Dementia Matters

Caring for a loved one with cognitive decline can be challenging. While it is a labor of love, burnout is all but inevitable. In this episode kicking off our Voices of Research Participants series with co-host Sarah Walter, Cynthia Sierra touches on her personal experience with caregiver burnout as both a caregiver and research study partner for her mother, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She also shares her unique perspective on Alzheimer’s disease research as someone who started as a family caregiver.

Guest: Cynthia Sierra, MS, LPC, senior project manager, UT Health San Antonio

Co-host: Sarah Walter, MSc, program administrator, Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) and Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI)

Learn more about Cynthia Sierra’s research at her ResearchGate profile.

Learn more about Sarah Walter at her bio on the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium website.

Find resources for people with dementia and their care partners on our website.

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: [email protected]

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Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

In the past few years, new therapies shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease in people in the early stages of the disease have been making their way through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval process. With these treatments now available, there are a growing number of questions surrounding who is eligible to take these medications and what processes are needed to ensure they are prescribed safely and effectively. Host Dr. Nathaniel Chin examines the guidelines for geriatricians and clinicians prescribing lecanemab and breaks down the eligibility requirements necessary to receive this treatment.

Read Eisai/Biogen’s “Prescribing Information” for Leqembi online.

Read “Lecanemab: Appropriate Use Recommendations” on the National Library of Medicine website.

Read the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) guidelines for prescribing lecanemab, “Lecanemab-irmb (LEQEMBI) Criteria for Use August 2023,'' online.

Listen to previous Dementia Matters episodes on lecanemab, including “Putting Lecanemab into Practice: A Clinician’s Perspective on the New Alzheimer’s Treatment,” “A Closer Look at the Lecanemab Clinical Trials,” and “Introducing Lecanemab, The Latest Alzheimer’s Disease Drug to Receive FDA Accelerated Approval,” on our website and all major podcast platforms.

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: [email protected]

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published a report showing promising but inconclusive evidence suggesting that interventions like cognitive training, blood pressure control and increased physical activity reduce a person’s risk for dementia, but what does the research show now? Dr. Luke Stoeckel from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) joins the podcast to share where the research on lifestyle interventions is at, why studies on these interventions are difficult to complete and more.

Guest: Luke Stoeckel, PhD, program director, Mechanistic and Translational Decision Science Program, Division of Behavioral and Social Research (DBSR), NIA

Learn about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on their website.

Read the 2017 National Academies’ report, “Preventing Cognitive Decline and Dementia,” for free on their website.

Learn about the National Academies’ Research Priorities for Preventing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias and find upcoming workshops on their website.

Find information on the 2021 National Academies workshop mentioned by Dr. Chin at 1:36 on the National Academies website.

Learn more about Dr. Stoeckel in his bio on the National Institute on Aging website.

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: [email protected]

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

In this year-end episode of Dementia Matters, we explore the vital role of philanthropy in advancing Alzheimer's disease research and care. Mr. Dave Adam serves on the board of visitors for the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s (IEA) and is an avid long-distance biker. In this episode, Adam shares his journey of combining his passions for biking and Alzheimer's advocacy. With personal experiences touched by dementia, Dave discusses how he used his solo biking expeditions across Canada and Australia to raise awareness and funds to support prevention and treatment strategies, improve care and benefit researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison seeking a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

Guest: Dave Adam, board of visitors, UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s (IEA) 

Do you like what you are hearing and learning? Make an impact when you make a tax-deductible gift to the Dementia Matters fund of the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

Learn more about UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s (IEA) on its website.

Read more about Mr. Adam’s travel and biking stories on his website.

Learn more about Mr. Adam on the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s website.

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: [email protected]

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

Dr. Paul Seidler joins the podcast to discuss his recent study looking at the connection between molecules in green tea and tau proteins. He also discusses the impact those molecules have on preventing cognitive decline and how these findings could lead to new strategies for treating Alzheimer’s disease.

Guest: Paul Seidler, PhD, assistant professor, University of Southern California Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Read more about Dr. Seidler’s study, “Structure-based discovery of small molecules that disaggregate Alzheimer's disease tissue derived tau fibrils in vitro,” on the National Library of Medicine website.

Read the article on the research from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), “Study of green tea and other molecules uncovers new therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer’s,” on their website.

Learn more about Dr. Seidler on the University of Southern California’s website.

