Advertise on podcast: Aging and Senior Health (Audio)

More than 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, according to the Alzheimer's Association. UC Davis researcher Alyssa Weakley is working on I-Care, a new technology that's helping Alzheimer's patients live longer in their own homes. At UC Davis, our researchers are working to better understand the causes of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, its most common form, while advancing understanding and improving care for those affected. Through innovative studies, we’re paving the way for new treatments and strategies to slow, prevent and ultimately transform how we approach these complex neurological conditions. Series: "UC Davis News" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41737]

Chronic pain in older adults can affect mobility, mood, sleep, social connection, and independence. Una Makris, M.D., M.Sc., UC San Diego and VA San Diego Healthcare System, explains why musculoskeletal pain is common later in life and why medications or procedures alone may not meet the needs of many patients. Drawing on her work in rheumatology and geriatrics, Makris describes how pain and depression can reinforce each other, making it important to address both together. She highlights an age-friendly behavioral coaching approach that uses motivational interviewing, values-based goal setting, physical activity, and social support to help people reconnect with meaningful activities. By focusing on small, safe increases in movement, this research points to practical ways to support better function, quality of life, and healthy aging. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41172]

Sexual health is an important part of healthy aging and offers a useful way to understand how well-being can change without disappearing in later life. Annie L. Nguyen, Ph.D., M.P.H., UC San Diego, explains how sexual interest, sexual activity, and sexual satisfaction follow different patterns as people age. Nguyen examines research on health status, relationship context, and gender differences, then shares findings from a UC San Diego SAGE study of adults age 60 and older. Her results show that sexual interest declines across later decades and differs by sex, while sexual satisfaction remains more stable across age groups. This work helps explain why sexual health in later life should not be reduced to a single measure and points toward more open, nonjudgmental conversations about well-being, intimacy, and aging. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41107]

How fast are you really aging, and what could that mean for brain health? Aladdin H. Shadyab, Ph.D., explores the gap between chronological age and biological age, and why that difference matters for long-term health. Shadyab describes tools that use information from blood to estimate how quickly the body is aging, including approaches that look beyond the body as a whole to consider aging in specific systems. He connects faster biological aging with higher risk for age-related disease and declines in physical and cognitive function, and discusses how blood-based biomarkers may offer earlier signals of processes linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Shadyab also highlights lifestyle and treatment findings that may support healthier aging and longer survival. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41073]

Circadian timing shapes how we sleep, feel, and function each day. Satchidananda Panda, Ph.D., Salk Institute, describes what the ideal circadian rhythms of a day look like. Dr. Panda explains that keeping daily light, meals, movement, and sleep in step with the body’s internal clock supports alertness, metabolism, and recovery. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41210]

How you time light, meals, and sleep can reset your internal clock. Satchidananda Panda, Ph.D. explains why morning light sharpens alertness, evening dimness protects melatonin, and consolidated sleep supports brain “detox.” Clear, practical takeaways you can use tonight and tomorrow morning. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41206]

How much exposure to daylight is recommended for optimal health? Satchidananda Panda, Ph.D., Salk Institute, answers this question and many more on the therapeutic nature of light. Dr. Panda also discusses indoor lighting considerations in order to simulate day/night cycles. Dr. Panda explains that the use of lighting isn't just for safety and convenience but also for one's health. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41208]

Biological resilience underpins healthy aging, and Anthony Molina, Ph.D., investigates how people resist, adapt to, and recover from age-related stressors. Molina defines three domains of resilience linked to aging and studies “life course” resilience using the Rancho Bernardo Study, a longitudinal cohort that starts in 1972 and tracks cognitive, sensory, physical function and comorbidities. His group analyzes trajectory scores from tasks such as the trail-making test and examines thousands of blood molecules to identify patterns that distinguish exceptionally resilient participants. Laboratory experiments show how age-related molecular profiles relate to mitochondrial function and ATP production. Molina’s team also tests behavioral and nutritional interventions in rigorously designed clinical studies, combining molecular biomarkers of biological age with measures of physical performance, cognition, sensory abilities, and mental well-being. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40958]

Circadian timing shapes how we sleep, feel, and function each day. Satchidananda Panda, Ph.D., Salk Institute, explains that keeping daily light, meals, movement, and sleep in step with the body’s internal clock supports alertness, metabolism, and recovery. Panda notes that evening light and late eating can make it harder to fall asleep and may work against healthy glucose control, while thoughtful timing of activity can improve energy and rest. He highlights that when we take medicines matters because the body’s response changes across the day. Travel and shift work challenge these rhythms, but simple habits with light exposure, meal timing, and sleep can ease the strain. Panda also describes ongoing efforts testing practical routines, including limited daily eating windows paired with light and activity strategies. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40733]

