

Yes, for sure. All right, thanks everyone.

[Elise Hu]

Talk to you next time.

[Dory Shafrier]

Bye.

[Elise Hu]

Foreign Introducing Family Freedom from T Mobile. We'll pay off four phones up to three 200 and give you four free.

[Caller]

Phones all on America's largest 5G network. Visit t mobile.com family freedom.

[Ad Voice]

Up to.

[Caller]

800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phone via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement examination. Apple iPhone 16128 gigs $829.99 eligible trade in example iPhone 11 Pro for well.

[Elise Hu]

Qualified credits end and balance due if.

[Caller]

You pay off early or cancel contact us.

[Ad Voice]

Discover your secret weapon for younger looking skin from Medicaid, a clinically proven British skincare brand known for age defying results. Collagen is key to visibly firmer, smoother and younger looking skin. As we age, our bodies naturally produce less collagen, and the existing collagen we do have breaks down. Here's where Medicaite's new Advanced Pro Collagen plus Peptide Cream comes in. Formulated with advanced Actives that help stimulate the skin's natural collagen production, Medicaite's Advanced Pro Collagen Plus Peptide Cream is an anti wrinkle moisturizer clinically proven to visibly improve skin firmness, elasticity, and reduce the appearance of deep set wrinkles. Visit Medicait US. That's Medik and the number 8us. To discover more, use code podcast20 to save 20% off your order.