Minding Memory

In today's episode, Matt and Lauren discuss the new CMS GUIDE model for dementia care with Dr. Brystana Kaufman, MSPH, PhD – a health services researcher at the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy at Duke University. The GUIDE model aims to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia by reducing strain on caregivers and enabling individuals to remain in their homes. Brystana talks with the Minding Memory team about a spectrum of topics as related to the GUIDE model including, what motivated CMS to develop and implement the model; what defines a serious illness; how the model supports caregivers; and what an organization needs to have in terms of services in order to participate in the implementation of the GUIDE model. Dr. Kaufman is the co-author of an article in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society titled “GUIDE Dementia Model: Opportunities for Serious Illness Care” which provides additional insight into the model. Episode Transcript Brystana Kaufman, PhD, MSPH Faculty Profile Article referenced in this episode: Kaufman BG, Grant M. GUIDE dementia model: Opportunities for serious illness care. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Jun;72(6):1935-1938. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18787. Epub 2024 Feb 5. PMID: 38315037. Additional Resources: Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model Health and Aging Policy Fellows You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Matt and Lauren speak with Drs. Elizabeth Frankenberg at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duncan Thomas at Duke University about their research which focuses on understanding how survival and physical health evolve after exposure to large scale shocks like the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami. They will specifically speak about the STAR Study and what they're learning about long-term effects on cognitive outcomes. Faculty Profiles: Elizabeth Frankenberg, PhD Duncan Thomas, PhD Resources from the Episode: Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (STAR) STAR Study Design and Results The transcript for this episode can be found here.You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Matt and Lauren speak with Dr. Tiffany Kindratt whose research focuses on examining health outcomes among the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) population, a group that was – until recently – categorized as “white” by the US government despite. Evidence showing their health and lived experiences are different. We'll get into a recent American Journal of Public Health article authored by Dr. Kindratt that that examines how cognitive difficulties differ among the MENA population when compared with other racial and ethnic categories. Faculty Profile: Tiffany Kindratt, PhD, MPH Health Survey Research (HSR) Lab @ University of Texas at Arlington American Community Survey (ACS) AJPH Article: Kindratt TB, Smith A. Cognitive Difficulty in Middle Eastern and North African Adults Living in the United States Compared With Other Racial and Ethnic Categories, 2017-2021. Am J Public Health. 2024 Nov;114(11):1265-1274. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307803. PMID: 39357001; PMCID: PMC11447784. The transcript for this episode can be found here.You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Matt & Lauren have the unique opportunity to talk with Dr. Helen C. Kales, a geriatric psychiatrist and health services researcher who has participated in the previous Lancet Commissions on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care – including the most recent one released in 2024. Dr. Kales discusses how the commission puts together all the evidence to make recommendations that can play a crucial role in dementia prevention. Dr. Kales is the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Joe P. Tupin Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California at Davis and has dedicated much of her career to improving the lives of patients living with dementia. Helen C. Kales, MD Faculty Profile 2024 Lancet Commission: Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet Standing Commission The transcript for this episode can be found here.You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions of aging, affecting nearly two-thirds of older adults over the age of 70, but it's not just a matter of diminished hearing. Hearing loss can contribute to poor psychosocial outcomes for patients including loneliness, depression, and social isolation. New research also shows that hearing loss is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia. In fact, the 2024 Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care identified hearing loss as one of 14 modifiable risk factors for dementia. According to the commission, treating hearing loss could prevent up to 7% of dementia cases globally, making it one of the most impactful areas for potential prevention. This raises the question of whether use of hearing aids in people with hearing loss can reduce or mitigate this increased dementia risk. To help us understand these connections and the latest research in this area, we are joined today by Dr. Alison Huang, an epidemiologist and Senior Research Associate from the Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health. Her research studies the impact of sensory loss on cognitive and mental health in older adults. Dr. Huang was an author of the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study, a large, multicenter randomized controlled trial that tested whether treating hearing loss in older adults could help slow cognitive decline published in the Lancet. Alison Huang, PhD, MPH Link to article: Lin FR, Pike JR, Albert MS, Arnold M, Burgard S, Chisolm T, Couper D, Deal JA, Goman AM, Glynn NW, Gmelin T, Gravens-Mueller L, Hayden KM, Huang AR, Knopman D, Mitchell CM, Mosley T, Pankow JS, Reed NS, Sanchez V, Schrack JA, Windham BG, Coresh J; ACHIEVE Collaborative Research Group. Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss in the USA (ACHIEVE): a multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2023 Sep 2;402(10404):786-797. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01406-X. Epub 2023 Jul 18. PMID: 37478886; PMCID: PMC10529382. The transcript for this episode can be found here.You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Matt and Lauren will speak with Dr. Marcia Pescador Jimenez, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between exposure to green space and health outcomes (including hypertension and cognitive measures). Emerging research has shown that midlife risk factors may delay or even prevent the onset of dementia later in life - among these include physical activity and social interaction. It's not a stretch to imagine how a person's environment may impact behaviors such as physical activity. For instance, there are places that lack sidewalks and parks that make exercising exceedingly difficult. Among environmental epidemiologists, there is growing interest in understanding how the built and natural environment influence our behaviors that, in turn, influence our health. We encourage you to listen to this episode while on a walk outside! Dr. Marcia Pescador Jimenez Faculty Profile Article Referenced in Podcast: Pescador Jimenez M, Wagner M, Laden F, Hart JE, Grodstein F, James P. Midlife Residential Greenness and Late-Life Cognitive Decline among Nurses' Health Study Participants. Environ Health Perspect. 2024 Jul;132(7):77003. doi: 10.1289/EHP13588. Epub 2024 Jul 17. PMID: 39016600; PMCID: PMC11253812. Nurses' Health Study The social engagement scale that was referenced in the podcast is called the “Berkman-Syme Social Network Index”The transcript for this episode can be found here.You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While memory loss is generally thought of as the hallmark of dementia, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia like agitation, aggression, anxiety, and hallucinations are nearly universal, affecting almost all patients with advanced dementia. These behavioral disturbances are often the trigger for nursing home placement, and they can be highly distressing for both patients and their care partners. In today's episode, Matt and Lauren speak with Dr. Ellen McCreedy, a researcher from the Brown School of Public Health who has conducted a study of personalized music intervention called Music & Memory for people living with dementia in nursing homes. Dr. McCreedy is a gerontologist and health services researcher who focuses on evaluation of non-pharmacologic interventions for managing behavioral disturbances of people living with dementia. Ellen McCreedy, PhD, MPH Faculty Profile Articles from Episode: Sisti A, Gutman R, Mor V, Dionne L, Rudolph JL, Baier RR, McCreedy EM. Using Structured Observations to Evaluate the Effects of a Personalized Music Intervention on Agitated Behaviors and Mood in Nursing Home Residents With Dementia: Results From an Embedded, Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2024 Mar;32(3):300-311. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2023.10.016. Epub 2023 Nov 2. PMID: 37973488; PMCID: PMC10922136. McCreedy EM, Gutman R, Baier R, Rudolph JL, Thomas KS, Dvorchak F, Uth R, Ogarek J, Mor V. Measuring the effects of a personalized music intervention on agitated behaviors among nursing home residents with dementia: design features for cluster-randomized adaptive trial. Trials. 2021 Oct 7;22(1):681. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05620-y. PMID: 34620193; PMCID: PMC8496617. The transcript for this episode can be found here.You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Matt & Lauren speak with Dr. Lianlian Lei, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan. Dr. Lei discusses a recent study that looks at the impact of partner's plan choice on the likelihood of Medicare Advantage disenrollment and how that may impact older adults living with dementia. Unlike traditional Medicare that's administered by the federal government, Medicare Advantage are healthcare plans that are administered by private health insurance companies. These plans can vary a lot and typically cover additional services not covered by traditional Medicare. Navigating the various plan options can be a challenge for older adults, and it's not uncommon for individuals to change plans depending on their current needs. Dr. Lianlian Lei Faculty Profile Article from Episode: Lei L, Levy H, Ankuda C, Hoffman GJ, Kim HM, Strominger J, Maust DT. Partner Plan Choices and Medicare Advantage Enrollment Decisions Among Older Adults. JAMA. 2024 Mar 20:e241773. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.1773. