Dementia Matters

A sleep scientist explains the importance of sleep to your brain, shares what the scientific community knows about the connections between sleep apnea and brain health, and offers tips for healthy sleep. Guest: Kate Sprecher, postdoctoral research associate, University of Colorado at Boulder

Guest: Suzanne Bottum-Jones, Registered Nurse, Children’s Author, Behavioral Consultant

After more than 15 years of working with behavioral management strategies and symptoms associated with dementia, our guest has turned her focus to educating families and caregivers who are affected by this disease. She provides tips that every caregiver should know and sheds light on why it was important for her to write a children’s book that addresses Alzheimer’s disease.

Guest: Dr. Amy Kind, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Geriatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Director, VA Dementia Care Clinic, Investigator, Wisconsin ADRC

Social determinants of health play a big role in our overall well-being. Unfortunately, too often we fail to recognize the impacts that these factors have on our brains and overall health. Dr. Amy Kind and her research team at the University of Wisconsin developed a tool called the Neighborhood Atlas to visualize neighborhood disparities and help facilitate change.

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Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Chapman, geriatrician at UW Health specializing in acute care geriatric medicine and delirium in hospitalized patients

Delirium can be caused by a range of conditions and can take on many different forms. One consistency, however, is its relation to an increased risk for developing dementia. Dr. Elizabeth Chapman speaks on the connections between these conditions and offers some useful tips to help prevent delirium

Guest: Dr. Cerise Elliott, Senior Research Program Analyst at the National Institute on Aging

Dr. Cerise Elliott gives a look at the structure and function of the National Institutes of Health and its work relating to Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia. She also emphasizes the importance of diversity in research and of recruitment and retention as Alzheimer’s disease-related research moves forward.

With the dramatic increase in life expectancy among people with Down syndrome over recent decades, it has been observed they develop Alzheimer’s disease at a much younger age and at a much higher incidence than the general population. Our guest, an expert on brain imaging and neurodegeneration, discusses the theories behind this relationship and the similarities and differences in how Alzheimer's disease progresses in the Down syndrome and general populations. Guest: Dr. Brad Christian, professor of medical physics and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin

With the dramatic increase in life expectancy among people with Down syndrome over recent decades, it has been observed they develop Alzheimer’s disease at a much younger age and at a much higher incidence than the general population. Our guest, an expert on brain imaging and neurodegeneration, discusses the theories behind this relationship and the similarities and differences in how Alzheimer's disease progresses in the Down syndrome and general populations. Guest: Dr. Brad Christian, professor of medical physics and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin

Research in dementia care has traditionally examined community and nursing home settings, leaving a gap in research on care for dementia patients during hospital stays. After identifying a need for improvement in caring for hospital patients with dementia, our guest developed a new approach that helps hospital staff better recognize dementia and address it. Guest: Dr. Andrea Gilmore-Bykovskyi, PhD, RN, Researcher, Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

The only true way to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is through a brain autopsy after death, but advancements in neuroimaging are giving scientists a clearer picture of what’s happening in the brain while patients are still alive.

Guest: Samantha Allison, PhD, Researcher at the Wisconsin ADRC and WRAP study.