The Better Health While Aging Podcast

Better Health While Aging

055 – Interview: Bill Thomas on Ageism & Innovations to Improve Aging

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00:00 / 48:16

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In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with geriatrician Bill Thomas, MD, founder of ChangingAging.org, the Eden Alternative, and the Green House Project. They discuss his recent efforts to counter ageism and his latest housing-related projects, including:

• What is ageism and why is it so pervasive
• The stories we tell ourselves about aging (including our own aging) and youth
• Thinking about lifespan in terms of childhood, adulthood, and elderhood
• Why it’s a problem for older adults to cling to “adulthood” as part of their identities
• The words we use and why we might embrace the term “elder”
• How having “too much house” is risky in aging, and how a Minka house might help
• How Bill Thomas is planning for his own aging
• His plan to pilot a “Multi-Ability, multiGenerational, Inclusive, Community” (“MAGIC”) in 2018

Better Health While Aging

054 – How to Make Difficult Decisions Easier:
Using Goals of Care & Weighing Benefits vs Burdens

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00:00 / 43:22

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In This Episode:

Dr. K discusses a reader’s dilemma concerning his resistant 96-year-old father, and explains how using two foundational concepts — goals of care, and weighing benefits versus burdens — can help families work through difficult decisions. (See here for the posted question and her written answer.) She covers:

• How to think about whether an older relative may have lost decision-making capacity
• The three key goals of medical care: helping people live longer, feel better, and function better
• Why thinking through goals of care is foundational in geriatrics
• Three common non-medical goals for older adults: autonomy, safety, and privacy
• What to do when goals come into conflict
• How to use a “benefits versus burdens” framework to think through dilemmas and difficult decisions
• How the reader with the resistant 96-year-old father might think through his options
• 4 suggestions to keep in mind when discussing difficult topics with an older relative

Better Health While Aging

053 – Interview: Addressing Loneliness in Aging

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00:00 / 41:24

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In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with Carla Perissinotto, MD, Associate Chief for Geriatrics Clinical Programs at UCSF and a nationally known expert on loneliness in aging. Her landmark 2012 study found that loneliness is common among older adults, and is associated with greater declines while aging. They discuss:

• What surprised her about her study findings
• The difference between being alone, being lonely, and being socially isolated
• How social contact and loneliness can impact health while aging
• When to worry about someone who lives alone
• Whether trying to age in place might increase the risk of social isolation
• Different services and options that can help maintain social connections even when it’s hard to leave home
• What to do if you’re worried about an older relative who might be lonely
• How older adults might plan ahead to reduce their risk of loneliness and social isolation
• How loneliness can put aging adults at risk for financial exploitation
• Promising approaches to reducing loneliness in aging

Better Health While Aging

052 – Maintaining Mobility & Preventing Falls in Aging: Myths & Truths

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00:00 / 43:37

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In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with Tiffany Shubert, PT PhD, a practicing physical therapist and a leading expert on exercise for fall prevention. They discuss the best ways to maintain mobility and prevent falls in aging, including:

• Why walking is often not enough, when it comes to fall prevention
• Why strong legs and good balance are crucial, and which exercises help develop this
• How much exercise older adults should aim to do every week
• How to figure out if an older person is tired due to doing too much versus not enough
• The truths about chair exercises
• The truth about water exercises
• Whether canes prevent falls, and how they can be helpful
• What to know about canes and walkers in dementia
• How to find a high-quality exercise program that will build strength in aging
• When trekking poles can be a good option to support safer mobility
• What to know about yoga for fall prevention, and why tai chi might be a better choice

[Read more…]

Better Health While Aging

051 – Interview: Innovations to Help Older Adults & Family Caregivers

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00:00 / 37:30

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In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with Anne Tumlinson, an expert in long-term care and the founder of the caregiving organization Daughterhood.org. They discuss the upcoming Aging 2.0 Optimize Conference, promising innovations to help family caregivers and more. Their conversation addresses:

• Which problems that come up the most in the Daughterhood.org community
• Why it’s so hard for families to navigate the healthcare system
• Promising age-friendly health innovations
• Options for addressing aging in place and aging in the right place
• Dr. Bill Thomas’s new Minka customizable house project
• How transportation innovations can help older adults
• The peer-to-peer aging health coaching being pioneered by AgeWell Global
• What Anne learned from helping the Caregiver Action Network develop training to help families learn to make decisions

Better Health While Aging

050 – Flu Shots for Older Adults: What to Know

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00:00 / 40:53

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In This Episode:

Dr. K explains what all older adults and family caregivers should know about annual vaccination against influenza. She covers:

• What is influenza, and how many people are affected every year
• Why older adults are at higher risk of harm from the flu
• How the vaccine works
• The two key ways you can protect yourself from the flu
• How pneumococcal vaccination helps protect against flu complications
• What to know about flu shots designed for older adults
• Which influenza vaccine she thinks is best for most older adults
• What to do if your older relative is unable or unwilling to get vaccinated

Better Health While Aging

049 – Better Primary Care for Older Adults:
the Oak Street Health Story

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00:00 / 1:04:36

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In This Episode:

Dr. K talks with Griffin Myers, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Oak Street Health, a Chicago-based network of primary care clinics designed to serve older adults. They discuss:

• What makes Oak Street Health’s primary care different from usual primary care
• Why every patient is assigned to a team and not just a doctor
• How Oak Street Health uses patient relations managers, care managers, pharmacists, and other team members to address issues that many primary care providers don’t
• The problems with fee-for-service in primary care, and the benefits of accountable care
• How Oak Street Health is able to serve seniors of all income levels, without charging extra fees
• How they help older adults avoid risky medications
• Advice for innovators developing health technologies for aging adults