Dementia in Practice

Dr Rachel Jones is a geriatrician based in Lismore, northern NSW. She shares her personal story of growing up as a daughter of a small-town GP and school music teacher, and granddaughter of the owners of Lismore’s main department store. She reflects on how her upbringing continues to impact her role as a geriatrician in a regional centre.

Show Notes 

• Beating Hearts of Lismore - https://www.facebook.com/p/Beating-Hearts-of-Lismore-100089574039279/  

• RACGP Quick Log for GP CPD - https://mycpd.racgp.org.au/log  

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In this episode, Bec speaks with Ai Lian Lee from Dementia Training Australia’s pharmacy team. Ai Lian outlines how pharmacists can be of assistance to GPs who care for people with impaired cognition. They also discuss which drugs may impair cognition, and which drugs can assist. 

Show Notes 

• Dementia Training Australia – Common Medicines That May Affect Cognition - Medications that affect cognition | Dementia Resource | Dementia Training Australia (DTA) 

• Clinical Practice Guidelines for Deprescribing in Older People - Deprescribing 

• RACGP Quick Log for GP CPD - https://mycpd.racgp.org.au/log 

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During our workshops and webinars, we are often asked about the impact of ADHD, Autism (ASD), PTSD and marijuana (THC) use on cognition and their association with dementia. In this episode, Pete poses these tricky questions to Dr Kailas Roberts, psychiatrist and psychogeriatrician, who answers them with great clarity, based on most recent research and his extensive experience. 

Show Notes 

• RACGP Quick Log for GP CPD - https://mycpd.racgp.org.au/log 

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Associate Professor Stephen Macfarlane, Head of Clinical Services at Dementia Support Australia, joins Hilton to discuss the causes of changed behaviour in dementia. Drawing on extensive clinical experience, Stephen outlines evidence-based strategies to understand and respond to behavioural and psychological symptoms in a person centred way.

Show Notes

● Dementia Training Australia – General Practitioners Hub https://dta.com.au/general-practitioners/

● Dementia Support Australia https://www.dementia.com.au/

● Dementia Support Australia – GP Advice Service https://www.dementia.com.au/who-we-help/health-care-professionals/services/gpas

● Dementia Support Australia 24-Hour Helpline: 1800 699 799

● RACGP Quick Log for GP CPD https://mycpd.racgp.org.au/log

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In this insightful episode, Bec speaks with Tasmanian geriatrician Professor David Dunsbabin about less common dementias, including Frontotemporal Dementia and Lewy Body Disease. The conversation focuses on key clinical features, symptom patterns, and practical tips for differentiation in everyday practice.

Show Notes

• Mild Behavioural Impairment (MBI) Diagnostic Criteria - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5652315/table/T1/  

• MBI checklist - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5652315/figure/F2/  

• RACGP Quick Log for GP CPD - https://mycpd.racgp.org.au/log 
• Dementia Training Australia – General Practitioners Hub https://dta.com.au/general-practitioners/

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In this episode, Hilton is joined by Professor Kaarin Anstey from UNSW’s Ageing Futures Institute and Neuroscience Research Australia. Together, they explore how memory is stored and retrieved, and unpack the critical distinctions between normal cognitive ageing, Subjective Cognitive Decline, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia.

Show Notes 

• Mild Behavioural Impairment (MBI) Diagnostic Criteria - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5652315/table/T1/  

• MBI Checklist - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5652315/figure/F2/  

• CogDrisk Cognitive Risk Assessment Tool - https://cogdrisk.neura.edu.au/  

• Roche Elecsys Phospho-Tau (181P) Product Information - https://elabdoc-prod.roche.com/eLD/api/downloads/e21936a3-0b6c-f011-3091-005056a772fd?countryIsoCode=au   

• JAMA Network - Blood Biomarkers to Detect Alzheimer Disease in Primary and Secondary Care - Blood Biomarkers to Detect Alzheimer Disease in Primary Care and Secondary Care | Neurology | JAMA | JAMA Network 

• RACGP Quick Log for GP CPD - https://mycpd.racgp.org.au/log 

• Dementia Training Australia – General Practitioners Hub - https://dta.com.au/general-practitioners/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special bonus episode, familiar guest Dr Steph Daly returns for a cameo conversation with Hilton. Drawing on her involvement in an ongoing clinical trial, Steph shares emerging insights into the role of blood-based biomarkers in assessing people presenting with cognitive symptoms in general practice, and what this evolving evidence could mean for future clinical pathways.   

Show Notes 

• Alzheimer’s Association® Clinical Practice Guideline: Integrating Blood-Based Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease Specialized Care https://pro.alz.org/files/download/E224A154-A199-4DE6-92DA-0B2F87727B70.pdf  

• Roche Elecsys Phospho-Tau (181P) Product Information - https://elabdoc-prod.roche.com/eLD/api/downloads/e21936a3-0b6c-f011-3091-005056a772fd?countryIsoCode=au  
• JAMA Network - Blood Biomarkers to Detect Alzheimer Disease in Primary Care and Secondary Care - Blood Biomarkers to Detect Alzheimer Disease in Primary Care and Secondary Care | Neurology | JAMA | JAMA Network
• ADNeT - Blood Based Biomarker Study - enquiry information for GPs in Melbourne, Adelaide and Newcastle - Blood-Based Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease in Primary Care: A Before and After Study - Australian Dementia Network

• Dementia Training Australia – General Practitioners Hub - https://dta.com.au/general-practitioners/
• RACGP Quick Log for GP CPD - https://mycpd.racgp.org.au/log 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cognitive impairment is complex, nuanced, and far more than a simple memory issue. In More Than a Memory Problem, Dementia Training Australia’s expert clinicians, Dr Peter Silberberg, Dr Rebecca Moore, and Dr Hilton Koppe, explore the practical recognition, assessment, and management of people presenting with possible impaired cognition.

Show Notes 

• Dementia Training Australia – General Practitioners Hub -  https://dta.com.au/general-practitioners/
• RACGP Quick Log for GP CPD- https://mycpd.racgp.org.au/log

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we hear from Mardi, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease a few years ago, Mardi talks about her symptoms, diagnosis and how she approached and continues to approach a life living with Alzheimer’s disease. We very much appreciate Mardi being involved in our podcast.

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In this episode Hilton Koppe talks to Suraj Samtani a researcher from the centre for healthy brain ageing, about social isolation and loneliness. We learn that reducing the impact of these factors can have the same benefit as stopping smoking on our health. Suraj talks and inspires us all to think about interactions with each other and how even the simplest of interactions may be reducing the impact of social isolation.

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