Dr. Bill Thomas sits down with one of Hawaii's Living Treasures, Rose Nakamura. She's also the first recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Caregiving Award. And, for a number of years has been a volunteer Executive Director of Project Dana.

March is Caregivers month in Hawaii, and to continue on this topic for the the Genius of Aging segment, Dr. Bill Thomas has some special guests. Family caregivers are often isolated, so it's important to get as much support as possible. One way to help is the camaraderie of caregiver support groups. Today's guests come from Central Oahu Caregivers Support Group.

March is Caregivers Month in Hawaii and there's a special event happening at the state Capitol this Friday: the Family Caregiver Awareness Day and Resource Fair. We have two representatives from Family Caregiver Coalition with us today for our Genius of Aging segment. Dr. Bill Thomas speaks with Wes Lum, of Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition, and Karen Koles, a family caregiver and advocate.

If you have questions related to any aspect of aging or caregiving, there is a number in each county to call for the senior help line. Today, KGMB9's staff geriatrician, Dr. Bill Thomas, talks to the directors from Oahu and Maui county: Karen Miyake, director of the elderly affairs division, and John Tomoso, Maui county executive on aging.

For elders, falling can be a serious health hazard. One out of three older adults fall each year. But there are ways the elderly can prevent falls.

Project Dana provides free home safety assessments. Dr. Bill Thomas is joined by a home safety specialist, Mike Hirano.

Dr. Bill Thomas sits down with professor Colette Brown from the University of Hawaii's School of Social Work to talk about the statewide shortage of professionals in the aging field, especially on neighbor islands. Brown is devoted to helping people find a career path in the field of gerontology.

This morning we continue our groundbreaking new series called the Genius of Aging: Honoring Hawaii's kupuna. Today Dr. Bill Thomas sits down with state senator Les Ihara, co-chair of the legislature's committee on family caregiving. He's here to talk about important changes in the committee and its findings.

When we started our series on the Genius of Aging, we went live to New York to speak with a guy who came up with the concept.

Well, Monday morning, Dr. Bill Thomas, the appreciator of our elders, was somewhat nearer. He sat down with Howard in studio to talk about the unique situation Hawaii has with its elders.

The Partners in Development Foundation has a program called Tutu and Me that spotlights the role elders can play in rearing grandchildren. Former Kamehameha pre-school teacher Gail Omoto manages the program, and also joining us is Lori Yancura, who teaches at UH Manoa, and whose research shows the good this kind of thing can do.

Dealing with a terminal illness can be hard on the elderly and their loved ones. Howard Dicus sits down with two prominent hospice workers to talk about how to ease that pain. Dr. Donald Schumacher is with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Ken Zeri is with Hospice Hawaii.