Penn Memory Center

An Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

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October Memory Café to feature Philadelphia Zoo

October Memory Café

Friday, October 12 | 10:30 a.m. to Noon
Christ Church Neighborhood House
20 N. American Street, Philadelphia
RSVP to alison.lynn@uphs.upenn.edu

Philadelphia Zoo on Wheels joins Penn Memory Center for the October Memory Café.  Zoo on Wheels emphasizes the importance of empathy and connecting with animals. Animal petting, facts, and education will be a part of the Zoo on Wheels experience for attendees. To RSVP, contact Alison Lynn at 215-360-0257 or alison.lynn@uphs.upenn.edu.

Sunday Reads: Financial Fraud Among Older Adults

Editor’s Note: Here at the Penn Memory Center, the communications team has been trying out a weekly letter we call “Sunday Reads” to keep you updated on what’s been happening and what we’re currently reading in our office. To see this in your inbox first, fill out your name and email address at the top of your screen or email joyce.lee2@uphs.upenn.edu.

Older Americans lose billions of dollars each year due to fraud, and some of the most vulnerable people in that subset are individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

In fact, before an individual is even diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, his or her bank accounts may shed light on a clinical diagnosis that’s yet to come.

“In some sense, the banking and financial services industries are on the front line of screening for cognitive decline in America,” PMC Co-Director Jason Karlawish, MD, told ABC7 in a recent article.

Dr. Karlawish goes on to detail the steps he’s taking to help protect individuals from elder fraud, as part of his self-developed strategy known as “Whealthcare.”

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Sunday Reads: Caregiving and Self-Care

Editor’s Note: Here at the Penn Memory Center, the communications team has been trying out a weekly letter we call “Sunday Reads” to keep you updated on what’s been happening and what we’re currently reading in our office. To see this in your inbox first, fill out your name and email address at the top of your screen or email joyce.lee2@uphs.upenn.edu.

Fall is officially here, which means cooler weather, warmer clothing, and perhaps a difference in cognition—at least according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine.

The changing of the seasons doesn’t mean that your cognition will be altered. Rather, the researchers found that individuals (with and without Alzheimer’s disease) performed better on working memory and speed of perception tests when they took them in the summer or fall compared to those who took the tests in the winter or spring.

This study adds to a growing body of research that has previously found cognition may change with the four seasons. If cognition does in fact shift, the authors of the paper suggest dementia-related clinical resources should be made more available in the cooler seasons when a person’s symptoms are more severe. Certain biomarkers could be responsible for the change, but it’s not quite clear. Therefore, more research is needed.

Regardless if cognition changes or not, two things that don’t are the value of a caregiver and the importance of them getting help, too.

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Now Enrolling: Dance for Health — Active Body, Active Mind

Dance for Health

Saturdays, Sept. 29 to Nov. 17, 2018
10 to 11:30 a.m.
Ralston Center, 1st Floor Wellness Center
3615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Dance for Health, weekly dance sessions and social activities that promote brain health and healthy living among participants in West Philadelphia, will return to the Ralston Center this fall. With the support of the Penn Medicine CARES grant, the program is free and open to the public. Classes will be held at the 1st Floor Wellness Center in Ralston Center, 3615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

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Exercising body and mind in Dance for Health

By Kaleah McIlwain

There’s a dance people do when they start listening to music and are getting a feel for it.

Some people sway back and forth, others bob their head.

On a Saturday morning, David Earley did both as he waited for the class participants to arrive.

Wearing a coordinated outfit of all-white Nike Air Force shoes, black jeans, a white and red jersey with the words “you’re in good hands,” and a red baseball cap, Earley set up his small gray boombox at the front of the room and began playing “Same Ole 2step” by Ent Distrikt. The music was a cue for everyone in the room to get up and start dancing.

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Reflection: West Philadelphia seniors bond in PMC Dance for Health program

By Danielle Kennedy

As a Penn MPH student, I wondered how Penn researchers could strengthen their relationship with West Philadelphians. Working with Dance for Health in the spring enabled me to give back to the research community through social dance classes. Dance for Health (DFH), a partnership between the Penn Memory Center and Ralston House, creates a space for older adults in Philadelphia to get active through dance and preserve their cognitive health.

