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By Danny Yarnall

A bill aimed at protecting seniors from financial scams was recently introduced by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS).

Presented on Thursday, May 21, 2020, The Protecting Seniors from Emergency Scams Act calls for the Financial Trade Commission (FTC) to submit a report to Congress on COVID-19 scams directed against older adults along with suggestions on how to stop such scams.

In a time where state and federal government efforts look to provide relief to its most at-risk citizens, scammers look to prey on seniors. The IRS sent out an alert in April warning against phishing scams, specifically those requiring confirmation of financial information to receive coronavirus stimulus checks.

“Now during the COVID-19 pandemic, these scammers are using fear and uncertainty to take advantage of our vulnerable populations,” Sen. Moran said in a statement.

Join the Penn Memory Center Wednesday morning for a discussion with gerontologist Anne Basting, PhD, an innovator in dementia care, MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, and author of the new book, “Creative Care: A Revolutionary Approach to Dementia and Elder Care,” available now through HarperCollins Publishers.

When: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Where: BlueJeans (Google Chrome recommended)

Thanks to a generous donation, the Penn Memory Center social work team has ten $100 gift cards to Starr Restaurants to give away. These gift cards can be redeemed now for take-out or saved for when restaurants reopen.

The anonymous donor has requested that these cards go to PMC caregivers who are experiencing financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. If this describes you, enter the drawing below.

Winners will be selected randomly and announced on Friday, May 29. Gift cards will be mailed directly to recipients. Good luck!

Questions? E-mail felicia.greenfield@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

By Melissa Kelley and Danny Yarnall

The COVID-19 shutdown has brought a shift to academic schedules across the board, leaving little time to honor interns and student workers. While we were not able to recognize them in person, we would like to congratulate our team of social work students on their tremendous efforts and their completion of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Social Work program.

“Our social work students play a vital role in providing support to our patients and their families and have enabled us to greatly expand the scope of our work,” said Alison Lynn, PMC’s associate director of social work. 

Penn Memory is continuing its virtual caregiver forums virtually in response to the uncertainty and tension that the COVID-19 pandemic has added to your distress around caregiving.

These forums are a place for caregivers with a loved one in facility care and caregivers with a loved one at home to connect and gather. Our goal is to provide you with a virtual place to meet, share stories, gain new perspectives, and share coping strategies with others going through a similar experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PMC social work team will build on the success of these forums by continuing to provide this virtual space. We may not have all the answers, we hope you will take this as an opportunity to feel a little bit more connected.

Upcoming forums:

By Danny Yarnall

Jacqueline “Jackie” Witzman, a public supporter of the Penn Memory Center and its research, died on April 22 of Alzheimer’s disease. She was 69 years old.

Jackie Witzman, together with her husband Jack, received care at the Penn Memory Center. Later, they volunteered to participate in clinical trials, making the journey via train from their home in Delaware. They soon asked for opportunities to contribute to research and care and so became public spokespeople about their experiences as patient and research participant and caregiver and study partner. 

In the 2017 issue of InSight magazine, the cover story “The Importance of Study Partners” featured their photograph and story.

Editor’s Note: In November 2019, we published an interview with Michael Duong, a second-year medical student at the University of Pennsylvania and a caregiver for his grandfather, who is living with Alzheimer’s disease. After UPenn canceled in-person classes for the remainder of the year, we asked Michael to reflect on his personal experience of the last two months.

By Michael Duong

While the sun shone brightly outside, an unsettling stillness filled the hospital floors. I could hear my footsteps echoing, which normally only happens on night or weekend shift. It was mid-March here at Penn and outpatient clinic visits, elective surgeries and emergency department visits were becoming less frequent. I saw firsthand the concern for COVID-19 ramping up over the course of two months, on my emergency medicine rotation in February and then my psychiatry rotation in March. At that time, medical schools across the country told us students to stay home and flatten the curve, even though there were split opinions. Some of us wished to serve on the frontlines and continue learning in person. Others wished to help limit exposure to COVID-19. Both perspectives were valid and we waited anxiously to see how medical schools would respond, what provisions would be provided for our education. How could we help the medical community when we just started our clinical learning? How would our learning be affected?