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38506841; PMCID: PMC10955388. The transcript for this episode can be found here.You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Lauren and Matt talk with Leah Richmond-Rakerd, PhD who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on emotional and behavioral dysregulation across the life course. Here, Dr. Richmond-Rakerd will discuss her recent study on “The Associations of Hospital-Treated Infections with Subsequent Dementia: Nationwide 30-year Analysis” that was published in Nature Aging. Articles Discussed in Episode: Richmond-Rakerd LS, Iyer MT, D'Souza S, Khalifeh L, Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Milne BJ. Associations of hospital-treated infections with subsequent dementia: nationwide 30-year analysis. Nat Aging. 2024 Jun;4(6):783-790. doi: 10.1038/s43587-024-00621-3. Epub 2024 May 7. PMID: 38714911. Milne BJ, Atkinson J, Blakely T, Day H, Douwes J, Gibb S, Nicolson M, Shackleton N, Sporle A, Teng A. Data Resource Profile: The New Zealand Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). Int J Epidemiol. 2019 Jun 1;48(3):677-677e. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyz014. Erratum in: Int J Epidemiol. 2019 Jun 1;48(3):1027. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyz054. PMID: 30793742. NZ Integrated Data Infrastructure: https://www.stats.govt.nz/integrated-data/integrated-data-infrastructure/ Visit the Center to Accelerate Population Research in Alzheimer's (CAPRA) website to learn more. The transcript for this episode can be found here.You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Season 4 of Minding Memory, where we are welcoming a new co-host, Lauren Gerlach to the Minding Memory team. Lauren is a Geriatric Psychiatrist at the University of Michigan and a member of the CAPRA leadership team. In this episode, Lauren shares a little background on her research interests, what it's like to be a geriatric psychiatrist, and some lessons learned about using “uncool” emoticons or emojis when texting. The transcript for this episode can be found here.You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Matt and Donovan talk with Dr. Jason H. Moore, Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education (CAIRE) and Chair of the Department of Computational Biomedicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Jason discusses the coming impact of artificial intelligence on a spectrum of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) issues. We discuss how tools such as AI-powered chatbots may improve quality of life for people living with dementia (and their caregivers) and how AI may contribute in the future to diagnosis and treatment. Faculty Bio: https://researchers.cedars-sinai.edu/Jason.Moore Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education (CAIRE): https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/research/areas/caire.html The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Minding Memory, Matt & Donovan speak with Dr. Joanne Spetz, the Brenda and Jeffrey L. Kang Presidential Chair in Healthcare Finance and Director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Joanne talks with Matt & Donovan about who makes up the professional workforce of people who provide dementia care and how these individuals play a critical role in the delivery of services. Joanne also discusses how different professional roles interact across setting of care. Lastly, Joanne introduces a new study she is working on with Donovan called the National Dementia Workforce Study (NDWS) that will be surveying a large group of clinicians who provide care for people living with dementia. Faculty Bio: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/joanne.spetz Article Referenced in Podcast: Candon M, Bergman A, Rose A, Song H, David G, Spetz J. The Relationship Between Scope of Practice Laws for Task Delegation and Nurse Turnover in Home Health. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2023 Nov;24(11):1773-1778.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.07.023. Epub 2023 Aug 24. PMID: 37634547; PMCID: PMC10735229. Previous Minding Memory Episodes on Dementia & Family Caregiving: S1Ep9: Caregiving for individuals with Dementia (with Amanda Leggett) S1Ep10: What is it like to be a Caregiver for a Person Living with Dementia? (with Peggy Arden) The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Minding Memory, Matt & Donovan speak with Dr. Lisa Barnes, the Alla V. and Solomon Jesmer Professor of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Neurological Sciences and Associate-Director of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center at Rush University. Dr. Barnes talks with Matt & Donovan about racial disparities in Alzheimer's disease dementia and several obstacles that have impeded our understanding of race and dementia. Faculty Profile: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/faculty/lisa-barnes-phd RADC Resource Sharing Hub: https://www.radc.rush.edu/ Article Referenced in Podcast: Barnes LL. Alzheimer disease in African American individuals: increased incidence or not enough data? Nat Rev Neurol. 