Season 7 has been full of amazing stories and perspectives about the dementia journey and beyond. Our hosts with special guest, Amber Ayers, discuss which episodes surprised them, which ones they felt a connection with, and what they took away from the entire season. Listen in for their unique personal experiences with our guests and discover what inspires future seasons of the podcast.

Over half of all people with dementia never get a diagnosis. We untangle this issue with Dr. Parichita Choudhury, a Cognitive Neurologist at Banner Sun Health Research Institute, and discover why seeking a diagnosis is so important and how to proceed. She shares a little about the future of diagnosing and how much easier it will be to identify numerous brain dysfunctions and help people live a higher quality of life with dementia.  

Stimulating our senses like smell, sight, touch, sound, and taste can access memories locked away in our brains from years ago. We explore the power of olfactory stimulation with Dr. Jennifer Stelter, a clinical psychologist and creator of the Dementia Connection model, and how it can be used as a non-pharmacological approach to care. She explains how things like essential oils and touch can help caregivers to modify unwanted behaviors and create a supportive environment for their loved one. 

Heart health and brain health are often linked together, and damage can come to both of these areas due to build-up of plaques. To better define the difference between the two, we talk to Dr. Craig Weinkauf, a Vascular Surgeon and Immunologist at the University of Arizona. He warns us of the effects of Carotid Artery Disease on brain health, and how his collaborative research hopes to help us better understand the connection between heart health and dementia. 

The importance of enriching activities in our daily lives cannot be understated, but it can be challenging to find appropriate activities for your loved one with dementia. We talk to Missy Paschke-Wood, the Community Life Director at Hacienda at the Canyon in Tucson, about her passion of connecting the arts to the dementia community and how people can thrive with the appropriate stimulation and support. She shares her creative ideas for projects you can do at home, or ways to get out in the community and explore. 

Dementia is the most significant health issue for aging adults with down syndrome. Professor of Medicine and Director of University of Pittsburgh Adult Down Syndrome Center, Dr. Peter Bulova, helps us untangle the common brain concerns between down syndrome and dementia, how amyloid factors in, and someone with intellectual disabilities may be at higher risk for receiving a delayed diagnosis of dementia. He speaks to how his research findings can ideally be useful to people with dementia, outside of the down syndrome population. 

Everyone uses compensatory strategies in their daily lives, whether it’s recognized as that or not, to help us perform tasks in an alternative manner or by using adaptive aids so that we can be more independent. Dr. Christi Belden, a Neuropsychologist at Banner Sun Health Research Institute, helps us untangle some of the top strategies to use if you are experiencing memory or thinking difficulties. She shares some of the most effective tips, tricks, and tools that we can use in daily life to make life flow for ourselves and our loved ones. 

The dementia journey often brings up the topic of advocacy - whether it’s for family support, financial support, or sometimes just to get a diagnosis. Our guest, Nicole Bell, the author of What Lurks in the Woods and an entrepreneur in medical devices, shares her family’s story of receiving a dementia diagnosis for her husband, and continuing to search for answers. Her honest portrayal of her caregiving journey is inspiring and educational, and her storytelling abilities will draw you into her unique experience. 

Quality rest isn’t always easy to make a priority, especially when you are experiencing stress, loss, or overexertion. We talk with Dr. Joyce Lee-Iannotti, a sleep and stroke neurologist at Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix, about the importance of good sleep and the benefit for your brain. She highlights the importance of leveraging simple things on our own that can help reduce the risk of dementia as diagnosis rates continue to climb. At the top of her list: quality and quantity of sleep. 

Dementia caregivers often have complicated feelings around grief and loss throughout the dementia journey. We talk with Mary-Frances O’Connor, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona and author of The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss, about emotions and changes that come with grief. She talks us through the scientific process of understanding how our brains process grief and why we experience it, what can trigger painful emotions and sensitivities, and why it’s important for us to acknowledge our expression of it.