An Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
“I’m afraid that even by the stage of very mild dementia, you’ve already lost 70 percent of the key neurons in the memory regions of the brain. Ultimately, we need to start treating people before there are symptoms,” Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Dr. Reisa Sperling, director of the Center for Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment, told Newsweek.
Ralston Wellness is pleased to present its newest series, “The Fine Art of Aging Creatively.” The weekly art class will take place each Thursday during the 10 weeks between April 6 and June 8. This free program welcomes individuals over the age of 60. The series will demonstrate techniques designed for those suffering from manual arthritis.
Artist and historian Cassandra Stancil Gunkel will lead the class.
Antipsychotics are ineffective in improving distress-related delirium in palliative care, according to a recent article in Neurology Today. In fact, researchers found antipsychotics to be less helpful than non-pharmacological approaches, indicating a need for alternative management strategies in patient care.
Non-medicating strategies might include “providing one-on-one sitters with patients who are beginning to develop delirium,” Penn Memory Center Co-Director Dr. Jason Karalwish wrote in expert commentary. These sitters could be “someone who can redirect a patient who’s climbing out of bed and provide some personal attention and comfort,” Karlawish wrote.
“Think about a typical case of delirium where someone starts crying out, ‘Help me!’” Karlawish challenged. “Rather than say that’s a druggable moment, we should think about the meaning of the behavior. It might be distressing to see, but there’s a messiness to death that oftentimes is part of the meaning we take from experience. Maybe we should ask, “how can I help you?’”
Learn about approaches to end-of-life care at Neurology Today.
EPOCH, which began in late 2012, sought to improve Alzheimer’s disease symptoms by slowing deposition of the beta-amyloid plaques characteristic of AD. The first step in beta-amyloid production requires a BACE enzyme. This study tested verubecestat, an inhibitor of one such BACE enzyme, in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
Tigist Hailu, MPH, has been named to the new Penn Memory Center position of Director for Diversity in Research and Education.
Her appointment speaks to PMC’s mission to increase the diversity of clinicians and researchers in the field of aging research, as well as to ensure that patient engagement reflects the diverse communities affected by age-related cognitive disease. Hailu will continue to develop training initiatives for clinicians and researchers, as well as for students through programs such as the Minority Scholars Program in Aging Research and the Public Health Dimensions of Cognitive Aging Certificate Program.
The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association recently presented Bill Lyon, sportswriter emeritus for the Philadelphia Inquirer, with its “Most Courageous Award.”
The honor came not for Lyon’s impressive sports-writing portfolio, but rather for a recent series documenting his personal struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
In his writing, Lyon, 79, discusses his joint effort with Dr. Jason Karlawish and the Penn Memory Center tackle “Al,” his nickname for Alzheimer’s disease.
The play’s lead is a young and ambitious scientist who lives with a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s disease that she inherited from her mother and fears that she has already passed down to her young daughter.
Itching for any opportunity to help cure her daughter before her own mind deteriorates, Jilian (the researcher) agrees to perform research on a small, secluded Native tribe living in the Grand Canyon.
In March 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the most impactful health care reform bill since Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Today, President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress are poised to dismantle this law, a move that will endanger the health status of millions of Americans, especially those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, medical experts argue.
The Affordable Care Act, known as the ACA or Obamacare, is a legislative engine created to reduce rising healthcare costs while improving health outcomes for all Americans. Medical experts maintain that the ACA provides vital support to those with cognitive impairments. Should the law remain intact, it will continue to benefit patients, caregivers, and families. Despite this, Republican leaders decry the ACA as a failure.
“The ACA has led to multiple initiatives that are improving the quality of care in the hospital, community, and long-term care settings,” Dr. Jason Karlawish, Co-Director of the Penn Memory Center, wrote in a recent Forbes column. “These initiatives are reducing out-of-pocket payments for prescription drugs, tackling the horror of elder abuse and neglect, and training healthcare professionals in geriatric medicine.”
The Penn Memory Center and supporter Joe Nicoletti welcomed friends and family to the Class of 1923 Arena Monday for the inaugural Penn Memory Center On Ice.
More than 30 guests enjoyed the exclusive access to the University of Pennsylvania’s historic skating rink in support of the PMC’s research efforts.
The Penn Memory Center thanks Joe Nicoletti for organizing the event and for his continued support.
For more images, visit the Penn Memory Center Facebook page.
An aging adult needn’t have a neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer’s to see cognitive change, and one of the first victims of this “cognitive aging” is the ability to manage one’s personal finances.
This issue was the focus of a recent Economist article titled “Not losing it: The elderly, cognitive decline, and banking” in the February 11, 2017 print edition of the magazine.