Dementia Matters

Approaching Alzheimer’s Disease as a Preventable Condition

Rarely are the steps to prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia discussed thoroughly. On this week's episode, Dr. William Shankle, a neurologist specialized in the diagnosis, treatment and management of Alzheimer’s disease, discusses how management of lifestyle and other health conditions can reduce the rate of accumulation of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain.

Guest: Dr. William Shankle, Medical Director, Shankle Clinic, Newport Beach, California.

Finding Community Resources after a Dementia Diagnosis

The quest for both patient and caregiver resources in your own community can be difficult. Bonnie Nuttkinson of the Alzheimer’s Association tells us the many different free resources for dementia patients and their caregivers.

Guest: Bonnie Nuttkinson, Program and Advocacy Manager, Alzheimer's Association South Central Wisconsin Chapter

New Approaches Yield Promise for Future of Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Trials

Guest: Sanjay Asthana, MD, associate dean of gerontology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and director and founder, Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

 

For decades, researchers from around the world have been working to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Sanjay Asthana explains the challenges Alzheimer’s disease drug trials have faced and introduces us to new, promising approaches to stopping or delaying the disease. 9/11/2018

 

Key to Alzheimer’s Disease Cure May Lie in Early Detection

Guest: Dr. James Lah, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology, Alzheimer's Disease Investigator, Emory University

 

Research has shown Alzheimer's disease can be present in the brain decades before symptoms arise. Dr. James Lah discusses how he believes Alzheimer’s disease prevention should start in young and middle adulthood and shares with us what his vision of a cure might look like. 8/28/2018

The Science of Sleep and Brain Health

A sleep scientist explains the importance of sleep to your brain, shares what the scientific community knows about the connections between sleep apnea and brain health, and offers tips for healthy sleep. Guest: Kate Sprecher, postdoctoral research associate, University of Colorado at Boulder

Caregiver Strategies and the Importance of Changing the Way We Think about Alzheimer’s

Guest: Suzanne Bottum-Jones, Registered Nurse, Children’s Author, Behavioral Consultant

After more than 15 years of working with behavioral management strategies and symptoms associated with dementia, our guest has turned her focus to educating families and caregivers who are affected by this disease. She provides tips that every caregiver should know and sheds light on why it was important for her to write a children’s book that addresses Alzheimer’s disease.

The Link Between Neighborhood Disadvantage and Health Outcomes

Guest: Dr. Amy Kind, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Geriatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Director, VA Dementia Care Clinic, Investigator, Wisconsin ADRC

Social determinants of health play a big role in our overall well-being. Unfortunately, too often we fail to recognize the impacts that these factors have on our brains and overall health. Dr. Amy Kind and her research team at the University of Wisconsin developed a tool called the Neighborhood Atlas to visualize neighborhood disparities and help facilitate change.

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Delirium and Its Pertinence to Dementia

Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Chapman, geriatrician at UW Health specializing in acute care geriatric medicine and delirium in hospitalized patients

Delirium can be caused by a range of conditions and can take on many different forms. One consistency, however, is its relation to an increased risk for developing dementia. Dr. Elizabeth Chapman speaks on the connections between these conditions and offers some useful tips to help prevent delirium

National Priorities for Dementia and Health Disparities Research

Guest: Dr. Cerise Elliott, Senior Research Program Analyst at the National Institute on Aging

Dr. Cerise Elliott gives a look at the structure and function of the National Institutes of Health and its work relating to Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia. She also emphasizes the importance of diversity in research and of recruitment and retention as Alzheimer’s disease-related research moves forward.

Alzheimer's Disease Risk Is High in People with Down Syndrome

With the dramatic increase in life expectancy among people with Down syndrome over recent decades, it has been observed they develop Alzheimer’s disease at a much younger age and at a much higher incidence than the general population. Our guest, an expert on brain imaging and neurodegeneration, discusses the theories behind this relationship and the similarities and differences in how Alzheimer's disease progresses in the Down syndrome and general populations. Guest: Dr. Brad Christian, professor of medical physics and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin