Minding Memory

In this episode, Matt & Lauren build off their previous conversation with Ashwin Kotwal about social isolation by speaking with Eve Lefkowitz, the Executive Director of the non-profit organization, A Conversation to Remember, which connects older adults – including those who live with cognitive decline – with young adult college students to combat the epidemic of social isolatio...

In this episode we're going to discuss a topic that's increasingly recognized as central to cognitive health and social connection. We'll define what it is and what happens when it's missing. Social isolation and loneliness are now widely discussed as public health concerns, and evidence has really mounted that social disconnection has profound eff...

In this episode, Matt & Lauren speak with Kristine Ajrouch, PhD - a new member of our CAPRA leadership team. Kristine is a Research Professor at the Institute for Social Research whose work focuses on aging, health, immigration and family in the United Statues and the Middle East; social networks over the life course; and Arab American identity and well-being.&nbs...

Welcome back to Minding Memory! In today’s episode, Lauren & Matt speak with Dr. Laura Zahodne – a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan and an affiliate of the Institute for Social Research. She's a clinical neuropsychologist by training and studies how psychosocial experiences shape late life, cognitive health, and risk of neurodegenerative disease.&n...

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. &nbs...

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 th...

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...

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 th...

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 demen...

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 th...

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...

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 b...

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: Nationw...

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” e...

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...

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 c...

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...

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...

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...

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 & Donova...

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. L...

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...

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. &nb...

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 a...

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 lea...