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Gerontological Society of America brings together researchers, educators, and practitioners to stimulate dialogue on trends with great momentum to advance gerontology.

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Addressing Brain Health in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, our guest shares challenges and opportunities around brain health in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. He provides insights into the Healthy Brain Initiative’s Road Map for Indian Country and discusses success stories with indigenous communities addressing dementia issues. Finally, he outlines research questions that need to be answered to successfully address brain health in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Speakers:

  • Michael Splaine, Principal, Splaine Consulting, Managing Partner, Recruitment Partners LLC (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)


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Additional Resources:

This podcast episode is supported by Genetech, Lily, Eisai, and Otsuka.

Nonpharmacological Strategies to Support Behaviors Experienced by People Living with Dementia

Most individuals with dementia experience behavioral symptoms during their disease trajectory. These symptoms are troubling to the person living with dementia, their care partners, and others such as family members or those living in congregate living settings. In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, Dr. Kalisha Bonds Johnson, a Board-Certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Emory Integrated Memory Care, shares her insights into the importance of detecting and addressing behavioral symptoms. She offers general strategies that care partners and others can take when interacting with someone with dementia, and she provides important insights into managing specific troubling behaviors.

Speakers:

  • Kalisha Bonds Johnson, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, Assistant Professor, tenure track, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing Emory (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)


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This podcast episode is supported by Genetech, Lily, Eisai, and Otsuka.

An Obesity Bill of Rights: Promoting Person-Centered Quality Obesity Care

The National Consumers League and National Council on Aging worked with health leaders and obesity specialists to establish a set of rights so people with obesity will be screened, diagnosed, counseled and effectively treated for their overweight and obesity based on medical treatment guidelines. During the Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, leaders from these two organizations discuss the impetus for and development of the Obesity Bill of Rights and discuss each of the eight rights included in it. They share what is next for their organizations around the Bill of Rights and share how others can join the movement to help ensure person-centered quality obesity care for adults living with the chronic disease of obesity.

Speakers:

  • Dorothea K. Vafiadis, MS, Senior Director, Center for Healthy Aging (Guest)
  • Nancy Glick, Director of Food and Nutrition Policy, National Consumers League (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)


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Physical Activity and Older Adults

This Momentum Discussion podcast episode addresses the importance of physical activity for longevity and independence, challenges older adults may face when exercising and their solutions, and suggestions on how to get started with incorporating routine exercise into one’s life. 

Speakers:

  • Kathryn N. Porter Starr, PhD, MS, RDN, Associate Professor, Duke University School of Medicine, Research Health Scientist, Durham VA Medical Center (Guest)
  • Eric Levitan, Founder, CEO, Vivo (Guest) 
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)


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This podcast episode is supported by Novo Nordisk.

Kickstarting Brain Health Conversations about LGBTQ+ Older Adults

In this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, Dan Stewart, MSG, Long-Term Care Equality Index program co-lead and associate director of the Aging Equality Project at the HRC Foundation, discusses considerations aimed at ensuring equitable and person-centered care for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and ensuring LGBTQ+ inclusion in the healthcare. He provides insights into unique challenges around brain health, dementia, and aging for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community and shares key insights into the combined challenges of being LGBTQ+ and having dementia.

Speakers:

  • Dan Stewart, MSG, Long-Term Care Equality Index Program Co-Lead, Associate Director of the Aging Equality Project, Human Rights Campaign Foundation (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)


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This podcast episode is supported by Genetech, Lily, Eisai, and Otsuka. 

Addressing Brain Health in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities

Certain groups of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) develop dementia at rates similar to older adults in the general population. However, adults with certain conditions, such as Down syndrome, develop Alzheimer's disease at greater rates. During this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, our guest discusses this issue and provides an overview of unique challenges in assessing for dementia in individuals with I/DD. She discusses strategies that primary care teams and others can use from the GSA publication, Addressing Brain Health in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities: A Companion to the KAER Toolkit for Primary Care Providers, to improve detection of dementia and care and services for adults with I/DD.

Speakers:

  • Lisa Comes, Service and Support Advisor, Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)


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This podcast episode is supported by Eisai. 

Detecting and Addressing Agitation in Alzheimer’s Disease: Improving Lives for Older Adults and their Caregivers

In this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, interprofessional experts from Emory Integrated Memory Care discuss the common neuropsychiatric condition of agitation in Alzheimer's disease (AAD) and how it impacts individuals living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. They discuss challenges to detecting AAD and share how detecting and treating this common symptom can improve quality of life for older adults and their caregivers. Finally, they discuss the Agitation in Alzheimer’s Screener for Caregivers (AASCTM), a new tool released during the 2023 GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, with which clinicians can screen for AAD in just one minute. More information about the AASCTM is available online at theaasc.com.

