In this episode of Talking Dementia, Dr. Emily Silverman speaks with Lauren Hersch Nicholas, PhD, MPP, a health economist and Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, and a leading expert on the financial symptoms of dementia.

Lauren shares what drew her to this work and walks through what the data show: across credit reports, wealth surveys, and retirement portfolios, missed payments, falling credit scores, and shrinking assets appear six to seven years before the clinical symptoms of dementia are recognized. She and Emily discuss whether banks or doctors could ever flag these changes early, the privacy concerns that stand in the way, and the tools families can use today to protect a loved one's finances without taking away their independence. They close with who is most at risk and Lauren's ideas for policy changes that could make retirement safer for everyone.

About this episode's featured guest

Lauren Hersch Nicholas, PhD, MPP, is a Professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine and core faculty at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities. Her research uses survey, clinical, and consumer credit data to study how public policy shapes health and economic outcomes for older adults, with a focus on dementia and end-of-life care. Her work on the financial presentation of dementia, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

About Remo's host Dr. Emily Silverman

Dr. Emily Silverman is an internal-medicine physician, Assistant Volunteer Professor of Medicine at UCSF. She is the creator and host of The Nocturnists, an award-winning medical storytelling program that has uplifted the voices of more than 450 clinicians since 2016 through its podcast and live performances. Her work has been supported by a MacDowell fellowship and widely published in numerous publications including JAMA, The New York Times, and NPR. Learn more about Emily by visiting her website.

Connect with us

Learn more about Remo Health and how we're delivering better dementia care to patients and those who care for them. Subscribe to the Remo Health newsletter.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for the latest information, news, and guidance on all things #dementia and #brainhealth.

Have a question or a topic you'd like to hear more about? Email us at hello@remo.health.

The information in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not the practice of medicine or any profession. It is not intended to be medical advice and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

In this episode of Talking Dementia, Dr. Emily Silverman speaks with Dr. Bruce Miller, who holds the A.W. and Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Professorship in Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, where he directs the Memory and Aging Center, and is the founding director of the Global Brain Health Institute, UCSF. A world-renowned behavioral neurologist, Bruce has spent his career studying the diagnosis and management of neurodegenerative disease.

Dr. Miller and Emily walk through the fundamentals of dementia, what distinguishes it from normal aging, and the most common (and rarer) diagnoses seen at the Memory and Aging Center, from Alzheimer's and vascular dementia to frontotemporal dementia and Parkinson's-related cognitive decline.

The conversation moves into some of the more unusual manifestations of these diseases, including bursts of visual creativity and chronic déjà vu, before turning to the science of prevention, the current landscape of Alzheimer's treatments (cholinesterase inhibitors, anti-amyloid antibodies, and the emerging focus on tau), and why non-pharmacologic support, like caregiver roadmaps and honest conversations about care transitions, is just as critical as medication. They close with a broader look at what an aging population means for families, health systems, and society, and why Bruce remains hopeful about what the next decade of research may bring.

About this episode's featured guest

Dr. Bruce Miller is A.W. and Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Professor in Neurology and Director of the Memory and Aging Center at UCSF, an NIH-sponsored Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. A world-renowned behavioral neurologist specializing in frontotemporal dementia, he has advanced our understanding of brain-behavior relationships and dementia treatment, leading initiatives like the Tau Consortium, the Bluefield Project to Cure Frontotemporal Dementia, and the ReDLat initiative. He is also founding director of UCSF's Global Brain Health Institute, which trains global leaders in brain health. His honors include the Potamkin Award and election to the National Academy of Medicine.

About Remo's host Dr. Emily Silverman

Dr. Emily Silverman is an internal-medicine physician, Assistant Volunteer Professor of Medicine at UCSF. She is the creator and host of The Nocturnists, an award-winning medical storytelling program that has uplifted the voices of more than 450 clinicians since 2016 through its podcast and live performances. Her work has been supported by a MacDowell fellowship and widely published in numerous publications including JAMA, The New York Times, and NPR. Learn more about Emily by visiting her website.

Connect with us

Learn more about Remo Health and how we're delivering better dementia care to patients and those who care for them. Subscribe to the Remo Health newsletter.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for the latest information, news, and guidance on all things #dementia and #brainhealth.

Have a question or a topic you'd like to hear more about? Email us at hello@remo.health.

The information in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not the practice of medicine or any profession. It is not intended to be medical advice and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

In this episode of Talking Dementia, Dr. Emily Silverman speaks with Dr. Jennifer Corcoran, a neurologist specializing in movement disorders and neuropalliative care at the University of Rochester Medical Center. With a focus on Parkinson’s disease, Dr. Corcoran brings deep expertise in prognostication, symptom management, and supporting patients and families throughout the course of neurodegenerative illness.

Dr. Corcoran shares her path into neurology and palliative care, and why Parkinson’s is often misunderstood as purely a movement disorder. They explore how the disease progresses, differences between Parkinson’s disease and other forms of Parkinsonism, and the evolving role of treatments like carbidopa/levodopa. The conversation also highlights the emotional and cognitive dimensions of the disease, the importance of exercise and community, and how care needs shift over time.

A central focus of the episode is how palliative care can support people living with Parkinson’s from diagnosis through end of life. Dr. Corcoran discusses navigating uncertainty, planning for the future, and aligning care with patient values. She offers a candid perspective on prognosis, late-stage challenges, and why earlier, more open conversations about goals of care can lead to better outcomes for both patients and caregivers.

About this episode’s featured guest

Jennifer Corcoran is a neurologist, movement disorder specialist, and researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center, with additional expertise in neuropalliative care. She completed her medical training and neurology residency at the University of Rochester, where she developed a focus on caring for patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Her work centers on improving prognostication and anticipatory guidance in Parkinson’s disease, with the goal of helping patients and families make informed, goal-concordant decisions throughout the course of illness.

About Remo’s host Dr. Emily Silverman

Dr. Emily Silverman is an internal-medicine physician, Assistant Volunteer Professor of Medicine at UCSF. She is the creator and host of The Nocturnists, an award-winning medical storytelling program that has uplifted the voices of more than 450 clinicians since 2016 through its podcast and live performances. Her work has been supported by a MacDowell fellowship and widely published in numerous publications including JAMA, The New York Times, and NPR. Learn more about Emily by visiting her website.

Connect with us

Learn more about Remo Health and how we’re delivering better dementia care to patients and those who care for them. Subscribe to the Remo Health newsletter.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for the latest information, news, and guidance on all things #dementia and #brainhealth.

Have a question or a topic you’d like to hear more about? Email us at hello@remo.health.

The information in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not the practice of medicine or any profession. It is not intended to be medical advice and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.