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Splaine Consulting September 2019 Newsletter
Splaine Consulting Highlights
Our team’s advocacy work, here & abroad
Scenes from the Nevada Tribal Summit in Nixon. Mike—third from the left in the top photo and speaking in the above-right photo—provided an overview of the Road Map for Indian Country.
Nevada Tribal Summit Provides Opportunity for Overview of Road Map for Indian Country
Mike participated in the 2019 Nevada Tribal Summit on Brain Health & Dementia, held Aug. 22 in Nixon for all Nevada tribes and their community partners.
The all-day session kicked off with Mike giving an overview and discussing development of the Road Map for Indian Country. Following Mike’s presentation, Dave Baldridge (Cherokee) discussed customization and implementation of the Road Map. There was also an opportunity for reflections and comments.
Other speakers included Dr. Peter Reed of the Sanford Center for Aging’s Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Clinic and Dr. J. Neil Henderson (Oklahoma Choctaw) discussing dementia and diabetes among Native people.
The summit was hosted by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s Pesa Sooname Advisory Group, a member of Dementia Friendly Nevada. The event drew more than 100 participants and representation from 14 tribes.
What Is Up Next?
Mike is on the agenda at the APHA 2019 Annual Meeting & Expo, where he will present “Public Health Leadership for the Rising Impact of Dementia in Indian Country.” Mike’s presentation is included in the AIANNH Roundtable: Advancing the Health of American Indian, Alaska Native and Indigenous Peoples through Culturebased Leadership and Data-driven Messages, Methods and Materials.
The American Public Health Association is hosting this event, taking place Nov. 2-6 at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The APHA Annual Meeting provides a venue for public health professionals to convene, learn, network and engage with peers.
For additional information, visit the event’s home page.
Alzheimer Advocacy Certificate Program
Mike and Kate Gordon will be leading the coursework for an Alzheimer’s Disease Public Policy Certificate this fall. This certificateis offered in conjunction with the Gerontology Institute, McCormack Graduate School of Policy & Global Studies.This certificate offers professionals training in Alzheimer’s disease/dementia issues, historic milestones in dementia policy history, information about effective policy approaches, and resources to mobilize advocacy activities that make sense for governments at different levels. Class meets two hours a week on Thursdays, Oct. 3- Nov. 7. Click here for more information.
NADSA Conference Presentation Will Focus on Evidence-Based Solutions
Mike will be speaking at the National Adult Day Services Association’s 2019 Adult Day Services Conference, Oct. 23-26 in Minneapolis. The theme of the conference, taking place at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center, is “Celebrating ADS—Voice, Vision and Value.”
Mike will present “Evidence-Based Management and Organization Improvement in ADS” at 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 25. He also will be participating in the conference’s first-ever Poster Session, slated for 5-6 p.m. on Oct. 24. His topic: “ADS Can Increase Research Awareness and Facilitate Research Participation.” Click the button below for an in-depth schedule.
Click for NADSA Schedule
Mike Makes Compelling Case for Cognition as Sixth Vital Sign
Mike talks about the importance of cognitive
evaluations in his article, “Thinking About Thinking:
Why Cognition Should Be the Sixth Vital Sign.” He appears in the Summer 2019 issue of MDAdvisor magazine in an issue devoted entirely to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
In the article, Mike advocates for cognition being measured in healthcare settings along with blood pressure, temperature, pulse, respiration and, when applicable, pain. This would help identify dementia early, enabling access to medication, intervention and education in a more timely manner. Read the article on page 19 of the flippable magazine at the link below.
The issue also contains an article (page 7) about Nevada Senior Services Inc.’s Hospital2Home program, on which Mike is the lead consultant, describing how dementia-capable care at hospitals leads to better home care, reduced readmissions and better outcomes overall.
Click to Read MDAdvisor
Calendar of Events
Listed below are upcoming classes, presentations and speaking engagements for Splaine Consulting. Interested in having Mike or Kate as a speaker or presenter for your next educational event? Contact us today.