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: [email protected]

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Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

In May 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, released an advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness and social isolation in the U.S. With this widespread issue affecting such a broad population, how does social isolation impact older adults? Dr. Alison Huang joins the podcast to share insights from her study on the relationship between social isolation and the risk of dementia in older adults. Using data from a nine-year National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), she discusses how factors like living alone, limited social networks and reduced activity participation contribute to increased dementia risk.

Guest: Alison Huang, PhD, MPH, senior research associate, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Learn more about the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website.

Read Dr. Huang’s study, “Social isolation and 9-year dementia risk in community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries in the United States,” on the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society website.

Learn more about the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) on their website.

Learn more about Dr. Alison Huang on Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health’s website.

Learn more about Alzheimer's disease prevention on our website.

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: [email protected]

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

Six years following the start of Dementia Matters in October 2017, the podcast team turns the tables on our host, Dr. Nathaniel Chin. Producers Amy Lambright Murphy and Caoilfhinn Rauwerdink talk with Dr. Chin about how the podcast got started, the brain health tips he incorporates into his own life, how he envisions the field of Alzheimer’s disease research advancing in the next five years and other personal insights from the person behind the podcast.

Visit our “Prevention” webpage for more on the brain health tips mentioned at 7:07.

Listen to our episode, “Highlights from the 2023 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference,” referenced at 10:49, on our website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Learn more about the importance of a healthy diet, mentioned at 8:25, by watching, “Take Care of Your MIND: Reviewing the MIND Diet for Healthy Brain Aging,” on our YouTube channel.

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: [email protected]

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

Cognitive engagement is vital to keeping your brain healthy since it can slow shrinkage and induce neuroplasticity. While modern technology offers many new tools and games to keep your brain active, are they better than traditional puzzles like crosswords? Dr. Murali Doraiswamy of Duke University joins the podcast to talk about his recent study, in collaboration with principal investigator Dr. Dev Devanand of Columbia University, on the effects of daily crossword puzzles on the brain health of older adults in comparison to daily computerized games. 

Guest: P. Murali Doraiswamy, MBBS, FRCP, director, Neurocognitive Disorders Program, physician scientist, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, professor of psychiatry and medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, co-author, The Alzheimer’s Action Plan

Learn more about Dr. Doraiswamy on Duke University Department of Medicine’s website.

Read Drs. Devanand and Doraiswamy's study, “Computerized Games versus Crosswords Training in Mild Cognitive Impairment,” through the New England Journal of Medicine Evidence.

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: [email protected]

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Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

Dementia caregiving is a multifaceted domain, deeply influenced by research, strategy and personal experiences. How are these elements shaping the current and future landscape of care? Dr. Beth Fields joins the podcast to discuss strategies and resources for caregivers from both national, state and personal perspectives, including the CHAT tool, the CAPABLE program and the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.

Guest: Beth Fields, PhD, board-certified occupational therapist, assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology, affiliate faculty member, Center for Aging Research and Education and Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Are you a clinician interested in receiving continuing education (CE) credits for listening to this episode? Find credit designation information, disclosures and evaluation information on our website and on the UW–Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP) website. The accreditation for this course expires 10/9/2024. After this date, you will no longer be able to access the course or claim credit.

Learn more about the RAISE 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers on the Administration for Community Living’s website.

Read Dr. Fields’ studies on the CHAT tool and CAPABLE program.

Learn more about family caregiver support resources on Trualta’s website.

Visit Wisconsin’s Family Caregiver Support Programs at wisconsincaregiver.org.

Listen to our episode with Dr. Arthur Kleinman, “Exploring the Lessons Learned as a New Caregiver” mentioned at 24:48, on our website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, or wherever you listen.

Learn more about Dr. Fields on the UW Department of Kinesiology’s website.

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: [email protected]

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Like cognition, mental health is a key component of the brain — and overall — health. In what ways can mental health and chronic mental illness impact a person’s cognition and risk for dementia? Dr. Art Walaszek joins the podcast to discuss the relationships between dementia and chronic mental illnesses, including major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in older adults.

Guest: Art Walaszek, MD, geriatric psychiatrist, professor, vice chair for education and faculty development, Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Are you a clinician who’s interested in receiving continuing education (CE) credit for listening to this episode? Find credit designation information, disclosures, and evaluation information on our website and on the UW-Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP) website. The accreditation for this course expires 9/18/2024. After this date, you will no longer be able to access the course or claim credit.

If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or are experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

Learn more about Dr. Walaszek on the UW Department of Psychiatry’s website.

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: [email protected]

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.