2022 Jan;18(1):56-62. doi: 10.1038/s41582-021-00589-3. Epub 2021 Dec 6. PMID: 34873310; PMCID: PMC8647782. The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, wow, that's a mouthful, more commonly known as the HITECH Act, spent billions to promote the uptake of electronic health records by US hospitals. Fast forward more than a decade later, and now approximately four out of five healthcare institutions have electronic health record systems in place that integrate clinical notes, test results, medications, diagnostic images, et cetera. The adoption of EHR systems into healthcare introduces new and exciting opportunities to extract information that can be used to augment other types of data for research. As you might imagine though, it can be tricky to pull out meaningful information from the text of clinical notes. In this episode, we'll speak with a University of Michigan researcher, Dr. Vinod Vydiswaran, who's been developing methods to identify dementia from EHR data. Faculty Profile: https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/lhs/vg-vinod-vydiswaran-phd The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The population of older adults living with dementia is expected to swell to nearly 14 million by 2050 and is estimated to cost the US economy more than 500 billion each year. In the absence of a cure for Alzheimer's disease, the primary cause of dementia, there's interest in understanding modifiable risk factors. In theory, getting a handle on the modifiable risk factors for dementia, would enable public health efforts to reduce cognitive decline in dementia at the population level. We've come a long way in understanding the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias. However, there's still work to be done. In this episode, we'll speak with Dr. Josh Ehrlich, a researcher at the University of Michigan, who has examined vision impairment as a risk factor for dementia. Joshua Ehrlich Faculty Profile: https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/ophthalmology/joshua-r-ehrlich-md-mph Articles Referenced in the Podcast: Ehrlich JR, Goldstein J, Swenor BK, Whitson H, Langa KM, Veliz P. Addition of Vision Impairment to a Life-Course Model of Potentially Modifiable Dementia Risk Factors in the US. JAMA Neurol. 2022 Jun 1;79(6):623-626. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.0723. Erratum in: JAMA Neurol. 2022 Jun 1;79(6):634. PMID: 35467745; PMCID: PMC9039828. New York Times Article, July 2022: New Dementia Prevention Method May Be Behavioral, Not Prescribed Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care (2020) Livingston G, Huntley J, Sommerlad A, Ames D, Ballard C, Banerjee S, Brayne C, Burns A, Cohen-Mansfield J, Cooper C, Costafreda SG, Dias A, Fox N, Gitlin LN, Howard R, Kales HC, Kivimäki M, Larson EB, Ogunniyi A, Orgeta V, Ritchie K, Rockwood K, Sampson EL, Samus Q, Schneider LS, Selbæk G, Teri L, Mukadam N. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. Lancet. 2020 Aug 8;396(10248):413-446. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6. Epub 2020 Jul 30. Erratum in: Lancet. 2023 Sep 30;402(10408):1132. PMID: 32738937; PMCID: PMC7392084. The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

According to an estimate published in 2015, the global prevalence of dementia was projected to nearly triple between 2015 and 2050, growing from 46 million to over 130 million people globally. And of that worldwide share, 70% of those with dementia will be in low- and middle-income countries. Tackling and ideally preventing dementia requires a global perspective. In this episode, Matt & Donovan speak with Dr. Lindsay Kobayashi, a faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health whose research focuses on the social epidemiology of aging from a global perspective. Dr. Kobayashi introduces us to a whole new world of data available to help researchers tackle dementia as a global challenge. Lindsay Kobayashi Faculty Profile: https://sph.umich.edu/faculty-profiles/kobayashi-lindsay.html Article referenced in this episode: Kobayashi LC, Gross AL, Gibbons LE, Tommet D, Sanders RE, Choi SE, Mukherjee S, Glymour M, Manly JJ, Berkman LF, Crane PK, Mungas DM, Jones RN. You Say Tomato, I Say Radish: Can Brief Cognitive Assessments in the U.S. Health Retirement Study Be Harmonized With Its International Partner Studies? J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2021 Oct 30;76(9):1767-1776. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa205. PMID: 33249448; PMCID: PMC8557836. The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over thirty percent of individuals living with dementia living in the US each year die either of or with dementia – and almost half of those enrolled in hospice have dementia. As with so many other types of healthcare, there are disparities in both who enrolls in hospice as well as the type of care these individuals receive after enrollment. In this episode, Matt & Donovan talk with Dr. Lauren Hunt from UCSF, an expert in hospice care for persons living with dementia, about dementia at the end of life. Lauren Hunt Faculty Profile: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/lauren.hunt Article referenced in this episode: Hunt LJ, Gan S, Smith AK, Aldridge MD, Boscardin WJ, Harrison KL, James JE, Lee AK, Yaffe K. Hospice Quality, Race, and Disenrollment in Hospice Enrollees With Dementia. J Palliat Med. 2023 Aug;26(8):1100-1108. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2023.0011. Epub 2023 Apr 3. PMID: 37010377; PMCID: PMC10440673. Article on identifying disenrollment in claims data: Hunt LJ, Gan S, Boscardin WJ, Yaffe K, Ritchie CS, Aldridge MD, Smith AK. A national study of disenrollment from hospice among people with dementia. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022 Oct;70(10):2858-2870. