GSA Momentum Discussions

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.

Addressing Brain Health in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities

Certain groups of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) develop dementia at rates similar to older adults in the general population. However, adults with certain conditions, such as Down syndrome, develop Alzheimer's disease at greater rates. During this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, our guest discusses this issue and provides an overview of unique challenges in assessing for dementia in individuals with I/DD. She discusses strategies that primary care teams and others can use from the GSA publication, Addressing Brain Health in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities: A Companion to the KAER Toolkit for Primary Care Providers, to improve detection of dementia and care and services for adults with I/DD.

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Guest:
Lisa Comes 
Service and Support Advisor 
Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities

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

This podcast episode is supported by Eisai.

Kickstarting Brain Health Conversations with Diverse Older Adults: A Discussion with Dr. Carl Hill

In this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, Dr. Carl V. Hill, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at the Alzheimer's Association provides insights into race, ethnicity, and Alzheimer's in America and shares information about barriers and facilitators to quality dementia care for all populations. He discusses how to successfully engage in dementia risk reduction conversations with people from diverse backgrounds and shares examples of successful collaborations aimed at improving access to information about dementia and brain health.

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Guest:

Carl Hill, PhD, MPH
Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
Alzheimer’s Association

Moderator:

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

 

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

The Chronic Disease of Obesity

During this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, interprofessional experts examine obesity as a disease and discuss the need to intently treat individuals with obesity using guideline-based and standard-informed interprofessional and multifaceted plans of care. They share insights into the unique needs of older adults living with obesity, and they reflect on the heterogeneity of the older adult population and the importance of considering this heterogeneity when providing obesity care for older adults.

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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

John A. Batsis, MD, FACP, FTOS, AGSF, FGSA
Associate Professor
Division of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine
Department of Nutrition, The Gillings School of Global Public Health
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Moderator:

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

This podcast episode is supported by Novo Nordisk.

Detecting and Addressing Agitation in Alzheimer’s Disease: Improving Lives for Older Adults and their Caregivers

In this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, interprofessional experts from Emory Integrated Memory Care discuss the common neuropsychiatric condition of agitation in Alzheimer's disease (AAD) and how it impacts individuals living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. They discuss challenges to detecting AAD and share how detecting and treating this common symptom can improve quality of life for older adults and their caregivers. Finally, they discuss the Agitation in Alzheimer’s Screener for Caregivers (AASC^TM), a new tool released during the 2023 GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, with which clinicians can screen for AAD in just one minute. More information about the AASC^TM is available online at theaasc.com.

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Guests:
Carolyn K. Clevenger, DNP, GNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA, FAAN
Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Emory University
Clinical Director, Emory Integrated Memory Care

Laura Medders, LCSW
Administrative Director, Emory Integrated Memory Care

Moderator:

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

This podcast is supported by Otsuka.