'Healthy Rounds': Dealing With Dementia

Dr. Kristina Zdanys, geriatric psychiatrist in the UConn Center on Aging, joins Dr. Anthony Alessi's podcast

woman (facing camera) and man (back to camera) facing each other in front of microphones in a studio

Dr. Kristina Zdanys, UConn Health geriatric psychiatrist, joins Dr. Anthony Alessi on his "Healthy Rounds" podcast at UConn Health. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

Dr. Anthony Alessi's "Healthy Rounds" radio program is now a UConn Health podcast. (Tina Encarnacion/ UConn Health photo)

There are many disorders that can cause memory problems, which fall under the category of "dementia" when those memory problems interfere with daily living. The most common dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which afflicts more than seven million people in the U.S. As Dr. Kristina Zdanys, geriatric psychiatrist at UConn Health, explains, we can't cure dementia; our best bet is to try to slow its progression, or even delay its onset with healthy habits in our younger years. Dr. Zdanys, who co-directs the James E. C. Walker Memory Assessment Program in the UConn Center on Aging, also discusses with Dr. Anthony Alessi how genetics factor into dementia, the "mind diet," the challenge of taking away a loved one's car keys, and what drew her into the field of geriatric psychiatry.

What keeps your heart healthy is going to keep the blood vessels in your brain healthy and is going to keep your memory working better longer. — Dr. Kristina Zdanys

Learn more about geriatric psychiatry at UConn Health.

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