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17912. Epub 2022 Jun 7. PMID: 35670444; PMCID: PMC9588572. The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extreme weather and weather-related disasters are becoming more and more common. Unfortunately, disaster related disruptions in healthcare tend to affect the most vulnerable of populations – including older adults living with cognitive impairment. In this episode, Matt & Donovan speak with University of Michigan faculty member, Sue Anne Bell, about how healthcare disruption due to a disaster can affect the population of older adults living with dementia. Sue Anne Bell Faculty Link: https://nursing.umich.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/sue-anne-bell Article referenced in podcast: Bell SA, Miranda ML, Bynum JPW, Davis MA. Mortality After Exposure to a Hurricane Among Older Adults Living With Dementia. JAMA Network Open. 2023 Mar 1;6(3):e232043. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.2043. PMID: 36881412; PMCID: PMC9993175. The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Minding Memory, we dive into the newest FDA-approved drug to treat Alzheimer's – Lecanemab – with Ohio State University stroke neurologist Jim Burke. Dr. Burke discusses the benefits and drawbacks of the new Alzheimer's drug and also the paradigm shift of how people (clinicians, patients, and the general population) are thinking about these news Alzheimer's medications. Jim Burke Faculty Profile: https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/find-a-doctor/james-burke-md-128794 Article referenced in podcast: Burke JF, Richard S, Langa KM, Albin RL, Kotagal V. Lecanemab: Looking Before We Leap. Neurology. 2023 Jul 21: doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207505. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37479527. The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Donovan & Matt talk with health services researcher Betsy White from Brown University about a unique new resource for researchers called the Long-Term Data Cooperative, a provider-led data sharing collaboratory that puts together nursing home EHR data from EHR vendors that can be linked to Medicare claims. This powerful tool is made available to researchers through an online application process. This episode references the RFA for the Real-World Data Scholars Program, which is now expired. However, Minding Memory listeners can find out about upcoming opportunities or future RFAs by emailing RWDScholars@brown.edu. Betsy White Faculty Profile: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/ewhite14 Long Term Care Data Cooperative: https://www.ltcdatacooperative.org/Pages/default.aspx The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Matt & Donovan speak with University of Michigan School of Public Health Professor, Dr. J. Scott Roberts, who investigates the psychological and behavioral impact of genetic risk disclosure for Alzheimer's disease. In addition to being a professor in the Health Behavior & Health Education department at the School of Public Health, Dr. Roberts is also a core lead of the Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center. Dr. Roberts's research interests focus on the process and impact of risk assessment and disclosure for adult-onset disorders, as well as the ethical, legal, and social implications of advances in genomic science & technology. Faculty Profile: https://sph.umich.edu/faculty-profiles/roberts-j.html Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center (MDAC): https://alzheimers.med.umich.edu/The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Matt & Donovan speak with a health economist, Dr. Lauren Nicholas, whose research investigates how missing a single credit card payment may be a very early indicator of a cognitive issue. Dr. Nicholas is an associate professor in the department of Health Systems Management & Policy at the University of Colorado School of Public Health and has published several studies that examined on how a financial issue might be among the first signs of cognitive decline. Lauren Nicholas Faculty Profile: https://coloradosph.cuanschutz.edu/resources/directory/directory-profile/Nicholas-Lauren-UCD6003780837 Article referenced in this episode: Nicholas LH, Langa KM, Bynum JPW, Hsu JW. Financial Presentation of Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias [published correction appears in JAMA Intern Med. 2021 Feb 1;181(2):296]. JAMA Intern Med. 2021;181(2):220-227. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.6432 The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Donovan & Matt speak with Geoffrey Hoffman, a faculty member and researcher at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. Dr. Hoffman discusses the transition to the role of caregiver for partners of persons diagnosed with dementia – and the unique emotional burden and stress that they undertake. Dr. Hoffman also discusses using the Health & Retirement Study (HRS) to better explore the emotional stress and onset of depression in caregivers. Geoff Hoffman Faculty Profile: https://nursing.umich.