Psychological resilience in later life examines how older adults adapt after adversity and cultivate everyday practices that sustain well-being and purpose. Elizabeth W. Twamley, Ph.D., introduces and guides a discussion on mental health and resilience among older adults. Ellen E. Lee, M.D., characterizes resilience as dynamic learning oriented toward flourishing and urges a low threshold for seeking help when symptoms overwhelm daily routines. Sidney Zisook, M.D., presents grief as adaptation to loss, distinguishes acute from integrated grief, and explains how intense waves of emotion gradually become less frequent and more manageable; he views psychedelic therapies as promising but not ready for routine treatment. Marti E. Kranzberg shares practical approaches that include mindfulness, journaling, gratitude, movement, sleep, pain management, creative arts, time in nature, community, and purpose. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40963]

Cognitive resilience grows from small, consistent habits that keep the brain adaptable. Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., frames mindfulness as mental training that improves attention, processing, and the way people relate to pain. Erin E. Sundermann, Ph.D., underscores modifiable pathways to healthier aging, highlighting movement, social connection, hearing support, and lifelong learning as mutually reinforcing drivers of brain health. Raenne C. Moore, Ph.D., centers practical strategies that translate into daily life, including routines, planned breaks, reducing distractions, and attending to anxiety or depression. Carolyn Dunmore, an older adult community Mmmber, exemplifies resilience through steady activity, purposeful community roles, faith, self-compassion, and the “use it or lose it” mindset. Together, Zeidan, Sundermann, Moore, and Dunmore point to a clear theme: everyday practices accumulate to support memory, attention, and well-being as people age. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40962]

Targeting the biology of aging offers a path to stronger resilience and longer health. John C. Newman, M.D., Ph.D., explains that aging arises from measurable cellular processes, often called hallmarks of aging, including changes involving mitochondria, stem cells, cellular senescence, inflammation, and protein quality control. Newman describes how basic science in model organisms reveals mechanisms that can be manipulated to extend healthy lifespan and guide therapies. Emerging approaches aim either to strengthen stress responses that make cells more resilient or to address downstream consequences. Many clinical studies across the country now test interventions that target aging, supported by national efforts to standardize methods and expand training. Newman also investigates ketone bodies as energy sources that influence inflammation, muscle preservation, and other processes relevant to frailty and recovery. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40961]

Healthy aging starts with physical resilience, the body’s ability to withstand and recover from stress. Maile Young Karris, M.D., defines the concept and sets the stage for practical strategies that match real-world needs. Ryan J. Moran, M.D., M.P.H., recommends simple routines such as wall push ups, posture alignment, and chin tucks, and he links posture and vision to fall prevention; social connection helps people stick with movement. Theodore Chan, M.D., F.A.C.E.P., F.A.A.E.M., explains that age alone is a poor predictor of outcomes in acute care and that functional resilience strongly influences decisions. Gail Levine emphasizes accountability, community, and balanced nutrition. Moran highlights protein needs of about 1 to 1.2 grams per kilogram plus calcium with possible vitamin D, and he favors plant focused eating with limited processed foods. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40960]

Heather E. Whitson, MD, MHS explores how resilience—the ability to recover and adapt after stress or illness—changes across the lifespan. She explains that bounce back slows with age and that people age at different rates, influenced by biology, lifestyle, and environment. Studies connect lower inflammation, stronger cellular health, and emotional well-being to better recovery, such as regaining mobility after hip fracture or coping with persistent pain. Whitson also highlights how changes in the brain, like the buildup of amyloid and tau proteins, begin years before memory problems, underscoring the importance of early prevention. She points to practical steps that support resilience at any age: staying active, eating a Mediterranean style diet, managing blood pressure and blood sugar, protecting vision, engaging socially and mentally, prioritizing sleep, avoiding harmful exposures, and preventing injuries. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40959]

Danielle K. Glorioso, LCSW, explores the complex nature of grief, emphasizing that it is a lifelong, evolving response to loss rather than something to “get over.” She explains the differences between acute grief, integrated grief, and prolonged grief disorder, highlighting how factors like attachment, personal history, and circumstances of death can influence the grieving process. Glorioso outlines how prolonged grief can impair daily functioning and discusses effective treatments, including a structured therapy program that facilitates adaptation. She also examines resilience as a skill that can be strengthened through emotion regulation, cognitive flexibility, social support, and meaning-making. Drawing on both professional expertise and personal loss, Glorioso offers practical strategies for coping, supporting others, and finding hope while honoring the memory of loved ones. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40332]