{"id":242834,"date":"2026-03-24T08:51:43","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T12:51:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=242834"},"modified":"2026-04-09T15:51:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T19:51:26","slug":"healthy-rounds-dealing-with-dementia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/03\/healthy-rounds-dealing-with-dementia\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Healthy Rounds\u2019: Dealing With Dementia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\""Healthy<\/a>
Dr. Anthony Alessi\u2019s \u201cHealthy Rounds\u201d radio program is now a UConn Health podcast<\/a>. (Tina Encarnacion\/ UConn Health photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are many disorders that can cause memory problems, which fall under the category of \u201cdementia\u201d when those memory problems interfere with daily living. The most common dementia is Alzheimer\u2019s disease, which afflicts more than seven million people in the U.S. As Dr. Kristina Zdanys<\/a>, geriatric psychiatrist at UConn Health, explains, we can\u2019t 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<\/a> in the UConn Center on Aging<\/a>, also discusses with Dr. Anthony Alessi<\/a> how genetics factor into dementia, the \u201cmind diet,\u201d the challenge of taking away a loved one\u2019s car keys, and what drew her into the field of geriatric psychiatry.<\/p>\n

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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<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more about geriatric psychiatry at UConn Health.<\/a><\/p>\n

Listen now:<\/h3>\n