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/geoffrey-j-hoffman Article Referenced in this Episode Harris ML, Errickson J, Ha J, Hoffman GJ. Depressive Symptoms and Caregiving Intensity Before and After Onset of Dementia in Partners: A Retrospective, Observational Study. Med Care. 2022;60(11):844-851. doi:10.1097/MLR.0000000000001771 [PMID: 36038513] The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we'll speak with Dr. Julie Bynum who was the senior author on a recent study that examined how the likelihood of receiving a diagnosis of dementia has changed over the last decade or so. We'll discuss what this might mean clinically and what researchers that rely on Medicare data should take-away from this finding. We also will talk in general about the various approaches that exist for identification of dementia in Medicare billing data. Julie Bynum Faculty Profile: https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/dgpm/julie-bynum-md-mph Article Referenced in this Episode Davis MA, Chang CH, Simonton S, Bynum JPW. Trends in US Medicare Decedents' Diagnosis of Dementia From 2004 to 2017. JAMA Health Forum. 2022 Apr 1;3(4):e220346. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.0346. PMID: 35977316 Resources: The Bynum-Standard 1-Year Algorithm for identifying Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in Medicare Claims data. The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we discuss what's known about the association between personality type and cognitive function. Further, the idea of resilience—or what protects the cognition of individuals with a high level of neuropathology associated with cognitive decline—might have important implications for dementia prevention. Our guests are Dr. Eileen Graham and Dr. Dan Mroczek. Drs. Graham and Mroczek are both faculty at Northwestern University with interests in how personality factors influence physical and cognitive health over the life course. Eileen Graham Faculty Profile Dan Mroczek Faculty Profile Article References in Podcast: Graham EK, James BD, Jackson KL, et al. Associations Between Personality Traits and Cognitive Resilience in Older Adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2021;76(1):6-19. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbaa135 The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health data analysts are an elusive bunch in the wild. While we see their names periodically show up as middle authors on manuscripts or in the Acknowledgement section they work largely behind the scenes; yet they play a vital role in conducting research that use large data. In this episode we speak with several health data analysts to better understand the role they play in research and, for all the researchers out there, discuss how to make the process as smooth as possible when working with an analyst. The transcript for this episode can be found here.CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we feature a recent study by Katherine Ornstein and colleagues that was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Dr. Ornstein studies family caregiving and the home-based clinical care. The study used Medicare claims linked to the National Health and Aging Trends Study to estimate the degree to which people living with dementia use health services from home. We'll discuss what exactly home-based health services are (and how they are typically categorized) and discuss the role these services are expected to play for people living with dementia. The transcript for this episode can be found here. Dr. Ornstein Faculty Profile: https://nursing.jhu.edu/faculty_research/faculty/faculty-directory/katherine-ornstein Article Referenced in Podcast: Ornstein KA, Ankuda CK, Leff B, et al. Medicare-funded home-based clinical care for community-dwelling persons with dementia: An essential healthcare delivery mechanism. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022;70(4):1127-1135. doi:10.1111/jgs.17621 CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For older adults living with dementia, cognitive impairment can lead to susceptibility to fraudulent activities. In this episode we'll discuss with Dr. Duke Han from the Keck School of Medicine at USC what's known about the intersection of aging, cognition, and susceptibility to scams.The transcript for this episode can be found here.Duke Han PhD Faculty Profile: https://profiles.sc-ctsi.org/duke.han Additional Information:The susceptibility to scams scale developed by James, Boyle, & Bennett (2014)* is a 5-item self-report measure in which participants rated their agreement using a 7-point Likert scale (strongly agree to strongly disagree) for the following statements:I answer the phone whenever it rings, even if I do not know who is calling.I have difficulty ending a phone call, even if the caller is a telemarketer, someone I do not know, or someone I did not wish to call me.If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.Persons over the age of 65 are often targeted by con-artists.If a telemarketer calls me, I usually listen to what they have to say.Resources for older adults (and non-older adults) to report fraud: U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging: Fraud Hotline | Senate Committee On AgingHotline: 1-855-303-9470 (open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time)Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3): https://Ic3.gov/Federal Trade Commission: Reportfraud.ftc.gov/*James BD, Boyle PA, Bennett DA. Correlates of susceptibility to scams in older adults without dementia. J Elder Abuse Negl. 2014;26(2):107-122. doi:10.1080/08946566.2013.821809CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Causes of death were reclassified by the CDC to include contributing factors such as dementia. These changes resulted in dementia jumping up from the 8th cause of death in 2000 to the 6th cause of death in 2018 (and the 5th cause of death among older adults). In this episode we'll talk with Dr. Bryan James from Rush University about dementia as a cause