Episode Archive - Page 11 of 19 - Better Health While Aging

089 – Giving Yourself (And Your Family) a Gift on National Healthcare Decisions Day

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH Leave a Comment

Better Health While Aging

089 – Giving Yourself (And Your Family) a Gift on National Healthcare Decisions Day

00:00 / 39:14

In This Episode:

Dr. K shares a personal story and explains why it’s so important to take the time to talk with others and make plans to provide others with guidance, since most of us will at some point be unable to make our own healthcare decisions. She covers:

The importance of National Healthcare Decisions Day
What “advance care planning” means, and why it’s more than completing legal forms
Four key steps in advance care planning
Why it’s essential to have conversations with others, including with healthcare providers and with family
Two free online tools you can use to guide you through reflection, conversations, and completing paperwork
Five common pitfalls to avoid if possible
Five questions you can ask yourself, every April when it’s National Healthcare Decisions Day

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088 – Interview: Avoiding Inappropriate Prescribing in Aging & What to Know About the Beers Criteria

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 5 Comments

Better Health While Aging

088 – Interview: Avoiding Inappropriate Prescribing in Aging & What to Know About the Beers Criteria

00:00 / 47:31

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with geriatrician Dr. Michael Steinman, Professor of Medicine at UCSF and an expert on medication safety in older adults. He recently served on the expert panel that authored the American Geriatrics Society 2019 Updated AGS Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults, which lists medications that older adults should avoid or use with caution. They discuss:

What is “inappropriate prescribing” and why it affects an estimated 50% of older adults
How ageism can affect medication prescribing
How inertia, hospitalizations, and other factors lead to medications “accumulating”
Why it’s not safe to assume that all your medications are being prescribed for a good reason
How to be proactive about asking your health providers to review whether all medications are still necessary and appropriate
What is the Beer’s Criteria list and how does the Expert Panel decide what should be on it
Why older adults become more vulnerable to medications as they age
Some key Beers Criteria medications older adults should know about
What you can do if you’re taking a medication on the Beer’s Criteria list
How pharmacists can help, and other tips on ensuring safer medication use in aging

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087- Interview: Coping with Difficult Older Parents

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 5 Comments

Better Health While Aging

087- Interview: Coping with Difficult Older Parents

00:00 / 1:04:14

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with family caregiving expert Barbara Kane, LCSW, co-author of “Coping With Your Difficult Older Parent: A Guide for Stressed-Out Children.” She is a co-founder of Aging Network Services, which provides geriatric care management and psychotherapy services. They discuss:

What it means to be a “difficult” older person, and why most such older parents have been “difficult” their entire lives
Categories of difficult behavior, including dependent, “turnoff”, self-centered, controlling, self-destructive, and fearful behaviors
How Aging Network Services helps adult children examine and improve their own interactions with their aging parents
Why age-related challenges are especially hard on “difficult” people
Why adult children must often learn to tolerate an older parent’s unhappiness
How it can help to stop arguing, stop “trying to fix,” and stop “trying to please”
Tips on boundaries and setting limits with an older parent
How bringing in a geriatric care manager can help an aging parent accept needed help
Strategies for better communication with siblings when discussing plans for aging parents

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086 – Interview: Creating Age-Friendly Health Systems at UCSF

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 2 Comments

Better Health While Aging

086 - Interview: Creating Age-Friendly Health Systems at UCSF

00:00 / 1:02:55

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with Dr. Stephanie Rogers, MD MPH, about creating Age-Friendly Health Systems at UCSF, and the specific programs they’ve developed to make hospitalization safer and better for older adults. They discuss:

What are Age-Friendly Health Systems, and why do older adults need them?
Why Age-Friendly Health Systems emphasize the “4 Ms”: mobility, mentation, medications, and what matters
How an Age-Friendly Health System differs from usual healthcare
Why hospitalization is often so risky for older people
What are Acute Care for Elders (ACE) units and how they help prevent problems such as falls, delirium, and loss of independence
How UCSF’s Hip Fracture Co-Management Service provides better care and improves recovery
UCSF’s Delirium Reduction Campaign, which uses a tool called “AWOL” to check every hospitalized patient for delirium
How delirium can be prevented, and what UCSF recommends that families do
How UCSF uses Patient and Family Advisory Councils to improve care
How to find an Age-Friendly Health System near you

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085 – Understanding Lab Tests:
4 Common Blood Tests for Older Adults

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH Leave a Comment

Better Health While Aging

085 – Understanding Lab Tests:
4 Common Blood Tests for Older Adults

00:00 / 38:24

In This Episode:

Dr. K explains four “panels” of blood tests ordered for older adults, and what to keep in mind when blood tests are ordered. She covers:

What is a complete blood cell count (CBC)
What is a basic metabolic panel (also known as a basic electrolyte panel) and what is a comprehensive metabolic panel
What is a lipid panel
Common reasons that health providers order these panels, and what they can tell us about an older person’s health
Medications that often affect electrolytes
Why it’s important to request copies of your laboratory results
Key questions to ask, when lab tests are ordered or when you review abnormal results with your health provider

