The Better Health While Aging Podcast

Get practical health tips from a geriatrician and other experts! We discuss common health problems that affect people over age 60, the best ways to prevent and manage those problems, and we also often address common concerns and dilemmas that come up with aging parents and other older loved ones.

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

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH Leave a Comment

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

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 Leave a Comment

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

[Read more…]

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

by Leslie Kernisan, MD MPH 2 Comments

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

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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