Speakers:

  • Carolyn K. Clevenger, DNP, GNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA, FAAN, Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, Clinical Director, Emory Integrated Memory Care (Guest)
  • Laura Medders, LCSW, Administrative Director, Emory Integrated Memory Care (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)


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This podcast episode is supported by Otsuka. 

The Chronic Disease of Obesity

During this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, interprofessional experts examine obesity as a disease and discuss the need to intently treat individuals with obesity using guideline-based and standard-informed interprofessional and multifaceted plans of care. They share insights into the unique needs of older adults living with obesity, and they reflect on the heterogeneity of the older adult population and the importance of considering this heterogeneity when providing obesity care for older adults.

Speakers:

  • Kathryn N. Porter Starr, PhD, MS, RDN, Associate Professor, Duke University School of Medicine, Research Health Scientist, Durham VA Medical Center (Guest)
  • John A. Batsis, MD, FACP, FTOS, AGSF, FGSA, Associate Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, Department of Nutrition, The Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)


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This podcast episode is supported by Novo Nordisk. 

Kickstarting Brain Health Conversations with Diverse Older Adults: A Discussion with Dr. Carl Hill

In this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, Dr. Carl V. Hill, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at the Alzheimer's Association provides insights into race, ethnicity, and Alzheimer's in America and shares information about barriers and facilitators to quality dementia care for all populations. He discusses how to successfully engage in dementia risk reduction conversations with people from diverse backgrounds and shares examples of successful collaborations aimed at improving access to information about dementia and brain health.

Speakers:

  • Carl Hill, PhD, MPH, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Alzheimer’s Association (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)


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This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka. 

Financial Aspects of Caregiving

More than 90% of caregivers are also financial caregivers, defined as either contributing direct financial support or coordinating some or all their loved one’s money-related matters. Managing someone’s finances is complex and can extend for months or even years, both during the care recipient’s life and often well beyond the death of a loved one. Longer life spans and lifestyle changes create an urgency to plan for caregiving costs across life stages, not just in middle age. Attention to financial caregiving, when coupled with financial and longevity literacy, can help optimize retirement readiness. This podcast episode provides helpful actions that families, employers, and communities can take to help address this critical need.  

Speakers:

  • Surya Kolluri, Head of TIAA Institute (Guest)
  • James Appleby, Chief Executive Officer, Gerontological Society of America (Host)  

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This podcast episode is supported by TIAA Institute. 

Aging and Oral Health Research: Insights from the 2023 AADOCR Meeting within a Meeting

This Momentum Discussion podcast provides insight into the “Aging and Oral Health Research “Meeting within a Meeting” held during the March 2023 American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research Annual Meeting. Learn about the primary objectives and outcomes of the meeting and the impact of loneliness and isolation in older adults and oral health and nutrition in aging.

Speakers:

  • Jane A. Weintraub, Department of Pediatric and Public Health, Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC; And Immediate Past President of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (Guest)
  • Carla Perissinotto, Division of Geriatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (Guest)
  • Riva Touger-Decker, Diagnostic Sciences, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, School of Health Professions, Rutgers State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ (Guest)
  • Karen Tracy, The Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Haleon. 

Meeting the Needs of Diverse Caregivers

According to the Alzheimer's Association, over 11 million Americans provide an estimated 18 billion hours of unpaid care for people with Alzheimer's or other dementias. In 2022, this care was valued at $339 billion. Most of these caregivers are women, and many caregivers are from diverse and underserved communities. In this Momentum Discussion podcast episode, leaders from the Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York discuss the unique needs of diverse caregivers and how they are meeting these needs. They offer insights into how healthcare providers and others can best meet the needs of all caregivers while promoting brain health for all individuals.

Speakers:

  • Elizabeth Smith-Boivin, Executive Director/CEO, Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York (Guest) 
  • Debbie Abreu, Community Outreach Manager for DEI initiatives, Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka. 

