While the companionship of pets has been studied in the context of cardiovascular health, their role in protecting brain health is less studied. Join us to investigate how an everyday dog walk may boost brain health through dementia risk-reduction factors including physical activity, well-being, social connection, and cognitive engagement. Co-host Jay Ingram – and author of The Science of Pets – joins psychologist and aging-brain expert Dr. Theone Paterson (University of Victoria) to explore how pets can help you defy dementia, while Dr. Lillian Hung (University of British Columbia; Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute) discusses innovations in dementia care technology, including robotic pets. Tune in at defydementia.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Dr. Lillian Hung is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia School of Nursing and Clinician Scientist at Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, and the founder of the IDEA Lab. She leads a dynamic team of academics and patient and family partners dedicated to advancing dementia and aging research. Through co-designed projects and collaborative research, the IDEA Lab fosters innovation, emphasizing shared benefits and meaningful engagement to improve care and support for those affected by dementia. She focuses on patient-oriented research and innovative care for people living with dementia and their caregivers. 

Dr. Theone Paterson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria; an Affiliated Investigator at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Affiliated Researcher at Fraser Health; and a Registered Psychologist with practice in Neuropsychology. She is the Past Chair of the Clinical Neuropsychology Section of the Canadian Psychological Association; and is currently a Co-Investigator and Local Site Principal Investigator for the UVic Data Collection Site of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Her research interests include improving understanding of the interplay between cognition and psychosocial functioning and predicting real-world cognitive health outcomes as we age. 

Everything is connected. Like the connection between oral hygiene and brain health. In this episode of Defy Dementia™, we’ll join Dr. James Noble, Professor of Neurology and author of Navigating Life with Dementia, as he discusses how poor oral health and inflammation could increase dementia risk, and just how important oral care is for brain health. We’ll also follow 65-year-old Ben Schaub, a journalist specializing in science and technology – and a Defy Dementia producer – as he shares how he keeps his brain healthy by taking care of his oral health. Tune in at defydementia.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Key Messages:

• Gum infections are common, especially in older adults. 
• Maintaining healthy teeth and gums benefits your overall health and may reduce your dementia risk.

Key Actions:

• Brush and floss daily.
• If available, visit your dental professional for regular cleaning and check-ups or if you are experiencing issues with your teeth or gums.

About our guests:

Ben Schaub is an award-winning science journalist and Defy DementiaTM’s writer and chase producer. Ben researched episodes of CBC’s The Nature of Things and produced interviews and documentaries for Discovery Channel Canada's Daily Planet. 

Dr. James Noble is a Professor of Neurology in the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He was the first to discover an association between the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivitis and impaired memory, and leads a project exploring the relationship of oral health conditions and cognitive trajectories. He is also the author of Navigating Life with Dementia.

This episode explores how quitting smoking can transform both heart and brain health. Connor Dorr, lived-experience advisor at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, shares his journey with nicotine addiction, recovery, and advocacy. 

We also hear from Dr. Adrienne Johnson, an expert on smoking and dementia risk, and Dr. Andrew Pipe, a global leader in smoking cessation. Together they discuss the science of addiction, the resilience needed to quit, and the brain’s capacity to heal. 

Tune in at defydementia.org or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Lifestyle risk factors, like poor sleep, social isolation, and a lack of exercise may have a significant impact on dementia risk. The best evidence tells us that if we make healthy changes to key lifestyle risk factors, we could reduce dementia cases worldwide by at least 45 per cent. On this episode, Defy Dementia hosts Jay Ingram and Dr. Allison Sekuler report back on their own brain-healthy resolutions – changes they tried in our own lives – and their learnings, trials, and tribulations. Plus, they share cutting-edge brain health news, some from the recent Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2025, on topics ranging from new drug trials and blood tests for detection, to a major lifestyle study, to the role of lithium in Alzheimer’s disease, to the potential impact of wildfire smoke exposure on dementia risk, to the shingles vaccine, and more. Tune in at defydementia.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.