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084 – Interview: Understanding White Matter Changes in the Aging Brain

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 40 Comments

Better Health While Aging

084 – Interview: Understanding White Matter Changes in the Aging Brain

00:00 / 1:02:56

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with neurologist Fanny Elahi, MD PhD, about cerebral small vessel disease and other issues related to white matter changes in the brain. Dr. Elahi sees patients and conducts research at UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center, and is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at UCSF. They discuss:

What is the white matter in the brain, and why it often changes or is damaged with aging
The relationship between white matter changes and cerebral small vessel disease
How white matter changes can be thought of as a form of “scarring” in brain
Why these brain changes can affect memory, thinking, and/or falls
What we know about the prevention and treatment of these changes
How white matter changes relate to vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s and other causes of dementia
How the UCSF Memory and Aging Center evaluates white matter changes
What is vascular parkinsonism
What to consider for younger people with white matter changes on MRI
Her recommendations on maintaining the brain and its blood vessels
Ongoing research projects at UCSF and elsewhere that listeners may be able to participate in

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083 – Interview: Disrupting Dementia and Creating Dementia-Friendly Communities

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 2 Comments

Better Health While Aging

083 – Interview: Disrupting Dementia and Creating Dementia-Friendly Communities

00:00 / 1:00:19

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with Kavan Peterson, editor and co-founder (with Dr. Bill Thomas) of ChangingAging.org. He is also the Chief Operation Officer for the Minka House Project. They discuss:

How Kavan met Bill Thomas and why they founded ChangingAging.org
How approaches to aging have improved over the past decade
Why the ChangingAging Tour emphasizes listening sessions, and the top two concerns they hear about
Why multi-generational interaction is so important
Why ChangingAging decided to focus on disrupting dementia
The Village of Hope project and the creation of dementia-friendly communities
How technological innovations can help care for aging adults
What’s next for ChangingAging, Minka and MAGIC in 2019
How and why you should get involved in creating age-friendly communities

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082- Interview: Bill Thomas on Housing & Communities as Engines of Independence in Aging

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH Leave a Comment

Better Health While Aging

082- Interview: Bill Thomas on Housing & Communities as Engines of Independence in Aging

00:00 / 1:05:11

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with geriatrician Bill Thomas, MD, founder of ChangingAging.org. They discuss his recent efforts to “escape from the gerosphere” and focus on aging as late-life development, by changing our stories about aging and fostering better housing and communities. They cover:

What are the general misconceptions and assumptions of aging
Changing the narrative from “aging problems” to “later life development”
Why housing and communities are engines of independence and are essential to better aging
Why we should focus on creating MAGIC: Multi-Ability, multi-Generational, Inclusive Communities
What to say to older adults who want to live in homes that aren’t serving them well
Why you should consider whether your home is “future-proofed”
What is a Minka house
Changing Aging’s current projects innovating with Minka and MAGIC
How and why we should address ableism and ageism, including within ourselves
Co-housing and other options for older adults interested in better places to live and grow older

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081 – Interview: How to Plan Ahead for Your Later Years

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH Leave a Comment

Better Health While Aging

081 – Interview: How to Plan Ahead for Your Later Years

00:00 / 51:57

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with family caregiving expert Carol Levine, Director of the Families and Health Care Project at the United Hospital Fund of New York about her new book, “Navigating Your Later Years for Dummies.” They discuss:

How to be proactive about your current and future age-related needs
Why it’s vital to start by taking a personal inventory of your preferences and resources
How your financial situation affects your housing and care options in later life
Why it’s especially helpful to discuss your finances and your living will with family
Pros and cons of aging in your own long-time home
Why it’s important to know that Medicare doesn’t cover most long-term care services
Planning tips for those aging alone or without family support
The value of aging within a community and maintaining a support network
How Carol has talked with her own children & planned for her own aging
How to avoid getting overwhelmed by the process

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080 – Interview: Smartwatches as Medical Alert Devices
(What to Know & How to Choose)

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 2 Comments

Better Health While Aging

080 – Interview: Smartwatches as Medical Alert Devices
(What to Know & How to Choose)

00:00 / 1:01:31

In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with Richard Caro, PhD, a co-founder of Tech-Enhanced Life, who recently spent a few weeks carefully testing and reviewing four types of smartwatches that can serve as medical alert devices in the event of a fall or other personal health emergency. They discuss:

The Tech-Enhanced Life approach to evaluating innovations and newer technologies
The problem with existing medical alert devices
What key things to consider, when choosing a personal emergency response system (PERS) device and service
Why Richard and Dr. K recommend automatic fall-detection in a medical alert device
Which four smartwatch devices Richard selected for further testing
The difference between the Apple Watch 3 and 4, when it comes to using them as a medical alert
Why most medical alert services charge a monthly fee
How these newer smartwatch devices compare to more traditional PERS devices
The benefits of being able to “practice” summoning help
Richard’s preferred combo of medical alert features that no smartwatch offers (yet)
What to keep in mind if considering a medical alert for someone with dementia

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