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Dr. John Trojanowski

Researchers across the nation are chasing answers to one question: Is it possible to transmit Alzheimer’s disease from one person to another?

Some researchers have taken the results of a study featured in the September edition of the journal Nature to say that it’s possible, but one Penn researcher who has studied the same data argues that’s just a misinterpreted result from a too-small study.

“Study another thousand people, then come back to me — another 7,000 people, then come back to me — and tell me what your findings are,” said Dr. John Trojanowski, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Core Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

A panel of (from left) Felicia Greenfield, Dr. Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton, Dr. David Wolk and Dr. John Trojanowski, listen to an attendee’s question at the 2015 Research Partner Thank You Breakfast.

After another year of studying neurodegenerative diseases with the help of hundreds of volunteers, the Penn Memory Center (PMC) thanked about 200 of those research participants and their family members with an informational breakfast.

The annual event, held at the Inn at Penn the morning of October 24, brought research participants face-to-face with the clinicians and coordinators working on PMC studies.

Join Boomers ‘R Heroes Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregivers Support Group on October 24 for a free screening of ‘Still Alice’ at First Corinthian Baptist Church.

“This moving production is a thought-provoking vehicle for any and all who are caring for a family member suffering with Alzheimer’s disease/dementia. This feature will touch all emotions, allowing you to openly share your feelings and accept suggestions from others. Please come out and join us.” — boomersrheroes.org

What: ‘Still Alice’ screening and Q&A
Time: Noon to 2 p.m.
Date: October 24
Place: First Corinthian Baptist Church, 5101 Pine Street, Philadelphia
RSVP: jean.kirkley@gmail.com

Angela Ddamba, right, signs in guests in 2014 at “Forget Me Not,” a play about Alzheimer’s disease among African-Americans, held at Freedom Theater.

Angela Ddamba joined the Penn Memory Center as a volunteer on a mission; she wanted to increase African-American participation in research. She completed her time here confident that equity in healthcare is within reach.

In her own words, here is her story:

Before I began volunteering with the Penn Memory Center (PMC), I had not been exposed to elder care in the community. This experience allowed me to work with the older, mainly African-American population in Philadelphia. I worked with Coordinator for Diversity in Research and Education Tigist Hailu, mainly to help with enrollment of African-American participants into NACC, a nationwide study of Alzheimer’s disease.

Walkers complete the 2015 Senior Strut at Lloyd Hall on Boathouse Row.

Seniors took to Boathouse row Friday morning as part of the one-mile 2015 Senior Strut.

At Lloyd Hall, the finish line of the walk, Penn Memory Center (PMC) staffers Tigist Hailu and Jessica Nunez distributed stress balls and PMC handouts. Outside, former Philadelphia Eagle Mike Quick addressed participants while a trio of Mummers serenaded the remaining walkers.

“I’m not as young as I used to be, and what I do [to exercise] is what you all did this morning,” said Quick, who also touted the benefits of yoga, saying “there’s nothing better for our aging bodies.”

See photos from the event below:

Dr. Roy Hamilton, a clinician with the Penn Memory Center, has been selected as the recipient of the Leonard Berwick Memorial Teaching Award.

The award, given to “a member of the medical faculty who in his or her teaching effectively fuses basic science and clinical medicine,” is typically given to a junior faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania.

Hamilton is an assistant professor of neurology, co-director of the Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation and is the associate director of Penn’s Clinical Neurosciences Training Program.

Join the Penn Memory Center’s Felicia Greenfield November 14 at The Aging Mind 102: Dealing With Dementia.

The free informational forum “will explore the journeys of LGBT older adults who have been impacted by dementia or cognitive decline.”

“Join us to learn about the neruological aspects of dementia, behavioral interventions, financial issues, and end-of-life planning,” a flyer reads. Light refreshments will be served.

What: Dealing With Dementia
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, November 14
Where: The United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern NJ, 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pa.

To register, contact the LGBT Elder Initiative at 215-720-9415 or info@lgbtei.org.

Click the image above to see animation.

As people are living longer than ever before, society needs to make an investment in the elderly, according to a new report.

“Comprehensive public-health action on ageing is urgently needed, and there is something that can be done in every setting, no matter what the level of socio-economic development,” declared the World Health Organization’s World Report on Ageing and Health, released last week.

Flickr.com

A planned University of Pennsylvania program using dance to promote cognitive health was featured by the American Public Health Association.

Penn Memory Center (PMC) researchers plan to partner with First Corinthian Baptist Church in West Philadelphia to provide senior citizens with group dancing sessions, PMC Co-Director Jason Karlawish said in the interview. The idea spawned from the interest adults were showing in a similar program used at a local middle school to target obesity.

“What we found is that many of the young people were coming with parents or grandparents, and we discovered that’s an opportunity to get older adults dancing, too,” Karlawish told The Nation’s Health. “Certainly, physical activity is related to weight management, but it’s also related to brain health. The researchers at Penn have developed ways using line-and related dance activities to engage groups in physically and socially engaging activities.”

Click here to read the entire article.

Credit: Julie Kertesz/Flickr

Join The Penn Memory Center this fall for one of two sessions of “Cognitive Comedy Workshop.”

The free workshop, held 10 a.m. to noon at The Ralston House (3615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa.), highlights the relationship between cognition and long-form improvisation, as taught by local and East Coast improv comedians.

The course will be held for beginners. Meet, greet, talk, learn the basics, play games, do improv exercises, and finally act out scenes. Through listening, word association, and natural comedy instinct, you can find yourself confident, hilarious, and healthy!