In the beginning, I was unsure if I would take part in learning the dance routines. I had never taken a line dancing class; but when the music started, it felt natural to join in. Dancing with DFH participants every Saturday helped me connect with them. Each time I started dancing on the wrong foot or turned left instead of right, I was encouraged to keep going by the DFH participants’ warm smiles.

As the weeks progressed, I noticed the dance instructors were not giving us as many instructions as they used to. I realized then that the instructors were testing participants’ memories of the choreography. I also looked forward to strengthening my relationship with DFH participants each Saturday and learned that they enjoyed the social aspect of the program as well. The older adults told me they appreciated that DFH provided them with a break from their usual routine and a chance to connect with others. Some participants brought friends or family members to class while others enjoyed making new friends and bonding over shared experiences between dances.

Interestingly enough, previous research suggests a positive correlation between social interaction and health. Working with DFH, I was able to witness firsthand how social dance can bring you joy and health.

Danielle Kennedy was a 2017-2018 Penn Memory Center intern.

Sunday Reads: The Arts in Dementia Care

Editor’s Note: Here at the Penn Memory Center, the communications team has been trying out a weekly letter we call “Sunday Reads” to keep you updated on what’s been happening and what we’re currently reading in our office. To see this in your inbox first, fill out your name and email address at the top of your screen or email joyce.lee2@uphs.upenn.edu.

September at the Penn Memory Center is marked by leaves yellowing outside our research offices in Ralston, by a new crop of student interns joining our buzzing teams, and by the opening of the Philly opera season.

At first glance, we (a medical center) have very little to do with the opera. But just a few months ago, Opera Philadelphia came to us with an exciting idea: to create an opera centered around Alzheimer’s disease.

The truth is: if you sit in on one of our diagnostic meetings, you’ll quickly find there’s no one typical story of this disease. But what we hear about Alzheimer’s disease in our general media too often follows the same plot.

Sky on Swings seeks to change that.

PMC Co-Director Dr. Jason Karlawish worked with Opera Philadelphia on a chamber opera told through the eyes of a person living with Alzheimer’s disease. He’s hopeful that it will show a story beyond “just a wasted mind engaging in meaningless and intentionless activities, that there’s a person there who’s suffering but also trying to make sense of and enjoy life.

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Neurologist Jerry Mikszewski retires

Jerry Mikszewski, MD

PMC neurologist Jerry Mikszewski, MD, Clinical Associate of Neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine, announced his retirement on Friday. In his time at the Penn Memory Center, Dr. Mikszewski has been an integral member of the PMC clinical team. A neurologist, his expertise in dementia and cognitive impairments has been invaluable for the care of PMC patients and the education of the PMC community.

“It has been truly a pleasure working with Jerry during his time at Penn,” David Wolk, MD, PMC Co-Director, says. “I believe we have all learned much from him and his unique perspective on the care of patients with cognitive impairment and dementia. I also greatly appreciate his kind manner and gentle humor – I am sure his patients do as well!”

Felicia Greenfield, Executive Director, says, “I will miss working with Jerry. His unwavering support of the social work team demonstrated his commitment to improving patient outcomes. I will miss his welcoming smile and his warm, approachable demeanor. I wish Jerry and his family all the very best on this new chapter in life. He will be missed!”

Annual report reveals health, social, and financial implications of Alzheimer’s disease

PMC Co-Director Dr. David Wolk presents at the 2018 Research Partner Thank You Luncheon.

By Erin Alessandroni

The number of Alzheimer’s cases and related deaths has been sharply increasing, making it what some call a “global epidemic” and “public health crisis”. While the cost of care to our nation is rising, research shows that early diagnosis of cognitive decline could lead to individual and national long-term savings.

This year’s Alzheimer’s Disease 2018 Facts and Figures report includes the alarming fact that by 2025, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is estimated to reach 7.1 million, an increase from the 5.5 million age 65 and older affected in 2018.

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