of death (versus contributing factor).DISCLAIMER: In this episode we are going to be talking about research on dementia and mortality. Because research transcribes human experiences into cold numbers it tends to objectify real human conditions such as death. This can come off as insensitive if it hits close to home. Therefore, if you or someone you care for is a person living with Alzheimer's disease you may not want to listen to this episode. The transcript for this episode can be found here.Additional Information: Bryan James, PhD Faculty Profiles: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/faculty/bryan-d-james-phdEpidemiology Counts Podcast (Co-Hosted by Bryan James): https://serepidemiologycounts.blubrry.net/Article referenced in episode: James BD, Leurgans SE, Hebert LE, Scherr PA, Yaffe K, Bennett DA. Contribution of Alzheimer disease to mortality in the United States. Neurology. 2014;82(12):1045-1050. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000000240 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24598707/Rush Aging & Memory Project: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/research/departmental-research/memory-and-aging-projectRush Religious Orders Study: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/research/departmental-research/religious-orders-studyCAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're new to dementia research, you'll soon come to find that most research papers on dementia start off something like this: “In the United States there are 5.8 million individuals living with dementia and this is expected to increase to 13 million by 2015. . . .” In this episode we discuss the study on dementia prevalence that has been cited thousands of times with one of the authors. Dr. Jennifer Weuve from Boston University joins us today. We also talk more broadly about what makes a research paper highly citable in general. The transcript for this episode can be found here.Related Links: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our last episode we talked about caregivers for individuals living with dementia. In this second part of our series on caregivers we'll get to know someone with lived experience. We're joined in this episode by Peggy Arden whose husband has Alzheimer's disease. Peggy has graciously agreed to offer us a behind the scenes look at the ups and downs of being a dementia caregiver.The transcript for this episode can be found here.Related Links: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Individuals living with dementia require care that is often delivered by family and friends. This episode is devoted to discussing some of the unique aspects of dementia caregiving. Our guest today is Dr. Amanda Leggett. Dr. Leggett is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry here at the University of Michigan. Her research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is focused on issues related to dementia caregiving. She has interviewed over a hundred patients with dementia and their caregivers.The transcript for this episode can be found here.Related Links: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging: https://micda.isr.umich.edu/The 36 Hour Day (Book): https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/36-hour-dayResources for Caregivers:U-M Turner Center (in Ann Arbor): https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/geriatrics-center/community-programs/turner-senior-resource-centerAlzheimer Associations: https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregivingYou can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the richest data sources available to study cognition and aging is the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). This nationally representative survey includes questions to help assess cognition, but many researchers may use this data without actually knowing the questions behind the variables—don't be That Guy! (or Gal!) Listen to Dr. Lindsay Ryan, an HRS team member, coach Matt as he administers the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) to Donovan, who is surprisingly good at recalling types of birds.The transcript for this episode can be found here. Related Links: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ Health and Retirement Study (HRS): https://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While there are some FDA-approved medications for dementia, more individuals living with dementia are actually prescribed psychotropic medications. In this episode, Donovan introduces Matt to the concept of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, which are just as much part of dementia as the memory loss—and are probably a big reason for all this other prescribing. The transcript for this episode can be found here. Related Links: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ Article discussed in this episode: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7435346/ Maust DT, Strominger J, Bynum JPW, et al. Prevalence of Psychotropic and Opioid Prescription Fills Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Dementia in the US. JAMA. 2020;324(7):706–708. