Michael "Mick" Smyer, former provost and emeritus professor of psychology at Bucknell University, is now the founder and CEO of Growing Greener, an initiative dedicated to mobilizing older adults to take action on climate change.

In this season 4 finale, we discuss strategies for navigating conversations about climate change with those around you. We also examine why older adults are particularly vulnerable to climate change and the importance of intergenerational engagement on this critical issue. Smyer introduces Growing Greener and how it empowers individuals to shift from climate anxiety to meaningful action.

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Visit CSU's Center for Healthy Aging website in between seasons to keep up with events and programming.

Anita Bundy, an occupational therapist at CSU, discusses the vital role of play throughout life – from childhood to older adulthood. She explains how "risky play" helps children develop physically, cognitively, and emotionally, and how play remains important for older adults. Through sports and social activities, play helps adults and caregivers balance the "dignity of risk" with the "duty of care," offering opportunities for achievement, competition, and successful aging.

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Read more about Bundy's research on CSU's SOURCE.

Nancy Murray, an economic development specialist with Larimer County, joins to discuss an Opportunity Now grant aimed at addressing Colorado's caregiver shortage. With over 684,000 annual openings projected nationwide for home health aides, Murray explores challenges of low wages and high turnover while sharing her vision for the transformative CareCorps program. Tune in to learn how you can support this local effort in Northern Colorado.

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Interested in partnering? Email [email protected].

Assistant Professor Julie Silver Seidle, an occupational therapist specializing in older adulthood, shares insights from her 2020 dissertation about the emotional and physical challenges caregivers face during bereavement. She also explores resilience and finding identity and purpose post-caregiving.

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Read Silver Seidle's dissertation, "Life After Caregiving" on ProQuest.

Assistant Professor Julie Moreno and recently graduated Ph.D. student Amanda Latham of CSU's Toxicology program join to discuss the surprising cognitive impacts of urinary tract infections. This episode explores how UTIs can lead to delirium and neurodegeneration, the role of the brain’s immune cells in this process, and why the Dunklin Hartley guinea pig is an ideal model for studies of the aging human brain. In spring 2023, Moreno’s lab received a pilot grant from the Center for Healthy Aging to conduct this research, and the preliminary results are shared today.

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Find Latham's tuberculosis publication in Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Read about the Hartley guinea pig as a model of human brain aging in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A.

Grace Borlee, an assistant professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, describes an intergenerational learning project in which MIP students were paired with older adult volunteers to complete a lab experiment. The pilot project explores the benefits of intergenerational learning for both students and older adults, how students can practice communicating their science, and some learnings on how to recruit community volunteers for research participation.

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Learn more about the CURE Lab and their Spring 2024 lab here.

Aga Burzynska, an associate professor at CSU and director of The BRAiN Lab, shares her latest research, published in Neurobiology of Aging, which studied 141 adults aged 20 to 80. Burzynska's team found that myelin, the protective insulation around nerves, peaks in our 40s and 50s before gradually declining. This decline, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, is linked to reduced memory performance with age. We delve into these findings and what they mean for understanding the aging brain and neurocognitive decline. 

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Find the publication here.

Dr. Saranya Wyles, a dermatologist from the Mayo Clinic, delves into the science of skin aging and the reasoning behind common age-related skin concerns, like wrinkles, age spots, and skin thinning and sagging. She shares a basic skin care routine (with just three products!) that everyone should use to maintain skin health with age – as well as her advice for navigating cosmetic procedures to reverse signs of aging. The episode ends with the next generation of skin care: regenerative dermatology, exosomes, and 3D bioprinting to create models of skin aging.

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Find Dr. Wyles' feature on the Today Show.

Learn about (plated)™ Skin Science in the New York Social Diary.

Regional Director Lily Griego from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services discusses recent initiatives impacting adults in Colorado, including the HHS's mission to address maternal care, mental health destigmatization, and rural health care accessibility, along with the Inflation Reduction Act's role in reducing health care costs for older adults.

Further reading:

• Strengthening Maternal Health
• SAMSHA Announces $39.4 Million in Funding Opportunities for Grants to Help Advance the President’s Unity Agenda
• Biden-Harris Administration taking actions to improve the health of rural communities
• Fact Sheet: One Year In, President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act
• Fact Sheet: Advancing Health Equity Across HHS
• SAMSHA Announces $36.9 Million in Behavioral Health Funding Opportunities 
• ASPE Office of Health Policy: Insulin Affordability and the Inflation Reduction Act

Associate Professor of Communication Studies Meara Faw explores the complexities of caregiving, including statistics on its prevalence, the challenges faced by care partners, and the unique needs they encounter. Faw shares insights from her research on improving caregiver and care-recipient well-being, including interventions like B-Sharp and the performing arts. Also discussed is the 2023 Surgeon General's report on loneliness and its impacts on health.