​Minding Memory - Season 02

Welcome to Minding Memory. In this podcast we discuss topics related to dementia research. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for dementia research, and we have topics for both those new to the space as well as old pros. We start with some basics, like: What exactly is dementia? What are the different types of dementia? What is the TICS, if not a swarm of blood-sucking insects? But we also invite researchers on to discuss their interesting work to give you a glimpse at the questions, data, and methods moving the field forward.

Minding Memory is co-hosted by Matthew Davis and Donovan Maust. Matt and Donovan are Associate Professors and health services researchers at the University of Michigan. Matt’s PhD is in data science and Donovan is a psychiatrist. The Minding Memory podcast is part of the Center to Accelerate Population Research in Alzheimer’s (CAPRA) (link is external)at the University of Michigan, supported by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. Additional support also comes from the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The content of this podcast does not represent the views of the National Institutes of Health or the University of Michigan.

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S2E1: ​Dementia as a Cause of Death

Causes of death were reclassified by the CDC to include contributing factors such as dementia. These changes resulted in dementia jumping up from the 8th cause of death in 2000 to the 6th cause of death in 2018 (and the 5th cause of death among older adults). In this episode we’ll talk with Dr. Bryan James from Rush University about dementia as a cause of death (versus contributing factor).
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DISCLAIMER: In this episode we are going to be talking about research on dementia and mortality. Because research transcribes human experiences into cold numbers it tends to objectify real human conditions such as death. This can come off as insensitive if it hits close to home. Therefore, if you or someone you care for is a person living with Alzheimer’s disease you may not want to listen to this episode.

S2E2: ​Cognitive Impairment and Susceptibility to Scams​

For older adults living with dementia, cognitive impairment can lead to susceptibility to fraudulent activities.  In this episode we’ll discuss with Dr. Duke Han from the Keck School of Medicine at USC what’s known about the intersection of aging, cognition, and susceptibility to scams.

S2E3: ​Healthcare at Home for People Living with Dementia​

This week we feature a recent study by Katherine Ornstein and colleagues that was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.  Dr. Ornstein studies family caregiving and the home-based clinical care.  The study used Medicare claims linked to the National Health and Aging Trends Study to estimate the degree to which people living with dementia use health services from home.  We’ll discuss what exactly home-based health services are (and how they are typically categorized) and discuss the role these services are expected to play for people living with dementia.

S2E4: The Secret Life of a Health Data Analyst

Health data analysts are an elusive bunch in the wild.  While we see their names periodically show up as middle authors on manuscripts or in the Acknowledgement section they work largely behind the scenes; yet they play a vital role in conducting research that use large data.  In this episode we speak with several health data analysts to better understand the role they play in research and, for all the researchers out there, discuss how to make the process as smooth as possible when working with an analyst.

S2E5: Personality Type and Cognitive Resilience

In this episode we discuss what’s known about the association between personality type and cognitive function.  Further, the idea of resilience—or what protects the cognition of individuals with a high level of neuropathology associated with cognitive decline—might have important implications for dementia prevention.  Our guests are Dr. Eileen Graham and Dr. Dan Mroczek. Drs. Graham and Mroczek are both faculty at Northwestern University with interests in how personality factors influence physical and cognitive health over the life course.

S2E6: Has the Likelihood of Receiving a Dementia Diagnosis at the End of Life Changed?​

In this episode we’ll speak with Dr. Julie Bynum(link is external) who was the senior author on a recent study that examined how the likelihood of receiving a diagnosis of dementia has changed over the last decade or so. We’ll discuss what this might mean clinically and what researchers that rely on Medicare data should take-away from this finding. We also will talk in general about the various approaches that exist for identification of dementia in Medicare billing data.
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S2E7: Emotional Burden & Depressive Symptoms in Caregivers ​

In this episode, Donovan & Matt speak with Geoffrey Hoffman(link is external), a faculty member and researcher at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.  Dr. Hoffman discusses the transition to the role of caregiver for partners of persons diagnosed with dementia – and the unique emotional burden and stress that they undertake.  Dr. Hoffman also discusses using the Health & Retirement Study (HRS) to better explore the emotional stress and onset of depression in caregivers.   ​