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.8519 You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest in this episode is Dr. Sara Adar. She is an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in the department of epidemiology. Dr. Adar was the senior author on a study titled “Long-term community noise exposure in relation to dementia, cognition, and cognitive decline in older adults” that was published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia. The study used data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project to examine the association between exposure to community noise and cognitive impairment. We talk with her about how exposure to noise affects cognition. The transcript for this episode can be found here. Related Links: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ Article discussed in this episode: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33084241/ Weuve, J., D'Souza, J., Beck, T., Evans, D. A., Kaufman, J. D., Rajan, K. B., Mendes de Leon, C. F., & Adar, S. D. (2021). Long‐term community noise exposure in relation to dementia, cognition, and cognitive decline in older adults. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 17(3), 525-533. DOI: 10.1002/alz.12191 You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Often research studies consider dementia as either present or absent, while others specify particular types of dementia. For example, what exactly is frontotemporal dementia? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Henry (Hank) Paulson, who directs the Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center, to introduce listeners to the most common types of dementia and hear about some of their defining features. For those of you without clinical backgrounds, consider this your crash course on the types of dementia. The transcript for this episode can be found here. Related Links: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center: https://alzheimers.med.umich.edu/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we continue our discussion of the implications of the approval of the Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm (generic name Aducanumab). Our guest this week is Professor Nicholas Bagley. Bagley is a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School and a contributing writer to the Atlantic. Recently he wrote an article titled “The Drug that Could Break American Health Care” that discusses some of the broader (unintended) consequences of the approval of Aducanumab. In this episode we discuss some of the broader cost implications of the new drug. PRODUCER'S NOTE: Since the recording of this interview, Medicare officials have announced the largest ever dollar-amount rate hike for Part B coverage citing the need to build contingency reserves to potentially cover the Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm. Professor Bagley discusses the concern of the cost of Aduhelm to the US Healthcare System in this Minding Memory episode. The transcript for this episode can be found here. Related Links: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ Atlantic Article – The Drug that Could Break American Healthcare by Nicholas Bagley & Rachel Sachs: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/06/aduhelm-drug-alzheimers-cost-medicare/619169/ You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aducanumab is a new drug designed to remove amyloid in the brain. Following an accelerated process, the Food and Drug Administration approved Aducanumab as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease despite (what many experts feel) little evidence of effectiveness. In this episode we discuss the approval of Aducanumab with Dr. Jason Karlawish from the University of Pennsylvania and talk about what it could mean for drug discovery going forward. The transcript for this episode can be found here. Related Links: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ The Problem of Alzheimer's by Jason Karlawish: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250218742 Jason Karlawish Website: jasonkarlawish.com FDA Aducanumab Approval Press Release (June 2021): https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-alzheimers-drug You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we talk with Dr. Ken Langa about the implications of identification of “preclinical” Alzheimer's disease (situations where individuals may have biological signs of Alzheimer's but no symptoms). Ken is a leading dementia researcher and our discussion focuses on an article he published called “Preclinical Alzheimer Disease – Early Diagnosis or Overdiagnosis” that was published in JAMA Internal Medicine. In his article co-authored with Dr. Jim Burke, he brings up some of the potential indirect effects of early detection. The transcript for this episode can be found here. RELATED LINKS: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ National Poll on Healthy Aging: https://www.healthyagingpoll.org/ Article discussed in this episode: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31282928/ Langa, Kenneth M., and James F. Burke. "Preclinical Alzheimer disease—early diagnosis or overdiagnosis?." JAMA Internal Medicine 179.9 (2019): 1161-1162. You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the podcast! In this episode we introduce ourselves and provide an overview of the Minding Memory Podcast. This podcast is supported by the Center to Accelerate Population Research in Alzheimer's (CAPRA) at the University of Michigan. Our guest this week is Dr. Julie Bynum. Julie is the director of CAPRA and we talk briefly about what the NIH-funded research center is and how to get involved. The transcript for this episode can be found here. Related Links: CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.