By Meghan McCarthy Editor’s note: Names have been changed to protect PMC patient privacy. We sincerely thank the family involved in sharing their story with our community. Fourteen years ago, Eleanor left her house with a simple afternoon stroll in mind. After the passing of her beloved husband, walks around her gated community were a boost to her daily routine. Hours later, her daughter, Molly, called Eleanor’s home phone and couldn’t reach her. “Because she was my father’s caregiver, she always answered her cell phone,” explained Molly. “When I called and asked where she was, she said ‘Oh, I ..read more

By Meghan McCarthy Depending on where you’re from, phrases and sayings differ. The preference for calling something soda versus pop, hoagie versus sub, bubbler versus water fountain are classic examples that often reflect the state in which one was raised. Beyond geographical differences, sayings can vary based on racial and ethnic backgrounds. For instance, Black English, a social dialect with unique expressions and grammar rules, is often used in informal conversations among Black Americans. When studying speech, these different dialects have an impact on understanding data. After generating ..read more

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has postponed its decision on the Alzheimer’s drug donanemab, which was expected by the end of March. Instead, the FDA will ask an independent panel of experts to review questions about the drug. Eli Lilly and Company, the drug’s manufacturer, confirmed this development. The FDA’s request for an advisory committee follows a longer than expected wait for a decision that was expected by the end of 2023 and then sometime in the first quarter of 2024. The published and presented data on donanemab describe a drug that’s much like lecanemab, an e ..read more

By Judy George, MedPage Today The 2024 ballot may have the oldest pairing of presidential candidates, with President Joe Biden at age 81 and former President Donald Trump at age 77. Each candidate has publicly shown moments of forgetfulness in recent weeks, but what that means isn’t clear. The failure to remember a specific event or date may or may not point to cognitive problems, maintains geriatrician Jason Karlawish, MD, co-director of the Penn Memory Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and author of The Problem of Alzheimer’s: How Science, Culture, and Polit ..read more

For a translated version of this article, please click here. By Meghan McCarthy  As the Penn Memory Center (PMC) continues to develop new research opportunities for Latinos in Philadelphia, it has a new coordinator dedicated to these efforts: Andrew Beltran.  Latinos are developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) at a rate higher than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And yet they are frequently underrepresented in research.   Starting with the hire of Beltran, PMC is building ..read more

Por Meghan McCarthy  A medida que el Penn Memory Center (PMC) continúa desarrollando nuevas oportunidades de investigación para los latinos en Filadelfia, le presentamos a un nuevo coordinador dedicado a estos esfuerzos: Andrew Beltrán.  Según el Instituto Nacional sobre el Envejecimiento (NIA, por sus siglas en inglés), los latinos están desarrollando la enfermedad de Alzheimer y demencias relacionadas a un ritmo más alto que cualquier otro grupo racial o étnico en los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, con frecuencia no están representadas en la investigación. Comenzando con la contratac ..read more

Making the Move to a Residential Care Community Noon to 2 p.m. | Friday, January 26 | on Zoom Deciding whether to move your loved one from home to a memory or personal care community is a time full of unknowns, myths, and misunderstandings. Join Lorri Bernstein and Mindy Mozenter from Senior Living Specialists Philly as they dispel these myths and cover decision-making, expected costs, and emotional support. Empowering Caregivers conversations are recorded and published on YouTube and pennmemorycenter.org. If you are interested in this topic but cannot attend, reg ..read more

  By Victor Ekuta, MD Penn Memory Center Clark Scholar  I was in my 3rd year of medical school when I first heard the phrase that “time is brain.” Coined in a 1993 editorial by Dr. Camilo Gomez, this pivotal concept emphasizes the critical importance of early intervention in preserving brain health after a stroke. “Unquestionably,” Dr. Gomez wrote, “the longer therapy is delayed, the lesser the chance that it will be successful, and early intervention will probably be a major determining factor in the limitation of the damage of neurons.”  Recent advancements in stroke neuroimag ..read more

Greetings, and Happy New Year! During this time of year when we pause and reflect, it’s important to embrace whatever journey we are on, to cherish what’s important, and to be open to what lies ahead. The turn of the new year celebrates renewal, and it is in that spirit that I announce my next chapter. After 20 years of service at Penn, I am leaving to start my own therapy and consultation service. I’ve devoted decades to supporting families living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias at the Penn Memory Center. Now, I will bring my experience to broader Read More The post An Announceme ..read more

Felicia Greenfield, Cait Kearney, Leah Fein, and Meg Kalafsky at AAIC   By Meghan McCarthy  When Cait Kearney joined the Penn Memory Center (PMC), she was a recent college graduate without full-time work experience.  In the three years since, Kearney has had positions at PMC created for her, published hundreds of newsletters, led training programs, represented the center at an international conference, and most recently completed her master’s in professional writing from Northern Arizona University.   Simply put, our communications team would not be the same without he ..read more