GSA Momentum Discussions

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.

Financial Aspects of Caregiving

More than 90% of caregivers are also financial caregivers, defined as either contributing direct financial support or coordinating some or all their loved one’s money-related matters. Managing someone’s finances is complex and can extend for months or even years, both during the care recipient’s life and often well beyond the death of a loved one. Longer life spans and lifestyle changes create an urgency to plan for caregiving costs across life stages, not just in middle age. Attention to financial caregiving, when coupled with financial and longevity literacy, can help optimize retirement readiness. This podcast episode provides helpful actions that families, employers, and communities can take to help address this critical need. 

 

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Guest:

Surya Kolluri
Head of TIAA Institute

 

Moderator:

James Appleby

Chief Executive Officer, Gerontological Society of America

 

This podcast is supported by TIAA Institute.

Aging and Oral Health Research: Insights from the 2023 AADOCR Meeting within a Meeting

This Momentum Discussion podcast provides insight into the “Aging and Oral Health Research “Meeting within a Meeting” held during the March 2023 American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research Annual Meeting. Learn about the primary objectives and outcomes of the meeting and the impact of loneliness and isolation in older adults and oral health and nutrition in aging.

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Moderator: 
Karen Tracy
The Gerontological Society of America
Washington, DC
 
Panelists:
Jane A. Weintraub
Department of Pediatric and Public Health
Adams School of Dentistry
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
And Immediate Past President of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
 
Carla Perissinotto
Division of Geriatrics, School of Medicine
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
 
Riva Touger-Decker
Diagnostic Sciences
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
School of Health Professions
Rutgers State University of New Jersey
Newark, NJ

This podcast is supported by Haleon.

Meeting the Needs of Diverse Caregivers

According to the Alzheimer's Association, over 11 million Americans provide an estimated 18 billion hours of unpaid care for people with Alzheimer's or other dementias. In 2022, this care was valued at $339 billion. Most of these caregivers are women, and many caregivers are from diverse and underserved communities. In this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, leaders from the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York discuss the unique needs of diverse caregivers and how they are meeting these needs. They offer insights into how healthcare providers and others can best meet the needs of all caregivers while promoting brain health for all individuals.

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Guests: 
Elizabeth Smith-Boivin  
Executive Director/CEO, Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York 

Debbie Abreu
Community Outreach Manager for DEI initiatives, Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York 

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. 

Agitation in Alzheimer’s Disease: Reflections of a Care Partner

Agitation can be described as increased, often undirected, motor activity, restlessness, aggressiveness, and emotional distress. It may include nonaggressive behaviors such as pacing, repetitious movements, and general restlessness, or it may manifest as physically or verbally aggressive behaviors. It is one of the most distressing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and between 30% and 80% of people living with dementia, depending on the setting, experience agitation. Because of the wide-ranging potential negative impacts associated with agitation in Alzheimer’s disease (AAD), a person-centered, individualized approach to address AAD is a must. In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, we provide insights into AAD from the perspective of a professional caregiver and a family member whose loved one lives with AAD. They share how the condition impacts the person with Alzheimer’s disease and those around them and offer strategies to prevent and address troubling behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia associated with AAD.

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Guests:
Laura Medders, LCSW
Administrative Director, Emory Integrated Memory Care Clinic

Maureen Morrison
Care partner to her husband, Angus, who lives with Alzheimer's disease

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

This podcast episode is supported by Otsuka. Content was developed by The Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Cognitive Aging and Optimizing Cognitive Health

According to the McKnight Brain Research Foundation website, “there is growing hope and expectation that it’s possible to maintain cognitive health later in life, allowing people to age independently and enjoy the benefits of a fuller life.” During this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and the University at Buffalo’s Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the Jacobs School, and Angelika Schlanger, PhD, executive director of the Foundation, will offer insights into brain health, cognitive health, and cognitive aging. They discuss how normal cognitive aging differs from changes in cognitive function due to dementia. Finally, they offer insights into how individuals can take steps to promote their brain health at any age.

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Guests:
Allison Brashear, MD, MBA
Vice President for Health Sciences
Dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
University at Buffalo

Angelika Schlanger, PHD
Executive Director, McKnight Brain Research Foundation

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

This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Otsuka, and Eisai. Content was developed by The Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Why an Early Diagnosis of Dementia Matters

Early detection of dementia leads to better outcomes for individuals with dementia and their care partners. It allows them to potentially benefit from a variety of care interventions, make decisions about their care, and tap into community resources to enhance their quality of life and function. Despite this, the Alzheimer’s Association reported that neither older adults nor primary care practitioners routinely raise brain health issues – particularly in the case that an older adult has signs of mild cognitive impairment. In this GSA Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, Bonnie Burman, president of the Ohio Council for Cognitive Health, discusses barriers to kickstarting brain health conversations and early diagnosis of dementia, offers strategies to overcome them, and highlights how care providers and other communities of interest can use the KAER Toolkit for Brain Health to improve early detection of dementia.

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Guest:
Bonnie Burman, ScD
President, Ohio Council for Cognitive Health

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

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