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by Erin Alessandroni

The use of multiple biomarkers — physiological indicators of disease or another bodily state — may be more effective than single diagnostic tests or clinical assessment alone in assessing risk of future cognitive decline in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Dr. David Wolk, co-director of Penn Memory Center, authored a paper on these findings published in JAMA Neurology.

Through a four-year, multicenter cohort study involving 232 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, Dr. Wolk and colleagues used biomarkers to determine a patient’s risk of progressing to probable Alzheimer’s disease.

By Joyce Lee

Stories give voice to the experience of Alzheimer’s disease – the experience of patients and families struggling with the disease. Carpe Kilimanjaro is one such story, a film unveiling the challenges Zach Jordan faces as his father is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This is what Penn Memory Center Co-Director Jason Karlawish, MD, writes about in his latest Forbes column.

Carpe Kilimanjaro is, according to Dr. Karlawish, “a blend of documentary, biography, and autobiography into what I will call a natural history of life as a human.” In it, Zach scales two mountains: the mountain of Alzheimer’s disease that his father faces, and the mountain of Kilimanjaro that he himself faces, with his other father – his girlfriend’s father – by his side. It is a tale of two mountains and a tale of three men: one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (Zach’s father), another one of similar age still thriving (Zach’s girlfriend’s father), and a third (Zach) coming into his own adult life. And in facing these challenges, Zach ultimately comes away with the message to “seize the mountain, seize the day.”

Stories like Zach’s help us understand the experience of Alzheimer’s disease as is felt by those affected by the disease. It engages us in conversation that is “meant to comfort, reduce the stigma, and [provide] a sense of hope,” Dr. Karlawish writes.

Most of all, it teaches us. “As Alzheimer’s kills, it teaches us how to live,” the column concludes.

To read Dr. Karlawish’s full column in Forbes, click here.

Join Penn Memory Center neurologist Roy Hamilton, MD, at a lecture on May 11 in Bala Cynwyd, PA hosted by the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia (JFCS).

The Fran and Elliot Kane Memorial Lecture
Sage-ing: Finding the Wisdoms of Aging Across Communities and Cultures
May 11, 2018 | 8:30 a.m. to noon
The Barbara and Harvey Brodsky Enrichment Center of JFCS
345 Montgomery Avenue
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

The lecture addresses the strengths and challenges of aging in diverse cultures and communities. Attendees will learn about “age culture” and how they can help enhance the aging process and offer support for those with age-associated cognitive problems.

A clinician at Penn Memory Center, Dr. Hamilton is an Associate Professor in Neurology and Dean of the Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion at the Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Hamilton will be presenting his talk on “Diversity and Disparity: Remembering Communities of Color in the Fight Against Memory Disorders.” For more about Dr. Hamilton and his work, please click here.

For more information about the talk and to register, click here.

Penn Memory Center’s May Memory Café will feature music students from the Curtis Institute of Music. Join the Penn Memory Center in welcoming them on:

Friday, May 4 | 10:30 a.m. to noon
Christ Church Neighborhood House
20 N. American Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

To RSVP, contact Alison Lynn at 215-360-0257 or alison.lynn@uphs.upenn.edu.

Curtis Institute of Music students Ying Li, Jiacheng Xiong, and Bolai Cao answer questions from the audience at October’s Memory Café.

The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Center City, Philadelphia that educates gifted students from all around the world in the study of music. The Curtis Institute’s aim is to train their students, selected on the basis of their talent and artistic promise, to be world performers and musical leaders who will make a profound impact within their local and global communities. Penn Memory Center and the Curtis Institute have worked closely together in the past to bring classical music to the homes of patients with memory problems and their families, and students from the Curtis Institute have also performed for the Penn Memory Center at past Memory Cafés and Caregiver Retreats. Penn Memory Center is proud to be welcoming back these talented young musicians from Curtis at the upcoming May Memory Café.

Penn Memory Center’s April Memory Café will feature the Quaker Notes, an all-female a cappella group from the University of Pennsylvania. Join the Penn Memory Center in welcoming them:

Friday, April 6 | 10:30 a.m. to noon
Christ Church Neighborhood House
20 N. American Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

The first a cappella group to be formed on Penn’s campus, the Quaker Notes are known for their all-female composition and their contemporary music and style. “We perform songs from a variety of genres of contemporary music – songs we think our audience will love and songs that we are passionate about – without limiting ourselves to a specific style,” they write on their website. The group holds spring and fall showcases and also performs at local events, including charity fundraisers, alumni reunions, and private parties.

Photo credits to Quaker Notes Facebook page.

Listen to a preview of their performance below: