In this episode, Matt & Lauren build off their previous conversation with Ashwin Kotwal about social isolation by speaking with Eve Lefkowitz, the Executive Director of the non-profit organization, A Conversation to Remember, which connects older adults – including those who live with cognitive decline – with young adult college students to combat the epidemic of social isolation and loneliness. Lauren & Matt learn about the populations this non-profit serve as well as perspectives on how to address social isolation with older adults.

Episode Transcript

Resources:

c2r.chat: Conversations to Remember

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we're going to discuss a topic that's increasingly recognized as central to cognitive health and social connection. We'll define what it is and what happens when it's missing. Social isolation and loneliness are now widely discussed as public health concerns, and evidence has really mounted that social disconnection has profound effects on health, including cognitive decline and dementia risk. To help us think through this, we're joined by Dr. Ashwin Kotwal, a geriatrician and health services researcher at UCSF and the director of the Social Connections and Aging Lab. His work examines how social relationships shape aging related outcomes, including cognitive health, disability, and mortality.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Additional Links:

Ashwin Kotwal Faculty Profile

Social Connections & Aging Lab @ UCSF

Relevant Articles:

Kotwal AA, Cenzer IS, Yaffe K, Perissinotto C, Smith AK. End-of-life health care use among socially isolated and cognitively impaired older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2023 Mar;71(3):880-887. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18131. Epub 2022 Nov 23. PMID: 36420540; PMCID: PMC10023302.

Kotwal AA, Allison TA, Halim M, Garrett SB, Perissinotto CM, Ritchie CS, Smith AK, Harrison KL. "Relationships, Very Quickly, Turn to Nothing": Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Adaptation to Changing Social Lives Among Persons Living With Dementia and Care Partners. Gerontologist. 2024 Apr 1;64(4):gnae014. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnae014. PMID: 38499400; PMCID: PMC10948338.

Kotwal AA, Cenzer I, Hunt LJ, Ankuda C, Torres JM, Smith AK, Aldridge M, Harrison KL. Psychosocial distress among spouses of persons with dementia before and after their partner's death. J Am Geriatric Soc. 2024 Aug;72(8):2336-2346. doi: 10.1111/jgs.19030. Epub 2024 Jun 1. PMID: 38822746; PMCID: PMC11323186.

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Matt & Lauren speak with Kristine Ajrouch, PhD - a new member of our CAPRA leadership team. Kristine is a Research Professor at the Institute for Social Research whose work focuses on aging, health, immigration and family in the United Statues and the Middle East; social networks over the life course; and Arab American identity and well-being.

Kristine discusses a recent article that examined an intervention to improve outcomes among Arab American caregivers who provide care to a family member living with dementia. She also shares what this work teaches us about caregiving as a family system rather than the responsibility of a single individual.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Link of Interest:

Kristine Ajrouch Faculty Profile

Article referenced in podcast:

Ajrouch KJ, Barada FM, Janevic MR, Antonucci TC. Supporting Arab-American Families Living With Dementia: Testing a Culturally Adapted Program. J Appl Gerontol. 2025 Apr;44(4):515-519. doi: 10.1177/07334648241281153. Epub 2024 Sep 23. PMID: 39313309.

You can subscribe to Minding Memory on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.