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Reposted by Art Walaszek, MD

Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, FACPM @mariamorapinzonmd.bsky.social · 6d

The @istaart.bsky.social Health Policy PIA is very proud to co-host this webinar with the Partnering with Research Participants:

Walking the Talk for Dementia (WTD 2025)
October 27, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. CT (USA)

Register and learn about this iniative and its impact: alz-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 2d

Future studies of sex differences in dementia risk should make sure to account for medical and psychiatric comorbidities.

Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 2d

- controlling for endocrine/metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory & digestive diseases, cancer, and injuries, women still had higher risk of dementia than men
- controlling for psychiatric disease, men have higher dementia risk

Results are from 18-yr prospective study of 53k adults in Israel.

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 2d

Could sex differences in dementia risk - women have generally been shown to be at ⬆️risk - be due in part to comorbidities?

Yes, for some comorbidities but not others:

- when controlling for GU & MSK disease, women = men w/r/t dementia risk

...

#medsky

alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

The association between sex and the risk of incident dementia (adjusted for eleven demographic or medical domains). HR indicates hazard ratio from the Cox proportional hazards regression model. 95% CIs are Wald 2-sided 95% CIs. P values are for test of the hypothesis HR = 1 vs the hypothesis HR ≠ 1.

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 3d

The Giving Voice Initiative leads a worldwide movement to bring dementia-friendly choruses to every community.

These choruses can help people living with #dementia and their caregivers feel more connected with their communities.

#medsky

www.givingvoicechorus.org/giving-voice...

The Giving Voice Network: People standing and singing with arms uplifted

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 3d

Great primer by Cory Doctorow at @theguardian.com on the enshittification of Amazon specifically & internet in general.

Same thing w/ Xbox Game Pass: users pay more, less money (+layoffs) for developers, greater profits for $MSFT.

Implications for @bsky.app...?

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish?

Sick of scrolling through junk results, AI-generated ads and links to lookalike products? The author and activist behind the term ‘enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and ...

www.theguardian.com

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 4d

3- Finally, the authors called for more medical education on "emotional awareness, recognition, & regulation strategies because emotions, both positive & negative, significantly influence clinical reasoning."

This paper won a Research in Medical Education (RIME) Award from @aamc.org.

#meded

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 4d

2- Positive emotions may result in better diagnostic accuracy & fewer medical errors.

The authors noted the value of gut feelings, cultivated through practice, "as a critical component of clinical reasoning, enabling health care practitioners to make appropriate and timely management decisions."

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 4d

1- Emotions may be a driver of variability in clinical reasoning & decision-making, according to this review.

Negative emotions (fear, distress, etc.) can impair problem-solving & lead to ordering more tests.

#medsky

journals.lww.com/academicmedi...

The authors categorized emotions as positive, neutral, and negative (x-axis) and activating or deactivating (y-axis)

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 5d

It’s been a long week and Dewey needs to rest. Happy #Caturday!

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 5d

New resources for physicians to help talk with patients about vaccines:

www.ama-assn.org/public-healt...

#medsky #vaccine #vaccination

How to answer patients' questions about vaccinations

Comprehensive vaccine recommendations developed by a CDC advisory committee provides answers to patients' questions. Learn more about vaccinations on AMA.

www.ama-assn.org

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 5d

Apathy - but not psychosis, agitation, irritability or sleep disturbance - is assoc. w/ ⬆️mortality in #dementia, according to meta-analysis of 10 studies.

Due to ⬇️self-care, physical activity or adherence to medical treatments?

www.ajgponline.org/article/S106...

(sorry article paywall)

#medsky

Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 5d

The authors developed and used a caregiver-rated tool, the Financial Frailty Battery (FFB) measuring:

- trust
- susceptibility to scams
- behavioral tendencies (e.g., giving away money more easily)
- financial management
- use of money

www.ajgponline.org/cms/10.1016/... (link to DOC)

www.ajgponline.org

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 5d

The risk of financial exploitation of persons living with #dementia may depend on the cause of dementia:

- FTD -> prone to scams
- AD, LBD & PPA -> financial mismanagement

according to small (N=166) cross-sectional study

www.ajgponline.org/article/S106...

#medsky

Profiles of Vulnerability to Financial Exploitation in the Degenerative Dementias

Making informed financial decisions is crucial for a financially independent life. Financial decision making is a generic and rather broad concept, requiring practical skills (such as counting coins),...

www.ajgponline.org

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 6d

I had to look up instructions for how to unlock the carriage :)

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 7d

I love the @uwmadison.bsky.social Cool Science Image Contest - an awesome blend of art and science.

news.wisc.edu/2025-winners...

2025 winners of the Cool Science Image Contest

This year's winners used a variety of tools—from phone cameras to CT scanners— to capture fascinating, surprising and simply beautiful aspects of the natural world.

news.wisc.edu

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 7d

Using a #typewriter for the first time since the 1980s. This is a Remington 5 from 1937.

Middle aged man hunting and pecking at typewriter

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 7d

We're just a week away from the @wisconsinadrc.bsky.social Fall Community Conversation!

Join us virtually or in person on 10/9 at 4:30 pm CT in Middleton, Wisconsin, to learn more about "Addressing Hearing Loss for Better Brain Health."

#medsky @kmueller123.bsky.social

www.adrc.wisc.edu/fcc2025

Register today! 2025 Fall Community Conversation: Addressing Hearing Loss for Better Brain Health | Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

This annual educational event, hosted by the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC), is free and open to all. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between heari...

www.adrc.wisc.edu

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 8d

That was fantastic. Thank you for sharing.

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 8d

Insomnia is a very common problem in older adults. Here are great recommendations for healthy sleep habits from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine:

sleepeducation.org/healthy-slee...

#medsky #sleep #insomnia

Healthy Sleep Habits - Sleep Education

Your behaviors during the day, and especially before bedtime, can have a major impact on your sleep. Learn about healthy sleep habits.

sleepeducation.org

Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 8d

I am sorry to hear this and I hope for all the best for your aunt.

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 9d

More details for specific conditions are in the article.

E.g., for chronic insomnia - a very common issue that leads older adults to take OTC meds or be prescribed meds - cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is recommended as the initial treatment.

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 9d

4- General principles, cont'd:

- Potentially inappropriate meds should often be avoided, but not always. Clinician judgment, consideration of individual circumstances & decision-making should be used when selecting treatment options.
- Make use of resources and supports to aid #deprescribing.

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 9d

3- General principles, cont'd:

- Instead of replacing potentially inappropriate meds with other meds, consider non-pharm strategies.
- Understanding the underlying cause of a symptom/condition can help guide therapy.

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Art Walaszek, MD @walaszek.medsky.social · 9d

2- General principles:

- Stopping a potentially inappropriate med is not the end goal. The goal is to provide non-pharmacologic or when pharmacologic mgmt that helps people feel better & maintain health while reducing risk of medication side effects.

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