Agitation in Alzheimer’s Disease: Reflections of a Care Partner

Agitation can be described as increased, often undirected, motor activity, restlessness, aggressiveness, and emotional distress. It may include nonaggressive behaviors such as pacing, repetitious movements, and general restlessness, or it may manifest as physically or verbally aggressive behaviors. It is one of the most distressing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and between 30% and 80% of people living with dementia, depending on the setting, experience agitation. Because of the wide-ranging potential negative impacts associated with agitation in Alzheimer’s disease (AAD), a person-centered, individualized approach to address AAD is a must. In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, we provide insights into AAD from the perspective of a professional caregiver and a family member whose loved one lives with AAD. They share how the condition impacts the person with Alzheimer’s disease and those around them and offer strategies to prevent and address troubling behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia associated with AAD.

Speakers:

  • Laura Medders, LCSW, Administrative Director, Emory Integrated Memory Care Clinic (Guest)
  • Maureen Morrison, Care partner to her husband, Angus, who lives with Alzheimer's disease (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Otsuka. Content was developed by The Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Cognitive Aging and Optimizing Cognitive Health

According to the McKnight Brain Research Foundation website, “there is growing hope and expectation that it’s possible to maintain cognitive health later in life, allowing people to age independently and enjoy the benefits of a fuller life.” During this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and the University at Buffalo’s Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the Jacobs School, and Angelika Schlanger, PhD, executive director of the Foundation, will offer insights into brain health, cognitive health, and cognitive aging. They discuss how normal cognitive aging differs from changes in cognitive function due to dementia. Finally, they offer insights into how individuals can take steps to promote their brain health at any age.

Speakers:

  • Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, Vice President for Health Sciences, Dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo (Guest)
  • Angelika Schlanger, PHD, Executive Director, McKnight Brain Research Foundation (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka. Content was developed by Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Why an Early Diagnosis of Dementia Matters

Early detection of dementia leads to better outcomes for individuals with dementia and their care partners. It allows them to potentially benefit from a variety of care interventions, make decisions about their care, and tap into community resources to enhance their quality of life and function. Despite this, the Alzheimer’s Association reported that neither older adults nor primary care practitioners routinely raise brain health issues – particularly in the case that an older adult has signs of mild cognitive impairment. In this GSA Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, Bonnie Burman, president of the Ohio Council for Cognitive Health, discusses barriers to kickstarting brain health conversations and early diagnosis of dementia, offers strategies to overcome them, and highlights how care providers and other communities of interest can use the KAER Toolkit for Brain Health to improve early detection of dementia.

Speakers:

  • Bonnie Burman, ScD, President, Ohio Council for Cognitive Health (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka. Content was developed by Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Improving Dementia Care Practices - A Health System Approach

In their special report, Alzheimer’s Detection in the Primary Care Setting: Paving a Path Forward, the Alzheimer’s Association reported that despite a strong belief among older adults that brief cognitive assessments are important and that early detection of cognitive problems is beneficial, only half are being assessed for cognitive decline, and much fewer receive routine assessments. The Association’s findings about dementia care practices in primary care along with the ever-growing number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias highlight the need to take a systems approach to improving dementia care. In this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, Amy Boehm, senior health systems director for the Alzheimer's Association discusses the urgent need to improve dementia care practices in primary care, how The GSA KAER Toolkit for Primary Care Teams addresses an unmet need for primary care providers, and shares how the Alzheimer’s Association Health System Initiative can support them in implementing practice change to improve dementia care. Amy also offers strategies to get started with changing practice in any care setting.

Speakers:

  • Amy Boehm, Senior Health Systems Director, Alzheimer's Association (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Eisai, and Otsuka. Content was developed by Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Combating Bias to Promote Comprehensive Obesity Care for Older Adults

People with obesity often experience bias due to their weight which can negatively impact their overall health and well-being. Older adults may have faced weight bias for many years, including from their healthcare providers, their families, and themselves. In addition to the weight bias being prevalent in healthcare, it also permeates places of employment, educational institutions, the media, and society overall. During this Momentum Discussion Podcast episode, Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford discusses weight bias and its negative consequences. She shares examples of how weight bias exists in healthcare and other areas and provides insights into how a person’s cultural identity impacts how they might experience weight bias. Finally, she offers solutions to this significant issue, including steps that healthcare professionals can take to eliminate weight bias and provide a comfortable environment of care for people with the chronic disease of obesity

Speakers:

  • Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, MBA, FAAP, FACP, FAHA, FAMWA, FTOS, Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Obesity Medicine Physician-Scientist, Massachusetts General Hospital (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Novo Nordisk. Content was developed by Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Kickstarting Body Size Conversations in Older Adults with Obesity

Kickstarting the obesity conversation with older adults requires an understanding of the pathophysiology of overweight and obesity in conjunction with an appreciation for communication concerns that affect conversations with older adults. In this podcast episode, Dr. Jason Lofton of Lofton Family Clinic and Wellness in De Queen, AR discusses important issues addressed in Step One of The GSA KAER Toolkit for the Management of Obesity in Older Adults: Kickstart the Obesity Conversation. He shares insights into how he and his team set the stage to engage in successful, motivating conversations about body size with their patients. Dr. Lofton discusses overcoming common roadblocks to body size conversations, preparing for shared decision making and goal setting, and how issues such as culture, race/ethnicity, and age influence conversations about body size. 

Speakers:

  • Jason Lofton, MD, Lofton Family Clinic and Wellness (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Novo Nordisk. Content was developed by Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Enhancing Early Detection of Cognitive Impairment

Early detection of dementia is vital, and it allows people living with dementia to receive comprehensive care to address symptoms, build a care team, participate in supportive services, access community supports, and potentially access disease-modifying treatments or enroll in clinical trials. With early detection of cognitive impairment and disclosure of the diagnosis to the patient, the individual with the condition and their care partners can set systems in place that allow them to achieve their highest practicable level of function and quality of life. In this episode, Dr. Joshua Chodosh shares strategies to kickstart the brain health conversation, describes how he has engaged the whole healthcare team in the conversation, and highlights approaches aimed at early detection of cognitive impairment in the primary care setting. Dr. Chodosh also underscores how providers can use tools in The GSA KAER Toolkit for Primary Care Teams to enhance their early detection efforts and help to improve outcomes for older adults with cognitive impairment and their care partners.

Speakers:

  • Joshua Chodosh, MD, MSHS, Co-lead, BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Early Detection of Dementia, Director, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Professor of Medicine and Population Health, New York University (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Eisai. Content was developed by Gerontological Society of America (GSA). 

Risk-Based Strategies for Referrals to Community Services for Older Adults with Dementia and their Care Partners

A person living with dementia and their care partner often have needs for a variety of community supports that enables them to achieve their greatest potential function and quality of life. This podcast episode addresses the fourth step of the KAER Framework: Refer for Community Services. Our guests discuss how interdisciplinary care teams in primary care can use risk-based strategies to refer older adults with dementia and their care partners to appropriate community services, and they share strategies for success that they and their interdisciplinary colleagues use in the Emory Integrated Memory Care Clinic – a nurse-led primary care practice for people living with dementia. 

Speakers:

  • Carolyn K. Clevenger, DNP, GNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA, FAAN, Professor, The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, Clinical Director/Practicing Nurse Practitioner, The Emory Integrated Memory Care Clinic (Guest)
  • Laura Medders, LCSW, Administrative Director, The Emory Integrated Memory Care Clinic (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Otsuka, and Eisai. Content was developed by Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

Reimbursement as a Pathway for Quality Dementia Care

Appropriate reimbursement for detection, evaluation, and diagnosis of dementia as well as for care planning and ongoing care of individuals with cognitive impairment and dementia is possible. In fact, pathways to appropriate reimbursement well align with evidence-based guidelines for care and expectations around quality. To ensure well-coordinated quality dementia care, the primary provider and other members of the interdisciplinary care team spend a great deal of time outside the standard primary care visit, and reimbursement for this time is available. In this podcast, our guests share their insights into the documentation, infrastructure, and processes necessary to capture appropriate reimbursement for quality dementia care. They also discuss how using reimbursement as a pathway for quality dementia care supports high-functioning teams, incentivizes care teams to provide care that aligns with guidelines, and prevents the vital work of the entire interdisciplinary team from being invisible.

Additional Handout: Podcast Discussion Points
GSA developed this podcast and the associated Additional Handout: Podcast Discussion Points in December 2022. It is important to note that payment policies change often and vary by payor, and listeners should seek payor-specific guidance around billing for services. 

Speakers:

  • Carolyn K. Clevenger, DNP, GNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA, FAAN, Professor, The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, Clinical Director/Practicing Nurse Practitioner, The Emory Integrated Memory Care Clinic (Guest)
  • Laura Medders, LCSW, Administrative Director, The Emory Integrated Memory Care Clinic (Guest)
  • Jennifer Pettis, MS, RN, CNE, Director of Strategic Alliances, Gerontological Society of America (Host)

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This podcast episode is supported by Genentech, Lilly, Otsuka, and Eisai. Content was developed by Gerontological Society of America (GSA).