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Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions of aging, affecting nearly two-thirds of older adults over the age of 70, but it’s not just a matter of diminished hearing. Hearing loss can contribute to poor psychosocial outcomes for patients including loneliness, depression, and social isolation. New research also shows that hearing loss is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia. In fact, the 2024 Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care identified hearing loss as one of 14 modifiable risk factors for dementia. According to the commission, treating hearing loss could prevent up to 7% of dementia cases globally, making it one of the most impactful areas for potential prevention. This raises the question of whether use of hearing aids in people with hearing loss can reduce or mitigate this increased dementia risk. To help us understand these connections and the latest research in this area, we are joined today by Dr. Alison Huang, an epidemiologist and Senior Research Associate from the Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health. Her research studies the impact of sensory loss on cognitive and mental health in older adults. Dr. Huang was an author of the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study, a large, multicenter randomized controlled trial that tested whether treating hearing loss in older adults could help slow cognitive decline published in the Lancet. Alison Huang, PhD, MPH Link to article: Lin FR, Pike JR, Albert MS, Arnold M, Burgard S, Chisolm T, Couper D, Deal JA, Goman AM, Glynn NW, Gmelin T, Gravens-Mueller L, Hayden KM, Huang AR, Knopman D, Mitchell CM, Mosley T, Pankow JS, Reed NS, Sanchez V, Schrack JA, Windham BG, Coresh J; ACHIEVE Collaborative Research Group. Hearing intervention versus health education control to reduce cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss in the USA (ACHIEVE): a multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2023 Sep 2;402(10404):786-797. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01406-X. Epub 2023 Jul 18. PMID: 37478886; PMCID: PMC10529382.

In this episode Matt and Lauren will speak with Dr. Marcia Pescador Jimenez, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between exposure to green space and health outcomes (including hypertension and cognitive measures). Emerging research has shown that midlife risk factors may delay or even prevent the onset of dementia later in life - among these include physical activity and social interaction. It’s not a stretch to imagine how a person’s environment may impact behaviors such as physical activity. For instance, there are places that lack sidewalks and parks that make exercising exceedingly difficult. Among environmental epidemiologists, there is growing interest in understanding how the built and natural environment influence our behaviors that, in turn, influence our health. We encourage you to listen to this episode while on a walk outside!

Expert offers strategies to help kids manage intense emotions as many parents report setting a bad example for anger management, worrying their child’s anger will cause problems.

Precautions are crucial — even lifesaving — when feeding guests with dietary restrictions. Simple strategies can help avoid issues at the dinner table.

While memory loss is generally thought of as the hallmark of dementia, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia like agitation, aggression, anxiety, and hallucinations are nearly universal, affecting almost all patients with advanced dementia. These behavioral disturbances are often the trigger for nursing home placement, and they can be highly distressing for both patients and their care partners. In today’s episode, Matt and Lauren speak with Dr. Ellen McCreedy, a researcher from the Brown School of Public Health who has conducted a study of personalized music intervention called Music & Memory for people living with dementia in nursing homes. Dr. McCreedy is a gerontologist and health services researcher who focuses on evaluation of non-pharmacologic interventions for managing behavioral disturbances of people living with dementia.

In this episode, you will get to hear Dr. Boehnke, in his own words, talk about his experiences, and the “chemical nudges” approach to chronic pain; reframing the role of medications in chronic pain management, and why solely relying on pain relievers “disempowers patients, clinicians and the drugs themselves.”

Welcome to Season 4 of Minding Memory, where we are welcoming a new co-host, Lauren Gerlach to the Minding Memory team. Lauren is a Geriatric Psychiatrist at the University of Michigan and a member of the CAPRA leadership team. In this episode, Lauren shares a little background on her research interests, what it’s like to be a geriatric psychiatrist, and some lessons learned about using “uncool” emoticons or emojis when texting.

What to know about the uptick in B19 and other respiratory illnesses expected to have a comeback in colder seasons.

A recent study finds that after two major health policy shifts aimed at increasing access to care, slightly more pregnant and postpartum women with depression or anxiety received psychotherapy.

All types of health care costs, and financial scams, rise to the top.

University of Michigan Health ranks among the nation’s best hospitals in more specialties than any other Michigan hospital, according to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals Rankings for 2024-2025.

An expert on racial and ethnic differences in health care and health outcomes offers recommendations as part of a national committee.

Certain nighttime habits can either help or hurt sleep issues in young children.

A $5.6 million grant helps launch research to improve screening and treatment for a gynecologic disorder disproportionately impacting Black and Hispanic populations.

Today on Health Lab, we are sharing an episode of The Fundamentals, another podcast from the Michigan Medicine Podcast Network that just launched its second season earlier this month. On this episode of The Fundamentals: "Cannabis and psychedelics: stigmatized substances or powerful therapeutics?" Dr. Kevin Boehnke talks about cannabis, psychedelics, and the increasing body of evidence for their legitimization as therapeutics.