Have you ever forgotten why you came into a room, forgotten someone's name or what day of the week it is? Or have you noticed that a loved one is becoming forgetful? It could just be the normal aging process or the signs of something more serious.

Author Mary Ellen Geist saw the warning signs of Alzheimer's developing in her beloved father "Woody". As the disease progressed and the burden on her mother grew to provide the day-to-day care, Mary Ellen had a wake-up call. It was time for her to come home -- which she did leaving behind her personal life and a successful career as a radio news anchor for CBS.

But as you'll hear in this podcast interview, Mary Ellen's midlife transformation has brought her new meaning and precious time with Woody as she embraced her role as a caregiver. She shares wisdom and lessons learned from this poignant experience in her new book Measure of the Heart: A Father's Alzheimer's, A Daughter's Return.

Tune in, pull up a chair and join in as Mary Ellen and I talk about a true midlife crisis -- caring for a parent with Alzheimer's disease for which there is still no cure. Alzheimer's is already having an impact on the parent's of those of us in midlife. But it won't stop there. The Baby Boomer generation is right in the path of this wicked, degenerative disease. You can learn more from the Alzheimer's Association.

The days spent with loved ones who have Alzheimer's and other dementia are not easy. Yet I came away from this interview with new ways to reach out to the Alzheimer's victims I know and love.

Download the podcast, read the transcript or listen using this player:

Karen Batchelor is the Blogher Contributing Editor on Midlife Issues. Her other blog is Midlife's A Trip where she shares her journey to the better side of life. Karen dedicates this podcast to her 89 year old mother who has dementia and her best friend of 50 years who at 57 is struggling with early-onset Alzheimer's.