The Role of Social Work in Dementia Care

People with dementia and their families see many different doctors and health care providers following a diagnosis. Some may be surprised to know that social workers play a role in dementia care as well. Jeni Synnes, a social worker at UW Health, joins the podcast to explain her role in a memory clinic, the support social workers provide for families and care partners, and what people should know before and after a memory assessment. Guest: Jeni Synnes, MSSW, LCSW, social worker, UW Health Show Notes Are you a clinician interested in receiving continuing education (CE) credits for listening to this episode? Find credit designation information, disclosures and evaluation information on our website and on the UW–Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP) website. The accreditation for this course expires 3/23/2027. After this date, you will no longer be able to access the course or claim credit. Learn more about the Aging and Disability Resource Centers on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production. Learn about and pre-order Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia, out June 2, 2026.

Are you a researcher interested in getting involved in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) clinical trials? The Institute on Methods and Protocols for Advancement of Clinical Trials in ADRD, or IMPACT-AD, program brings investigators from around the world together for a week of professional development and education. IMPACT-AD co-directors Dr. Josh Grill and Dr. Rema Raman, as well as faculty member Dr. Maria Carrillo, join the podcast to explain what the program entails, their mission and more. Guests: Josh Grill, PhD, director, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, professor, University of California, Irvine (UCI), co-director, IMPACT-AD, Rema Raman, PhD, co-director, IMPACT-AD, director, Biostatistics Section and Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention Section, Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI), professor of neurology, University of Southern California (USC), and Maria Carrillo, PhD, chief science officer, medical affairs lead, Alzheimer’s Association, co-principal investigator, Alzheimer’s Network for Treatment and Diagnostics (ALZ-NET), co-principal investigator, Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Study (LEADS) Show Notes Learn more and apply for the 2026 IMPACT-AD program on their website.  Listen to our previous episode with Rema Raman, “Making an IMPACT: Advancing Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trials Through Workforce Development and Inclusivity,” on our website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you listen. Listen to our previous episodes with Josh Grill, “The Case for Disclosing Biomarker Results to Alzheimer’s Research Participants” and “Improving Registries and Representation in Alzheimer’s Disease Research” on our website. Read more about Dr. Raman in her USC Keck School of Medicine Profile. Read more about Dr. Grill in his UCI faculty profile. Read more about Dr. Carrillo on the Alzheimer’s Association website.  Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production. Learn about and pre-order Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia, out June 2, 2026.

Ultra-processed foods are a hot topic in the fields of health and nutrition, but what exactly are they and how do they impact our overall well-being? Dr. Beth Olson joins the podcast to explain what this term means, describe strategies for developing a balanced diet and share a preview of her upcoming Healthy Living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) presentation, “Unpacking Ultra-Processed Foods.” Guest: Beth Olson, PhD, associate professor of nutritional sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison Show Notes Register and learn more about the upcoming Healthy Living with MCI event featuring Dr. Olson, happening on March 6, 2026, and future programs on our website. Learn more about Dr. Olson on her profile on the UW Department of Nutritional Sciences website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production. Learn about and pre-order Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia, out June 2, 2026.

What if your heartbeat could help determine your dementia risk? The CAIDE dementia risk score has long helped clinicians estimate midlife risk for dementia using cardiovascular health factors, but its accuracy hasn’t been equal across populations. New research suggests that integrating resting heart rate meaningfully improves predictive performance across most racial groups. In this interview, Dr. Newman Sze and Shakiru Alaka join us to dig into how and why resting heart rate enhances CAIDE’s accuracy, what the data shows across different racial groups, and what this could mean for earlier, more equitable identification of dementia risk in both research and clinical settings. Guests: Newman Sze, PhD, professor of health sciences, Brock University, Canada Research Chair in Mechanisms of Health and Disease, and Shakiru Alaka, MS, senior analyst, Canadian Institute for Health Information, data scientist, Western University Show Notes Read Shakiru and Dr. Sze’s study, “Enhancing the validity of CAIDE dementia risk scores with resting heart rate and machine learning: An analysis from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center across all races/ethnicities,” published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia online. Learn more about Shakiru and Dr. Sze’s research from this article on the Brock University website. Learn more about Dr. Sze and his research from his bio on the Brock University website. Look into more of Shakiru’s research from his Google Scholar page. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production. Learn about and pre-order Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia, out June 2, 2026.

What if one of the most powerful clues about dementia risk is already being captured every morning before you even get out of bed? The CAIDE dementia risk score has long helped clinicians estimate midlife risk for dementia using cardiovascular health factors, but its accuracy hasn’t been equal across populations. New research suggests that integrating resting heart rate meaningfully improves predictive performance across most racial groups. In this interview, Dr. Newman Sze and Shakiru Alaka join us to dig into how and why resting heart rate enhances CAIDE’s accuracy, what the data shows across different racial groups, and what this could mean for earlier, more equitable identification of dementia risk in both research and clinical settings. Guests: Newman Sze, PhD, professor of health sciences, Brock University, Canada Research Chair in Mechanisms of Health and Disease, and Shakiru Alaka, MS, senior analyst, Canadian Institute for Health Information, data scientist, Western University   Show Notes Read Shakiru and Dr. Sze’s study, “Enhancing the validity of CAIDE dementia risk scores with resting heart rate and machine learning: An analysis from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center across all races/ethnicities,” published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia online. Learn more about Shakiru and Dr. Sze’s research from this article on the Brock University website. Learn more about Dr. Sze and his research from his bio on the Brock University website. Look into more of Shakiru’s research from his Google Scholar page. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production. Learn about and pre-order Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia, out June 2, 2026.