In 2021, Diana De Faveri’s life turned “upside down, real fast” when her mother was diagnosed with corticobasal syndrome, a rare form of dementia. As a sole caregiver, she took care of her household, her business, her parents, and her parents’ home. She recounts this difficult and stressful time in her life, sharing the lessons she’s learned and her thoughts on why it’s so important to seek help and support. Dr. Nicole Didyk, Clinical Assistant Professor at McMaster University, geriatrician, internist, passionate patient and family education advocate and creator of The Wrinkle — a YouTube channel and website for older adults and their families — shares tips on how to navigate challenging behaviours, in the face of dementia. Tune in at defydementia.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts. 

In this special Pride episode, we learn about the increased risk of dementia facing the 2SLGBTQI communities, and about the tools, techniques, and resources available to mitigate that risk. We follow the story of Susan Gapka, the first openly trans person to receive a key to the City of Toronto in recognition for her work as an advocate, researcher, community organizer, and human rights activist, who also overcame mental health challenges, and alcohol and drug use. And we learn from geriatrician, clinician scientist, and proud 2SLGBTQI community member Dr. Samir Sinha as he shares insights as a dementia advisor and researcher, and elaborates on his work to enhance support for 2SLGBTQI people living with dementia and their care partners. Tune in at defydementia.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts. 

This episode explores the connection between untreated vision loss and brain health. We follow 78-year-old Walter Kuntz, a retired Canada Post employee, as he recounts his vision challenges – and consequent triumphs – and the steps he undertook to alleviate deteriorating eyesight caused by cataracts. He also shares his experiences with eye surgery and the life-changing benefits afterwards. Dr. Walter Wittich, Associate Professor at the School of Optometry, Université de Montréal, and Québec’s first Certified Low Vision Therapist, shares his work with older adults facing vision and hearing loss, exploring dual sensory impairment and acquired deafblindness. Dr. Wittich shares how vision loss can impact the brain and tangible strategies and resources on how everyone can protect their vision and reduce their dementia risk.

In this episode of Defy Dementia, we speak with Ian, a Toronto father and husband who has worked in the media for over 30 years. Ian shares with us his sobriety journey of nearly 11 years, hoping his story will support those facing similar challenges. We delve into the underlying brain mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease, and prompt discussion on the role of alcohol in certain diseases – like dementia – and how individuals can think about reducing alcohol intake to reduce their risk of dementia.

This episode of Defy Dementia explores the relationship between developmental disabilities and dementia. Guests Dewlyn and Anna Lobo, a daughter-mother duo who live in Ottawa, share their personal journeys as they navigate the health challenges that people with Down syndrome and their carers may experience. Then, Dr. Yona Lunsky (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health; CAMH) discusses why it’s so important for our physical and mental health to increase awareness of and fight stigmas surrounding developmental disabilities.

Dewlyn Lobo and Anna Lobo are a daughter and mother, respectively, who live in Ottawa. Together, they are each other’s caregivers and both are committed to an activity-centred lifestyle that is designed to boost their physical and cognitive health. Dewlyn, 37, lives with Down syndrome and is employed part-time as an office worker and web researcher at the Occupational Health and Safety office at the House of Commons in Ottawa. As of June, 2025, she has worked there for 10 years. Anna, 72, originally worked as a nurse in Mumbai, India. In 2004, she answered a help wanted ad for nurses in Nunavut. She moved to Rankin Inlet in 2005. Her husband and Dewlyn joined her there in 2006. Eventually, the family moved south to Ottawa. Anna now serves as a teacher at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) coaching other caregivers of adults with developmental disabilities on wellbeing and cognitive health. Dewlyn was also a teacher at CAMH, speaking to other adults with developmental disabilities.

Yona Lunsky, PhD, CPsych, FAAIDD, is the Scientific Director of the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, Director of the Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities Program (www.hcardd.ca) and a Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), in Toronto, Canada. She is also a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; an Adjunct Scientist at ICES; and a Clinical Psychologist. She has been studying the mental and physical health of adults with developmental disabilities and their families for more than 25 years, and has published over 300 papers on this topic. She works closely with people with developmental disabilities, their families, and clinical providers to identify health care gaps and co-design innovative solutions.