GSA Momentum Discussions

The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond

In this Momentum Discussion podcast, James Appleby, GSA CEO interviews Dr. Debra Whitman, AARP Chief Public Policy Officer about her new book, The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond. Dr. Whitman shares why she authored this book and why the book is organized around seven questions. She provides insights about health and longevity, how we may reduce the risk of developing dementia, and what we should be demanding of our policymakers in this regard. Finally, Deb Whitman provides thoughts on how this country can address the aging population.

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Guest:
Debra Whitman, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer, AARP

Host:
James C. Appleby, BSPharm, MPH, ScD (Hon), Chief Executive Officer, Gerontological Society of America

 

This podcast episode is supported by AARP.

Addressing Brain Health In Asian American Communities

In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, our guest shares key insights into the diversity of the Asian American population and why classifying Asian Americans as a single group is problematic for health data, research, and reporting. She discusses Asian Americans’ risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and identifies barriers to Asian Americans receiving early diagnosis of dementia and appropriate care for their condition. Finally, she offers suggestions as to how primary care teams can implement solutions to those barriers. 

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Guest:
Diane Ty, Managing Director, Milken Institute Future of Aging 

Host:
Jennifer L. Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director, Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America

 

This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka.

ACHIEVE: A Landmark Study of the Effect of Hearing Intervention on Brain Health in Older Adults

In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, Dr. Frank Lin, co-primary investigator of the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders, or ACHIEVE, study discusses this landmark study examining the effect of hearing intervention on brain health. ACHIEVE is a multicenter randomized trial to determine if treating hearing loss in older adults reduces cognitive decline that can occur with aging. Dr. Lin and his co-primary investigator first reported in July 2023 that the hearing intervention slowed cognitive decline in older adults with mild to moderate hearing loss by 48% in a pre-specified segment of the study population. This exciting discovery has motivated Dr. Lin and others at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to develop a broader national campaign to encourage all adults to learn and monitor their own hearing with a free app, Hearing Number.

Additional Resources: The Clinical Practice piece Dr. Lin authored for the NEJM "Age-Related Hearing Loss."

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Guest:
Frank R. Lin, MD, PhD
Director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health
Professor of Otolaryngology, Medicine, Mental Health, and Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health

Host:
Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE
Director, Strategic Alliances
Gerontological Society of America

Support provided by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka

Stuck in the Middle: What Belly Fat Is Doing To Your Health

The National Caucus and Center on Black Aging (NCBA) developed the report “Stuck in the Middle” to address all aspects of obesity, including but not limited to causes, effects, statistical profiles, myths and misconceptions, public policy, ways to address obesity, resources for managing obesity, barriers to accessing a full continuum of care, and more. In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, the report author and NCBA’s Director of Health Programs discuss key points from the report, whose target audience is the African American community, in which obesity occurs at an inordinately high rate.  They share insights from the report that is written in laymen’s language in order to reach as broad an audience as possible, and they highlight why action is urgently needed to support African Americans to access the full spectrum of quality obesity care.

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Guests:
Angie Boddie, MPS
Director of Health Programs
National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Inc.

Deborah Mathis
Consultant/Communications Strategist
National Caucus and Center on Black Aging

Host:
Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE
Director, Strategic Alliances
Gerontological Society of America

Support provided by Novo Nordisk

Alter - Empowering African American Churches to Support Members with Dementia and Their Families

The Alter program is a nurse-led, dementia-friendly congregation program aimed at empowering African American churches to serve all members, including those living with dementia and their families. Fayron Epps, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, developed the Alter program to increase dementia awareness; develop a supportive, faith-based dementia-friendly infrastructure; and create a community supporting the well-being of African Americans living with dementia and their families. In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, Dr. Epps shares insights into the Alter program and what inspired her to found the program. She also describes key components of the program and discusses the result of 10 years of working in the community and creating a faith network committed to developing dementia-friendly congregations.

