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Weekly InSight: Moment to Moment Film Has Close Ties to PMC
A new, short film about love and resilience in the face of disease will premiere next month in Philadelphia. The film, called Moment to Moment, has close ties to the Penn Memory Center (PMC).
Moment to Moment features Carl Duzen and Susan Jewett, who have been actively involved with the PMC for more than five years. Duzen, a former physics teacher, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 by PMC Co-Director David Wolk, MD. His wife, Jewett, is an artist and former art teacher.
The film follows the couple as they navigate the challenges of Duzen’s diagnosis. And more specifically, it focuses on the couple’s newfound hobby: turning copper wire into art.
Duzen began taking apart old televisions and other electronics as a coping mechanism, and his wife quickly realized the copper he was extracting and bending in unique designs could be turned into works of art by framing them.
Their work has since been turned into an exhibit, titled “Carl Duzen: Shaping Copper, Making Meaning.” Until late 2018, the art was on was on display at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. Previously, it was featured at the Main Line Art Center in Philadelphia.
The new documentary offers more than just a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process.
“This film, it’s a love story,” said Mike Attie, a filmmaker and the director of the Film and Video Program at the University of the Arts.
“I liked being in their presence. It was something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it was clear that their love was deep,” he added.
“They have this really wonderful world.”
Moment to Moment will premiere at 5:00 p.m. (doors open at 4:30) on Thursday, April 25 at the Jordan Medical Education Center, 3400 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104. Tickets are free, but RSVP is required.
The film will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by PMC Co-Director Jason Karlawish, MD. Panelists include: Mike Attie (Director/Producer), Anjan Chatterjee, MD (Penn Medicine), Felicia Greenfield, MSW, LCSW (PMC), Susan Shifrin (ARTZ Philadelphia), Teya Sepinuck (Theatre of Witness), and David Wolk, MD (PMC).
Time Out, an award-winning mentorship and respite care program, is recruiting students and families. Private respite care often costs more than $20 an hour, but Time Out care providers will be available for $8.50 an hour for up to 10 hours per week. For more information about the program and services provided, click here.
Families who would like to register or learn more should contact Alison Lynn, MSW, LCSW, at alison.lynn@uphs.upenn.edu or 215-360-0257.
Memory in Motion is a free dance class tailored to meet the challenges of people living with dementia and their caregivers. The class incorporates simple, adaptive movements set to musical favorites from the ’40s to present day in an open and accepting environment. The class is held every Monday between March 11 and April 22 from 11:00-11:45 at BalletX, 1923 Washington Ave. To RSVP, contact Felicia Greenfield at felicia.greenfield@uphs.upenn.edu or 215-662-4523.
Dr. Nancy Hodgson, PhD, RN, FAAN, of the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, will be talking about her new book, Better Living with Dementia: Implications for Individuals, Families, Communities, and Societies, on Thursday, March 14, at 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Penn’s Biomedical Library. Hodgson and her co-author, Drexel’s Dr. Laura Gitlin, investigate the struggles of families living with dementia in their new book. Register here. Refreshments will be served.
Creative Expression Through Music, a collaboration between PMC and the Curtis Institute of Music, is a new, free program for PMC patients experiencing memory change or those with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage dementia. It’s intended to provide participants with a greater understanding of music, fun new tools for interacting through sound, and creative musical experience that flex their imaginations. Beginners are welcome. Session One will engage participants in collaborative, creative musical experiences and will assess their impact on participants’ mood and well-being. Session Two will focus on creating new music and building the skills and activities of Session One. Registration for Session One is now closed, but Session Two is still enrolling.
Session Two will meet from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. on March 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30. All sessions are held at The Curtis Institute of Music in Lenfest Hall, Room LH314. If you’d like to register or have questions, contact Matthew Volpe at matthew.volpe@uphs.upenn.edu.
Join Bridges to Wealth for a Financial Empowerment Series. Learn how to repair credit, reduce debt, and build wealth! The series consists of two classes on March 19 and 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Both classes will be held at Lucien Blackwell Library, 125 S 52nd St., Philadelphia. The classes are free and open to the public. Lunch will be served.
The next Memory Café will be held on Friday, March 29, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Christ Church Neighborhood House in Old City. There will be a special tasting event with members of Penn Appétit, the University of Pennsylvania’s student-run magazine covering all things food. Memory Café is exclusively for people with memory problems, including Alzheimer’s disease, and their partners/families. The program is free. Please RSVP to Alison Lynn at 215-360-0257 or alison.lynn@uphs.upenn.edu. All 2019 dates are posted here.