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By Leah Fein

The use of dietary supplements will not improve brain health or prevent cognitive decline, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new report from the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH).

Dietary supplements are products that contain a “dietary ingredient,” like vitamins and minerals. Supplements can come in many forms too, such as pills, powders, liquids, and food bars.

“It’s tempting to think you can pop a pill and prevent dementia—but the science says that doesn’t work,” said Sarah Lenz Lock, AARP senior vice president for policy and GCBH executive director. “The good news is, we know what will help to keep your brain healthy: exercise, a healthy diet, plenty of sleep, challenging your thinking skills, and connecting with others.

“Rather than buying a dietary supplement, spend your money on new walking shoes or a salmon dinner.”

The Penn Memory Center continued its new Empowering Caregivers speaker series this year with Jerry Rothkoff, Esq., who presented “Elder Care Issues and the Law.”

Empowering Caregivers gives caregivers access to area experts who present on a variety of intensive topics, from in-home activities to end-of-life care.

All sessions are full. We appreciate your enthusiasm

Penn Memory Center Co-Director Jason Karlawish, MD, recently lead a discussion about ways to keep an aging brain healthy at a packed house at the Ralston Wellness Center.  

From debunking the Alzheimer’s-preventing ability of Sodoku and cognitive supplements to recommending a heart-healthy, Mediterranean diet, Dr. Karlawish spent the majority of the hour answering questions from the crowd.

As a foundation to the discussion, Dr. Karlawish explained commonly-heard terms, such as mild cognitive impairment and “memory center,” and clarified the distinction between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Healthy aging requires adults to challenge your brain and stay both physically active and socially engaged, according to the Global Council on Brain Health, of which Dr. Karlawish is a member.

On May 7, the National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center hosted the webinar titled “The messages We Send: Stigma Toward Persons Living with Dementia and How to End It.” 

Rev. Cynthia Huling-Hummel, D. Min., and Penn Memory Center Scholar Shana Stites, PsyD, MA, MS, led the seminar about the types of stigma that can affect persons with dementia.

During the seminar, Dr. Stites describes the powerful role of language in creating stigma of dementia and how people can counteract this stigma through use of strengths-based and person-centered language when talking with and about persons with dementia. Dr. Huling-Hummel, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2011, shares her own experience related to these issues as well.

From watching this seminar, viewers can expect to acquire person-centered language strategies to help end stigma surrounding dementia.

By Leah Fein

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a set of guidelines to reduce the risk of dementia globally, essentially advising to take care of your heart to take care of your brain. 

Dementia is a loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, memory, reasoning, and behavioral abilities — to the extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities. Dementia has many causes and no cure, which is why the WHO emphasized the need for adopting healthy behaviors.

“The scientific evidence gathered for these guidelines confirm what we have suspected for some time, that what is good for our heart, is also good for our brain,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

By Leah Fein

Your spouse can identify serious memory problems more accurately than you can.

That’s the takeaway from the Philadelphia Inquirer’s recent interview with Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton, Penn Memory Center (PMC) Director of Cognitive Fitness Programs and Neuropsychological Services, about her research, which found no relationship between progressive cognitive decline and people’s perceived memory concerns.

However, Dr. Mechanic-Hamilton, along with PMC Co-Director Dr. David Wolk and medical student Leah Zuroff, did find that proxies, like a spouse, were much better at correctly identifying cognitive changes that progressed to mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

By Leah Fein and the Netter Center for Community Partnerships

The founding partners of the intergenerational Dance for Health program were honored last week with the 2019 Provost-Netter Center Faculty-Community Partnership Award. This award recognizes and supports outstanding, sustained, and productive university/community partnerships.

Terri H. Lipman, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, is the Assistant Dean for Community Engagement, the Miriam Stirl Endowed Term Professor of Nutrition, and Professor of Nursing of Children at the School of Nursing, and maintains a clinical practice as a pediatric nurse practitioner in the Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Dr. Lipman and Inthedance, LLC co-founders David and Serena Williams Early began Dance for Health program in 2012 with a goal of increasing access to physical activity and encouraging balance and body movement through dance. Since its inception, Dance for Health has engaged 700 participants and has demonstrated a positive impact on cardiovascular health, anxiety, memory, and social support.