The Curtis Institute of Music would like to extend an exciting invitation to the Penn Memory Center (PMC) community to attend a final concert featuring participants from the Creative Expression Through Music Program.
Participants of the program are all PMC patients experiencing memory change, mild cognitive impairment, or early-stage dementia. Throughout seven classes, the last of which is Tuesday, they engaged in a collaborative musical experience, with a particular focus on creating original tunes.
The concert will consist entirely of pieces imagined by members of the PMC community, all performed by Curtis students. The Curtis Institute is a conservatory in Center City, Philadelphia that educates gifted students from around the world in the study of music. They’ve worked closely with PMC at Memory Cafés and Caregiver Retreats. But their interactive program is a new effort, piloted for the first time this year.
“The whole idea of Creative Expression Through Music was to ask this question of if we could harness the joyful power of musical creativity and bring it to this community of people who are dealing with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Nick DiBerardino, Community Artist Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, in a video filmed and edited by PMC Intern Linnea Langkammer. “It’s all about that sense of play, that sense of fun, and also community.”
The program welcomed individuals of all musical abilities, including beginners. Regardless of musical talent, there was a shared goal of the sessions, which was to feel happier and more at ease, said DiBerardino.
“And it seems like nearly everyone feels that way,” he said. “When we leave we feel more whole. We feel more peace than when we arrived.”
The final concert takes place on Sunday, May 5th at 3 p.m. in Gould Rehearsal Hall (1616 Locust Street, Philadelphia) and will last about 90 minutes. There will be 30 minutes of mingling, 30 minutes of music, and 30 minutes of casual group reflection.
It’s free, informal, and refreshments will be served. If you have any questions, please contact Felicia Greenfield at Felicia.Greenfield@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
If you’re unable to make the concert, there will be a video version in the coming weeks for you to view.
featuring Future Works Consulting’s Sharon Buckmaster, PhD
Empowering Caregivers The Penn Memory Center continued its new Empowering Caregivers speaker series this year with Future Works Consulting’s Sharon Buckmaster, PhD, who presented “When, Why, and How to Move to a Memory Care Facility.” Empowering Caregivers gives caregivers access to area experts who present on a variety of intensive topics, from in-home activities to end-of-life care. All sessions are full. We appreciate your enthusiasm. |
Social work interns complete time with PMC The Penn Memory Center team says goodbye and good luck to the latest corps of social work students, who have successfully completed their internships. Sarah Bujno, Nora Garland, Laura Vargas, and Matt Volpe helped develop and maintain psychosocial support programs for patients and caregivers at PMC since the beginning of the academic year. Their last day is May 1, 2019. Job Opportunity We’re seeking a Clinical Research Coordinator A to support the research and administrative activities of the Penn Program on Precision Medicine for the Brain, led by Jason Karlawish, MD, and a team of faculty collaborators and research staff. This group examines the ethical, legal, and social issues related to the aging brain with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s disease. Current research focuses on understanding the experiences of individuals with ‘pre-clinical’ Alzheimer’s disease and the social and cultural transformations of Alzheimer’s disease. For more information and to apply, click here. Now Enrolling: ‘Time Out’ Program 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. College students who would like to register or learn more should contact Roynell Sanders at timeout@temple.edu. Upcoming Events Dance for Health, a free weekly dance class for older adults, has returned to the Ralston Center. It’s held Saturdays until May 11 (excluding April 20) at 3615 Chestnut Street. The program is open to all adults 55 or older. To RSVP, contact Terrence Casey at tjcasey@upenn.edu or 215-898-9979. The National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center is hosting a webinar series, sponsored by the Administration for Community Living. One of the presentations, titled “The Messages We Send: Stigma Toward Persons Living with Dementia and How to End It,” will be led by PMC scholar Shana Stites, PsyD, MA, MS and Rev. Cynthia Huling Hummel, D.Min., who is living with early stage dementia. Participants will be able to describe and define types of stigma around dementia, describe and give examples of the role of language in stigma around dementia, define what it means to use a strength-based approach with persons who have dementia, and list three examples of person-centered language to counter stigma around dementia. The presentation is on Tuesday, May 7 at 2 p.m. ET. It’s free and open to the public, but registration is required. The next Memory Café will be held on Friday, May 17 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Christ Church Neighborhood House in Old City. Svitanya, an Eastern European women’s vocal group, will be performing. 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. Sincerely, The PMC Communications Team Terrence Casey, Joyce Lee, Janissa Delzo, Linnea Langkammer, and Sharnita Midgett Correction: In last week’s InSight, we incorrectly stated Janet Caplan was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease by PMC Co-Director David Wolk, MD, when we should have stated Emeritus Director Steven Arnold, MD, diagnosed Janet in 2010. Dr. Wolk started following Janet more recently and was her PMC doctor until she passed away on April 16. |