Introducing the Podcast & How to Listen

At long last: I’m very happy to announce that the Better Health While Aging Podcast is finally live and available for you to listen to!

You can find all the episodes on the podcast page. Right now I have three episodes to share:

I’m especially thrilled about interviews being part of this podcast, such as episode 3, in which I talk with Linda Fodrini-Johnson, an experienced geriatric care manager and family therapist. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be releasing additional interviews with experts, as well as episodes in which I cover an aging health or caregiving topic on my own.

And now, let me answer some of the questions people have already asked me about the show and about listening to podcasts.

What is a podcast?

A podcast is a series of audio recordings that you can download or stream from the Internet. This means you can listen whenever you want. Most podcasts are “shows” with episodes regularly released every 1-2 weeks, or sometimes even every day.

A podcasting app or program can be used to find a specific podcast and play the episodes. If you “subscribe” to a podcast, you’ll be able to easily see when new episodes of the podcast are available.

Do I have to pay anything to listen?

Nope! Listening to or subscribing to most podcasts — including mine — is free.

How can I listen to the podcast?

Here are three different ways you can listen to the podcast, and you can mix and match them if you like. If you have a smartphone, I recommend using that to listen, because then you can listen while walking or otherwise moving about.

Stream the audio by clicking the play button on the episode page:

Each podcast episode will be published on an episode page on this site, like this one.
Whether you view the page on a computer or mobile device, you’ll see a “player” near the top of the page. Press play to stream the audio.
- Note: With this method, you can only listen while connected to the Internet. To download episodes, you’ll need to use a podcasting app or iTunes on your computer.

Listen using the iTunes application on a Mac or PC computer:

iTunes is a free Apple program available for both Mac and PC. Download it here if you don’t already have it.
Find the Better Health While Aging podcast in iTunes by:
- Clicking this link from any web browser on your computer, then clicking “View in iTunes.” This should open the iTunes application and show you the podcast right away.
  - Alternative: within the iTunes application itself, click “iTunes Store” and then enter “Better Health While Aging” into the search box in the upper right corner.
- You will then see the episodes and you can stream them.
- If you subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, it will save episodes and you can play them while offline.

Listen with your smartphone or tablet:

For iOS (e.g. Apple device) users: iPhones and iPads now come with a Podcasts app pre-installed.
- Search the Podcasts app for “Better Health While Aging.” Once the app finds it, it will show you the latest episodes and you can listen to them.
- Subscribe to the podcast to make it easy to find next time you open the Podcasts app.
- For more on how to use the iOS Podcasts app, see here.
- If you have an older device and don’t see the Podcasts app, you can install it by using the iTunes store app on your device.

For Android users (Samsung, Motorola, LG, etc.):
- You’ll need to download a podcasting app from the Google Play store. Consider Player FM; it has no ads and is free to use until you subscribe to more than 20 podcasts.
- Use the search box to find “Better Health While Aging.” You should then be able to view episodes and listen to them.
- Subscribe to the podcast to make it easy to find the recent episodes.

Note: on a smartphone or tablet, you may have to check the settings in order to stream or download episodes when you are not connected to wi-fi.

How often will you post new episodes and what will you cover?

I’ll be posting a new episode every 1-2 weeks. Make sure to subscribe with your podcast app or iTunes, so you won’t miss them!

(See further down for a link to step-by-step instructions on how to subscribe to a podcast.)

The episodes will be a mix of my explaining a topic or problem, interviews with other experts, and answers to audience questions. We will cover a range of senior health topics and family caregiving challenges.

Each episode will be published with “show notes” that will include links to helpful resources and articles related to the episode. You can find all the episode pages and show notes by clicking “Podcast” in the main menu of this site. You can also post any questions or comments about what you heard in the comments section of each episode page.

Is there any way I can help?

Yes! If you like the podcast — or if you’ve appreciated this website — please spread the word and help me grow the audience! This is especially important during the first several months, and will help me continue the podcast in the long-term.

Specific things you can do to support the podcast are:

Subscribe in iTunes or in the iOS Podcasts app, then leave a rating and review
- This will help the podcast appear in the New & Noteworthy section of iTunes, so that people who are browsing the Health section can find it more easily.
- For specific instructions on how to subscribe, and how to leave a rating and review, another podcaster has excellent instructions here.
  - For the iTunes preview page for the Better Health While Aging podcast, click here.
- Note: Once you’re listening to the podcast in iTunes or the Podcasts app, it only takes one click to subscribe, and another click to leave a rating. So don’t worry if you’re short on time or don’t feel like typing on your mobile device. Just subscribing and rating will be very helpful!

Spread the word about the podcast
- Tell your friends and family about the podcast if they are interested in aging health, or worried about an older relative.
- Use the share buttons on the website to share an episode page on social media, or by email.

You can also help by getting in touch with me if there’s something you particularly liked — or didn’t like — about an episode or the show overall. This will help me improve the show.

Thank you in advance for supporting the show and this website, it means a lot to me.

Can I share an idea for an episode?

Yes please! I’d love to know what topics my readers and listeners are most eager to hear about, or what kinds of questions you’d like me to help with.

Click here to send me your idea, or post it in the comments below.

I hope you’ll enjoy these first few episodes and stay tuned for the next one, which I’ll be releasing next week.

Any other questions about listening to the podcast? Post them below and I will respond as soon as I can.