Dementia Matters4 Jun 2025

Aging in Place: Addressing the Challenges of Living Alone with Dementia

It’s estimated that 4.3 million older adults across the United States live alone with cognitive impairment. How do these individuals navigate the challenges and concerns that arise due to these memory and thinking changes, and what recommendations are there to support them as they continue living independently? Dr. Elena Portacolone joins Dementia Matters to discuss her research focused on identifying these challenges and developing equitable policies and programs for older adults living alone with cognitive impairment in the United States and worldwide.

Guest: Elena Portacolone, PhD, MBA, MPH, principal investigator, Living Alone with Cognitive Impairment Project, professor of sociology, Institute for Health & Aging, Pepper Center Scholar, Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of California San Francisco (UCSF)

Show Notes

Read more about Dr. Portacolone and her work at her profile on UCSF’s website.

Learn more about UCSF’s Living Alone with Cognitive Impairment project, led by Dr. Portacolone, on their website.

Learn about the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, mentioned by Dr. Portacolone at 22:51, on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website.

Connect with us

Find transcripts and more at our website.

Email Dementia Matters: dementiamatters@medicine.wisc.edu

Subscribe to the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s e-newsletter.

Enjoy Dementia Matters? Consider making a gift to the Dementia Matters fund through the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s. All donations go toward outreach and production.

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