Penn Memory Center

02/04/2026

📽️ What does an MRI feel like?
🧠 Do you need to prepare?
⏱️ How long does it take?

We hear these questions often from patients and research participants. Our new MRI FAQ video answers them all so you know exactly what to expect.

🎥 Watch now and feel more prepared for your next visit.

02/02/2026

Are you a caregiver, a family member, or someone keeping an eye on brain health for yourself or a loved one?

Subscribe to Penn Memory Center’s InSight newsletter for updates on programs, events, research opportunities, and practical resources.

Get the latest in your inbox ➡️ bit.ly/PMC-InSight

01/30/2026

Caregiving is full of hard moments, but also tender ones that stay with you.

Join us for the next Empowering Caregivers session, a conversation about how to create more of those moments that matter.

Tender Moments in Caregiving
🗓️ Friday, February 13
🕛 12 p.m.
📍 On Zoom

Led by psychologists and former caregivers Barry J. Jacobs, PsyD and Julia L. Mayer, PsyD, this session explores how to shift from doing for your loved one to being with them. Expect heartfelt stories, real-life strategies, and space to reflect.

Free and open to all caregivers.
Register here: bit.ly/4rtHDUt
Catch past sessions here: bit.ly/4t4NUrj

01/28/2026

What do you wish people understood more about aging?
We asked that question at the end of every Season 4 interview. The answers were honest, funny, wise, and at times emotional. In this bonus episode of The Age of Aging, we pulled them together, a short, powerful listen that says a lot about how people really feel about getting older.

🎧 Listen now: bit.ly/4adaw1b
🧠 Season 5 launches soon.

The Age of Aging is made possible by the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub fund and our sponsors, the TIAA Institute and Rothkoff Law Group.

01/23/2026

What if laughter could be part of your care plan?
Cognitive Comedy returns this winter, a free weekly improv workshop from Penn Memory Center for people living with cognitive impairment and their loved ones. No experience needed, just a willingness to play, connect, and laugh together in a relaxed virtual setting.

Research shows improv is more than fun, it’s therapeutic. As explored in The Age of Aging episode, “Yes And…," improv helps care partners navigate dementia with presence, creativity, and joy.

🗓️ January 20 – March 24
🕐 Tuesdays, 1:30–3 p.m.
📍 On Zoom

Learn more and register here: bit.ly/49ND67W

Listen to “Yes And...How Improv Can Help us Care for People Living with Dementia” episode: bit.ly/4pTQj5a

Make new friends, learn the tenets of improv, try out some scene work, and improve listening, word association, and mood along the way.

01/22/2026

The Kroc Community Voice Choir for Seniors will resume this coming Friday, January 23, at 1:00 p.m. in the WPAC.

All are welcome—no prior singing experience or “good” singing voice is required. The choir focuses on cognitive skill building, social connection, and the simple joy of making music together.

This program is bought to the Kroc thanks to our partners, Penn Memory Center Opera Philadelphia and Curtis Institute of Music

01/20/2026

Dr. Jason Karlawish reflects on a moment many clinicians are starting to recognize. He says the treatments we’re using today will soon be seen as historical.

In a special episode of The Age of Aging, he and Dr. David Wolk explain why. They break down real-world data on lecanemab and donanemab, preview safer next-gen therapies, and debate what the future holds for Alzheimer’s care.

🎧 Listen now to RX for Alzheimer’s and catch up before season five drops next month: bit.ly/4pyetC1

The Age of Aging is made possible by the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub fund and our sponsors, the TIAA Institute and Rothkoff Law Group.

01/15/2026

Special episode between seasons!

Penn Memory Center Co-Directors Drs. Jason Karlawish and David Wolk return from the 2025 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) Conference with sharp insights and straight talk.
They unpack what we know (and still don’t) about anti-amyloid therapies like lecanemab and donanemab, why semaglutide trials failed, and what the POINTER study says about lifestyle and brain health.

🎧 Listen now and catch up before season five drops next month: bit.ly/4pyetC1

The Age of Aging is made possible by the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub fund and our sponsors, the TIAA Institute and Rothkoff Law Group.

01/13/2026

📹 Why do people say yes to research?

In this video, two Penn Memory Center research participants share what brought them in, what kept them coming back, and what they wish others knew before signing up. They talk about purpose, trust, healthy aging, and the moments that stayed with them.

Watch their stories and explore how you or a loved one can take part in research at Penn Memory Center.

Two Penn Memory Center research participants reflect on why they joined a study, what the experience has meant, and what advice they’d share with others. The...

01/09/2026

How common is Alzheimer’s?

A new study from Norway suggests that nearly 1 in 10 adults over 70 may be living with signs of Alzheimer’s disease, and the numbers are even higher in those over 85.

Researchers used blood tests and memory checks to reach these estimates, and their findings raise important questions about screening and prevention.

Dr. Jason Karlawish, co-director of Penn Memory Center, responded in Nature, urging caution:
“In the wrong hands, blood tests could cause a lot of harm.”

He also pointed to a key disparity, individuals with less education showed higher levels of Alzheimer’s markers.

A survey of Alzheimer’s disease prevalence in Norway confirms earlier estimates and might show how education level relates to risk.

01/07/2026

Season 4 finale of The Age of Aging takes you inside UnRavelled, a play inspired by composer Maurice Ravel and painter Anne Adams, whose creativity surged in the early stages of frontotemporal dementia.

Through theater, music, and lived experience, this episode explores what remains when the brain changes, and how creativity and connection persist.

🎧 Listen to to the full episode here: bit.ly/4qnwjZc

The Age of Aging is made possible by the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub fund and our sponsors, the TIAA Institute and Rothkoff Law Group.

01/05/2026

Last month, Chris Davis performed his solo show One-Man Nutcracker in Philadelphia. After the performance, he sat down with Penn Memory Center Co-Director Dr. Jason Karlawish to reflect on why he wrote the piece, how memory lives in movement, and what dance reveals about aging, creativity, and change.

🎭 Learn more about Chris Davis: realchrisdavis.com
▶️ Watch the full conversation: https://bit.ly/49GZbVV