Oct. 2: Engaging with Aging, Nevada’s Forum on Aging, 2019 Conference, Suncoast Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. Mike to Keynote: “Why Thinking About Thinking Matters.”
Click here for registration information.
Oct. 3-Nov. 7 (Thursdays): Alzheimer’s Disease Public Policy Certificate Course, (online). Mike and Kate to teach. Click here for more information.
Oct. 24-25: National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) 2019 Adult Day Services Conference, Minneapolis Marriott City Center, Minneapolis. On Oct. 24, Mike to present: “ADS Can Increase Research Awareness and Facilitate Research Participation” (part of Poster Session). On Oct. 25, Mike to present: “Evidence-Based Management and Organization Improvement in ADS.” Click here for schedule.
Nov. 4: APHA 2019 Annual Meeting & Expo, Philadelphia Convention Center, Philadelphia. Mike to present: “Public Health Leadership for the Rising Impact of Dementia in Indian Country” as part of 3106.0, AIANNH Roundtable. Click here to register.
Alzheimer’s Around the World
The latest policy, advocacy & research events and news
Study Finds Potential Link Between Stress and Cognitive Decline in Women
The Alzheimer’s Association reports that U.S. women have a 1 in 6 chance of
developing Alzheimer’s later in life, and a recently published study of 900 Baltimore residents may suggest why.
The study, which appeared in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, found that women who experience a stressful or traumatic midlife event are more likely to develop cognitive decline in their elder years. In the study, the numbers of men and women reporting a stressful experience were similar (47% of men and 50% of women), as were the numbers reporting a traumatic experience (22% of men and 23% of women). But in testing that spanned more than 20 years, the study concluded that, unlike men, middle-aged women who experienced a greater number of stressful life events were more likely to have memory decline more than a decade later.
Further research is needed to determine the causal effect between stress and cognitive decline. In the meantime, the study concludes that stress intervention practices may help.
The Forgetting Podcast Renewed for Season 2
The Forgetting, a podcast that focuses on demystifying Alzheimer’s disease and
debunking the stereotypes associated with AD, recently completed its first
season and will be returning for a second season this fall.
The twice-monthly show is co-hosted by two well-respected Alzheimer’s experts— David Shenk, author of The Forgetting: Alzheimer’s, Portrait of an Epidemic and senior advisor to an international research consortium called Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, and Greg O’Brien, author of On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer’s.
The compelling focus of the podcast is that O’Brien was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2009 at age 59. The podcast highlights Shenk and O’Brien’s friendship while also documenting in candid terms O’Brien’s experience with the disease as it progresses. The earliest conversations featured in the podcast date back to 2015. Subsequent episodes of the podcast follow O’Brien’s journey with the disease to the present day.
The podcast is produced at WCAI in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, a National Public Radio member station serving the Cape Cod and Islands area of southeast Massachusetts. Click below to listen to Season 1.
Click to listen to The Forgetting podcast
GCOA Highlights Best Practices in Health Aging and Elder Care at APEC High-Level Meeting
The Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) joined global experts and government
leaders for the ninth APEC High-Level Meeting on Health & the Economy, a two-day event held in August in Puerto Varas, Chile. The event convened representatives from 21 APEC economies along with representatives from academia, private sector companies and NGOs.
GCOA CEO Michael Hodin led a panel discussion highlighting best practices in healthy aging and elder care from around the region, stressing the importance of investing in prevention and healthy aging for economies to achieve long-term fiscal sustainability.
“APEC economies are leading the way in recognizing population aging as a driver of innovation,” said Hodin during the discussion. “And we are finally beginning to view these innovations—from adult vaccines to artificial intelligence and elder home care to addressing conditions of aging such as fragility fractures and heart failure—as investments in our future economic growth and the sustainability of our public systems. These new approaches illustrate the importance that prevention strategies have in assisting all societies to meet the goals of healthier and more active aging for all.”