This is Growing Old

Being able to afford out-of-pocket prescription drug medications is a problem for millions of Americans, especially older adults. Every year, Medicare beneficiaries pay on average over 3,200 in out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs. For an older adult on a fixed income, this is no small chunk of change. Alliance for Aging Research Vice President of Public Policy Michael Ward is joined by A...

Jay Reinstein is a graduate of the Alliance’s Talk NERDY to Me program, which trains older adult on patient-centered outcomes research and the clinical trials process. Jay, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, shares his story this Alzheimer's Awareness Month.

October 4 through 8 is Malnutrition Awareness Week. Joining Alliance Vice President of Health Education and Advocacy Lindsay Clarke is Gail Cresci, PhD, RD, President of ASPEN, an organization dedicated to improving patient care by advancing the science and practice of clinical nutrition and metabolism. Gail talks with Lindsay about recognizing the signs of malnutrition and how we can fight agains...

Teresa Wright-Johnson shares her experience being a patient advocate and participating in the Alliance for Aging Research's Talk NERDY to Me training.  Learn more about Talk NERDY to Me in this episode and at https://www.agingresearch.org/nerdy/2021-call-for-advocates/ . We are looking for patients, family caregivers, researchers, and clinicians involved in Alzheimer’s disease, heart valve di...

The Alliance for Aging Research is celebrating 35 years! Here to talk about this incredible milestone and all that the Alliance has accomplished for older adults is our founder, Dan Perry!  Join us in celebrating 35 years on September 21 at Heroes in Health. Register for free here: https://give.agingresearch.org/event/2021-heroes-in-health/e337728 . 

This Grandparents Day, Generations United and the Alliance for Aging Research are sharing important facts about vaccines with older adults who are often the truth tellers in their families and communities. Getting the truth about vaccination to share with loved ones and friends can help stop disinformation, address vaccine hesitancy, and protect more people through vaccinations. On this episode, L...

Did you know that September is Hydrocephalus Awareness Month? Lindsay Clarke, Vice President of Health Education and Advocacy, talks with Diana Gray, President and CEO of the Hydrocephalus Association, about what hydrocephalus is and why an awareness month is so important. Learn more at www.hydroassoc.org .

Sue Peschin, President and CEO of the alliance for Aging Research, chats with Mark Meridy, Executive Director of DOROT. DOROT's mission is to decrease social isolation and loneliness among older adults, which is more important than ever. Learn more about DOROT: https://www.dorotusa.org .

Sue Peschin, President and CEO of the Alliance for Aging Research, talks with Dr. Rhonda Randall, Chief Medical Officer for UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual, about the UnitedHealth Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings Senior Report.  View the report here: https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/newsroom/posts/2021/2021-5-18-report-challenges-older-americans-791889.html.

Alliance for Aging Research President and CEO Sue Peschin talks with George Vradenburg, Chairman and Co-Founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, about the recent aducanumab announcement, the UsAgainstAlzheimer's Brain Guide program, and the importance of the Medicare annual wellness visit for detection of cognitive impairment.

Alliance for Aging Research President and CEO Sue Peschin interviews Ken Thorpe, the Robert W. Woodruff Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy & Management in the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, and Chair of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease , an organization that does incredible work to raise awareness of the impact of chronic disease on death, disa...

Diseases and injuries that damage the brain can impact how we interact with the world and lead to significant and disabling behavioral and psychological symptoms, which are also referred to as neuropsychiatric symptoms. Here to talk about neuropsychiatric symptoms and the challenges they present is Dr. Jeffrey Cummings. Dr. Jeffrey Cummings is the Joy Chambers-Grundy Professor of Brain Science, an...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially devastating for people of color. Minority groups are more likely to get severely sick and die from COVID-19. Additionally, Black Americans are getting vaccinated at a slower rate than whites. Here to talk about these disparities and how we can work to overcome them is Gary Puckrein, President and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum. 

According to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the current body of evidence on dementia care does not reflect the experiences of diverse populations. Here to talk about this report and why it is important is Dr. Eric Larson, a senior investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute and chair of the committee that wrote the re...

International reference pricing proposals currently under consideration by the U.S. Congress, and proposed in the previous Congress as Title I of H.R. 3, would allow federal government use of foreign price controls in direct negotiations with pharmaceutical companies for the cost of 250 prescription medicines in Medicare Part B and Part D. It also extended the negotiated price to insurers and the...

Age or possible disability does not impact the value of a human life. Unfortunately, the Institute of Clinical and Economic Review, or ICER, produces recommendations on how much new drugs should cost based on these same considerations—age or possible disability. It is time for patients to say enough is enough. Here at the Alliance, we believe in the power of patient advocacy, and we are proud to s...

What can YOU do to fight against COVID-19 vaccine disinformation and misinformation on social media? Alliance President and CEO Sue Peschin talks with Dr. Todd Wolynn about best practices for dispelling myths about vaccines. Todd Wolynn is a pediatrician and child advocate who is the Chief Executive Officer of Kids Plus Pediatrics, Executive Director of the Breastfeeding Center of Pittsburgh, and...

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted food programs and nutrition for older adults? What are some barriers that older adults face when it comes to nutrition? Here to talk about the importance of nutrition for healthy aging and to address some of these questions is Bob Blancato, Executive Director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs.  Sign up to receive update...

In recognition of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month, Sue Peschin talks with Martha Taggart, a science writer for the BrightFocus Foundation, about age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, an eye disease that is a leading cause of vision loss in older Americans.  Learn more about Martha: https://www.brightfocus.org/bio/martha-snyder-taggart Watch our short films on AMD: https:/...

February 22 marks the fifth annual Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day, a day dedicated to spotlighting the importance of detecting and treating heart valve disease. Valve Disease Day would not be possible without the 90 partners who have joined the campaign to lend their voices to the effort to raise awareness about heart valve disease. One of those partners is Heart Valve Voice US. On this episode...

On the season finale of This is Growing Old, Sue Peschin talks with Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas Chairman Ric Erwin and President Bob Callahan about why Santas would make for good messengers for promoting the COVID-19 vaccine, how Santas are bringing hope to a difficult year, and why they think real beards are better. Learn more about the Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas : https://...

Welcome to a special Thanksgiving episode of our podcast! Although the holidays look different this year because of COVID-19, we can still celebrate Thanksgiving by practicing gratitude. On this episode, Emiliana R. Simon-Thomas, Ph. D., the science director of the Greater Good Science Center, talks about the importance of gratitude and how we can incorporate it into our daily lives.  Learn m...

William Schaffner, M.D., Medical Director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), explains why the flu vaccine is so important this year and answers questions about common questions about COVID-19.  Learn more about NFID's Keep Up The Rates Campaign: https://www.nfid.org/keep-up-the-rates/ .  Get the latest information and resources about age-related conditions, diseas...

Debbe McCall is a cardiovascular patient researcher, advocate, and speaker. She was also a participant and expert speaker in the Alliance for Aging Research’s Talk NERDY to Me program. In this episode, Debbe talks about how she became a patient advocate and how patients can best advocate for themselves.  Follow Debbe on Twitter: @DebbeMcCall Learn more about the Alliance for Aging Research: h...

As Chief Medical Officer for WebMD, Dr. John Whyte has been active in providing information to educate people during the COVID-19 pandemic by interviewing public health experts in a special video series for WebMD. In this conversation with Alliance for Aging Research President and CEO Sue Peschin, John shares some of the highlights of these interviews. He also talks about common misconceptions abo...