In our last episode we talked about caregivers for individuals living with dementia. In this second part of our series on caregivers we’ll get to know someone with lived experience. We’re joined in this episode by Peggy Arden whose husband has Alzheimer’s disease. Peggy has graciously agreed to offer us a behind the scenes look at the ups and downs of being a dementia caregiver.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Related Links: 

• CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/ 

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Individuals living with dementia require care that is often delivered by family and friends. This episode is devoted to discussing some of the unique aspects of dementia caregiving. Our guest today is Dr. Amanda Leggett. Dr. Leggett is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry here at the University of Michigan. Her research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is focused on issues related to dementia caregiving. She has interviewed over a hundred patients with dementia and their caregivers.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Related Links:  

• CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/
• Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging: https://micda.isr.umich.edu/
• The 36 Hour Day (Book): https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/36-hour-day

Resources for Caregivers:

• U-M Turner Center (in Ann Arbor): https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/geriatrics-center/community-programs/turner-senior-resource-center
• Alzheimer Associations: https://www.alz.org/help-support/caregiving

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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One of the richest data sources available to study cognition and aging is the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). This nationally representative survey includes questions to help assess cognition, but many researchers may use this data without actually knowing the questions behind the variables—don’t be That Guy! (or Gal!) Listen to Dr. Lindsay Ryan, an HRS team member, coach Matt as he administers the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) to Donovan, who is surprisingly good at recalling types of birds.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Related Links:   

• CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/  
• Health and Retirement Study (HRS): https://hrsonline.isr.umich.edu/ 

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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While there are some FDA-approved medications for dementia, more individuals living with dementia are actually prescribed psychotropic medications. In this episode, Donovan introduces Matt to the concept of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, which are just as much part of dementia as the memory loss—and are probably a big reason for all this other prescribing. 

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Related Links:  

• CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/  
• Article discussed in this episode: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7435346/ Maust DT, Strominger J, Bynum JPW, et al. Prevalence of Psychotropic and Opioid Prescription Fills Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Dementia in the US. JAMA. 2020;324(7):706–708. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.8519 

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Our guest in this episode is Dr. Sara Adar. She is an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in the department of epidemiology. Dr. Adar was the senior author on a study titled “Long-term community noise exposure in relation to dementia, cognition, and cognitive decline in older adults” that was published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The study used data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project to examine the association between exposure to community noise and cognitive impairment. We talk with her about how exposure to noise affects cognition. 

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Related Links:   

• CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/  
• Article discussed in this episode: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33084241/ Weuve, J., D'Souza, J., Beck, T., Evans, D. A., Kaufman, J. D., Rajan, K. B., Mendes de Leon, C. F., & Adar, S. D. (2021). Long‐term community noise exposure in relation to dementia, cognition, and cognitive decline in older adults. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 17(3), 525-533. DOI: 10.1002/alz.12191 

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Often research studies consider dementia as either present or absent, while others specify particular types of dementia. For example, what exactly is frontotemporal dementia? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Henry (Hank) Paulson, who directs the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center, to introduce listeners to the most common types of dementia and hear about some of their defining features. For those of you without clinical backgrounds, consider this your crash course on the types of dementia. 

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Related Links:  

• CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/  
• Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center:  https://alzheimers.med.umich.edu/ 

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we continue our discussion of the implications of the approval of the Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm (generic name Aducanumab). Our guest this week is Professor Nicholas Bagley. Bagley is a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School and a contributing writer to the Atlantic. Recently he wrote an article titled “The Drug that Could Break American Health Care” that discusses some of the broader (unintended) consequences of the approval of Aducanumab. In this episode we discuss some of the broader cost implications of the new drug.

PRODUCER’S NOTE: Since the recording of this interview, Medicare officials have announced the largest ever dollar-amount rate hike for Part B coverage citing the need to build contingency reserves to potentially cover the Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm. Professor Bagley discusses the concern of the cost of Aduhelm to the US Healthcare System in this Minding Memory episode.  

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Related Links:   

• CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/  
• Atlantic Article – The Drug that Could Break American Healthcare by Nicholas Bagley & Rachel Sachs: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/06/aduhelm-drug-alzheimers-cost-medicare/619169/ 

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Aducanumab is a new drug designed to remove amyloid in the brain. Following an accelerated process, the Food and Drug Administration approved Aducanumab as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease despite (what many experts feel) little evidence of effectiveness. In this episode we discuss the approval of Aducanumab with Dr. Jason Karlawish from the University of Pennsylvania and talk about what it could mean for drug discovery going forward. 

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Related Links:   

• CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/  
• The Problem of Alzheimer’s by Jason Karlawish: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250218742 
• Jason Karlawish Website: jasonkarlawish.com 
• FDA Aducanumab Approval Press Release (June 2021): https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-alzheimers-drug 

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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In this episode we talk with Dr. Ken Langa about the implications of identification of “preclinical” Alzheimer’s disease (situations where individuals may have biological signs of Alzheimer’s but no symptoms). Ken is a leading dementia researcher and our discussion focuses on an article he published called “Preclinical Alzheimer Disease – Early Diagnosis or Overdiagnosis” that was published in JAMA Internal Medicine. In his article co-authored with Dr. Jim Burke, he brings up some of the potential indirect effects of early detection. 

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

RELATED LINKS: 

• CAPRA Website: http://capra.med.umich.edu/  
• National Poll on Healthy Aging: https://www.healthyagingpoll.org/ 
• Article discussed in this episode: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31282928/ Langa, Kenneth M., and James F. Burke. "Preclinical Alzheimer disease—early diagnosis or overdiagnosis?." JAMA Internal Medicine 179.9 (2019): 1161-1162. 

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Welcome to the podcast! In this episode we introduce ourselves and provide an overview of the Minding Memory Podcast. This podcast is supported by the Center to Accelerate Population Research in Alzheimer’s (CAPRA) at the University of Michigan. Our guest this week is Dr. Julie Bynum. Julie is the director of CAPRA and we talk briefly about what the NIH-funded research center is and how to get involved. 

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Related Links: 

• CAPRA Website:  http://capra.med.umich.edu 

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.