Alzheimer’s disease isn’t always the only health condition a person faces, so how does treating other diseases impact the progression of Alzheimer’s? Researchers at the University of Arizona focused on four common health conditions – type two diabetes, hypertension, inflammation and dyslipidemia – which are known to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and set out to investigate whether those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s who received treatments for these four conditions also saw a delay in cognitive decline. Dr. Barb Bendlin joins the podcast to break down the findings from this research, as well as discuss the impact of personalized prevention strategies and combination therapies. Guest: Barbara Bendlin, PhD, professor, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health, deputy director, UW Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR) Show Notes Read the study, “Combination therapy targeting Alzheimer's disease risk factors is associated with a significant delay in Alzheimer's disease–related cognitive decline,” published by Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions on the Alzheimer’s Association’s website.  Read more about the study in the article “Four Key Pieces Managing Common Health Conditions Slows Alzheimer's Progression,” published on the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center’s website. Learn more about Dr. Bendlin from her profile on the UW Center for Health Disparities Research website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production. Learn about and pre-order Dr. Chin’s book, When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer's and Dementia, out June 2, 2026.

10,000 – that’s the magic number of steps often recommended for a healthy lifestyle. With recent research looking into whether that number is an accurate benchmark for health, could the number of steps taken per day have an impact on brain health and, specifically, cognitive decline? That’s precisely what a new study from Harvard Medical School and Mass General Brigham sought to examine, looking at how physical activity, specifically step count, impacted cognitive decline for those living with Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Bri Breidenbach and Sarah Lose join the podcast to break down the results of this new study, as well as share what current research says about the effect of other kinds of physical activity, such as different intensity exercises, on the brain and Alzheimer’s progression. Guests: Bri Breidenbach, PhD, scientist, exercise physiologist, Okonkwo Lab, and Sarah Lose, MS, research program manager, exercise physiologist, Okonkwo Lab, UW School of Medicine and Public Health Show Notes Read the study, “Physical activity as a modifiable risk factor in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease,” published by the journal Nature Medicine on their website. Learn more about Dr. Breidenbach and Sarah Lose’s work on the Okonkwo Lab website. Read “Association of Daily Step Count and Intensity With Incident Dementia in 78 430 Adults Living in the UK,” mentioned by Dr. Breidenbach at 12:01, on JAMA Neurology’s website. Listen to Sarah Lose’s previous episode, “Building the Brain: Finding the Cognitive Benefits of Physical Activity,” on our website. Learn more about physical activity and the six pillars of brain health on our website. Complete the Dementia Matters Feedback Survey to let us know what our show is doing well and how we can improve in the New Year! This anonymous survey is estimated to take about 5 minutes to complete and is open to all.   Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

As 2025 comes to an end, host Dr. Nathaniel Chin discusses the importance of gratitude for brain health and shares what he’s grateful for from this past year. Show Notes Complete the Dementia Matters Feedback Survey to let us know what our show is doing well and how we can improve in the New Year! This anonymous survey will be open until January 14th, 2026 and is estimated to take about 5 minutes to complete. Read the study Dr. Chin mentions at 0:57, “Association between gratitude, the brain and cognitive function in older adults: Results from the NEIGE study,” on the ScienceDirect website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) like concussions are not uncommon, especially in children and older adults. These injuries can have both short-term and lasting effects on the brain, but what about their impact on cognitive function? Dr. Deling He of UW–Madison’s Cognitive-Communication in Aging and Neurogenic Disorders Laboratory (CCANDL) lab joins the podcast to discuss her research on the connections between TBI, speech pathology and cognition and what her study findings mean for people with a history of TBI. Guest: Deling He, PhD, postdoctoral research associate, Cognitive-Communication in Aging and Neurogenic Disorders Laboratory, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, UW–Madison Show Notes Read the study from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), “Traumatic Brain Injury Strikes 1 in 8 Older Americans,” mentioned by Dr. Chin at 0:30 on the UCSF website. Learn more about Dr. He’s study in the article, “TBI linked to long-term cognitive decline in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease,” published on Healio’s website. Learn more about the Cognitive-Communication in Aging and Neurogenic Disorders Laboratory (CCANDL) on their lab website. Learn more about Dr. He on the CCANDL website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

When memory, thinking or communication changes begin, knowing where to turn for support can make all the difference. In this episode, we explore how two key health care specialties can help individuals and families meet those challenges with confidence. Sarah Gunderson, an occupational therapist, and Kari Esser, a speech-language pathologist, draw from their work supporting people experiencing a wide range of neurological conditions to walk us through the foundations of their specialties and their unique roles in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia care. Sarah and Kari also provide a preview of their upcoming talk, “Partnering with Your Healthcare Team,” as part of the 2025 Healthy Living with MCI education program. Guests: Sarah Gunderson, OT, occupational therapist, UW Health, Kari Esser, MS, CCC-SLP, speech-language pathologist, UW Health Show Notes Register and learn more about the upcoming Healthy Living with MCI event featuring Dr. Chin, Sarah Gunderson and Kari Esser, happening on December 12, 2025, and future programs on our website. Learn more about Sarah from her profile on the UW Health Website. Learn more about Kari from her profile on the UW Health Website. Connect with us Find transcripts and more at our website. Email Dementia Matters: [email protected] Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter. Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.