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Guest:
Fayron Epps, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN
Associate Professor, tenured
Director of Community & Research Engagement 

 

Host: Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE
Director, Strategic Alliances
Gerontological Society of America 

Support provided by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka.

Addressing Brain Health in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, our guest shares challenges and opportunities around brain health in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. He provides insights into the Healthy Brain Initiative’s Road Map for Indian Country and discusses success stories with indigenous communities addressing dementia issues. Finally, he outlines research questions that need to be answered to successfully address brain health in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

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Guest:
Michael Splaine
Principal, Splaine Consulting
Managing Partner, Recruitment Partners LLC

 

Host:
Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE
Director of Strategic Alliances
Gerontological Society of America

Support provided by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka.

Additional Resources:

• https://www.glitc.org/programs/aging-disability/publications-and-media/
• https://iasquared.org/brain-health/
• https://www.cdc.gov/aging/healthybrain/pdf/hbi-road-map-for-indian-country-508.pdf

An Obesity Bill of Rights: Promoting Person-Centered Quality Obesity Care

The National Consumers League and National Council on Aging worked with health leaders and obesity specialists to establish a set of rights so people with obesity will be screened, diagnosed, counseled and effectively treated for their overweight and obesity based on medical treatment guidelines. During the Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, leaders from these two organizations discuss the impetus for and development of the Obesity Bill of Rights and discuss each of the eight rights included in it. They share what is next for their organizations around the Bill of Rights and share how others can join the movement to help ensure person-centered quality obesity care for adults living with the chronic disease of obesity.

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Guests:
Dorothea K. Vafiadis, MS
Senior Director, Center for Healthy Aging
 
Nancy Glick
Director of Food and Nutrition Policy
National Consumers League

Host: 
Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE
Director of Strategic Alliances
Gerontological Society of America

Nonpharmacological Strategies to Support Behaviors Experienced by People Living with Dementia

Most individuals with dementia experience behavioral symptoms during their disease trajectory. These symptoms are troubling to the person living with dementia, their care partners, and others such as family members or those living in congregate living settings. In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, Dr. Kalisha Bonds Johnson, a Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Emory Integrated Memory Care, shares her insights into the importance of detecting and addressing behavioral symptoms. She offers general strategies that care partners and others can take when interacting with someone with dementia, and she provides important insights into managing specific troubling behaviors.

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Guest:
Dr. Kalisha Bonds Johnson, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC
Assistant Professor, tenure track
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing Emory

Host:
Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE
Director of Strategic Alliances
Gerontological Society of America

This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka.

Physical Activity and Older Adults

This Momentum Discussion podcast episode addresses the importance of physical activity for longevity and independence, challenges older adults may face when exercising and their solutions, and suggestions on how to get started with incorporating routine exercise into one’s life.

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Guests:
Kathryn N. Porter Starr, PhD, MS, RDN
Associate Professor, Duke University School of Medicine 
Research Health Scientist, Durham VA Medical Center
 
Eric Levitan 
Founder, CEO
Vivo
 
Host: 
Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE
Director of Strategic Alliances
The Gerontological Society of America

This podcast episode is supported by Novo Nordisk.

Kickstarting Brain Health Conversations about LGBTQ+ Older Adults

In this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, Dan Stewart, MSG, Long-Term Care Equality Index program co-lead and associate director of the Aging Equality Project at the HRC Foundation, discusses considerations aimed at ensuring equitable and person-centered care for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and ensuring LGBTQ+ inclusion in the healthcare. He provides insights into unique challenges around brain health, dementia, and aging for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and shares key insights into the combined challenges of being LGBTQ+ and having dementia.

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Guest: 
Dan Stewart, MSG 
Long-Term Care Equality Index Program Co-Lead 
Associate Director of the Aging Equality Project 
Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Host:
Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE
Director of Strategic Alliances 
The Gerontological Society of America 

This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka.