For Lauren Fisher, BSN, RN, the path to dementia research began at home, shaped by watching love and caregiving unfold within her own family.
She grew up close to her maternal grandparents and saw how deeply they valued family, connection, and being present for the people they loved. When her grandmother had a stroke and later developed dementia, those values took on a new meaning. With support from their children, her grandfather cared for his wife at home until her passing, doing all he could to preserve her dignity along the way.
That experience left a lasting impression. It showed Fisher both the depth of love that caregiving can reflect and the quiet sacrifices it often requires. She watched her grandfather give so much of himself to care for her grandmother, often without the kind of support he needed. The experience made clear how much caregivers carry and how often the health system falls short in supporting them.
Today, that perspective shapes her work as a Clark Scholar at the Penn Memory Center (PMC). Her research explores how emotional changes in people living with dementia affect the emotional well-being of caregivers and, in turn, the caregiving relationship itself. She is especially interested in empathy loss, a less studied symptom in dementia that can alter relationships and make caregiving more emotionally difficult for families.
“I want to help caregivers find a balance of providing love and care for a person living with dementia while also caring for themselves,” Fisher said.
For Fisher, this work feels especially timely. As dementia research continues to advance, with earlier diagnoses and new treatment options, she believes the field must also focus on what it means to live with the disease day to day. Her goal is to help improve the experience of both patients and caregivers, especially in the emotional parts of care that are often harder to name but deeply felt.
Ultimately, Fisher hopes her work helps people hold on to the relationships that matter most.
“I hope to help people reclaim their role as a spouse, child, or friend rather than caregiver,” she said.