Penn Memory Center

11/11/2025

What if diagnosing dementia wasn’t about uncertainty anymore?

In this episode of The Age of Aging, Dr. Jason Karlawish discusses major shifts in dementia care, from biomarker-based diagnosis to anti-amyloid therapies, and how those changes are reshaping how clinicians, families, and society talk about dementia.

🎧 Listen to the episode: bit.ly/4qR7Qg0
📰 Read his STAT column Neurotransmissions: bit.ly/3JlgX80

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

11/10/2025

What does memory look like through the eyes of an artist?

Join Penn Memory Center Co-Director Dr. Jason Karlawish and Curator Lauren Rosenblum for a conversation on Memory, Loss, an exhibition at The Print Center exploring art, caregiving, and dementia through photography, printmaking, and video.

📅 Wednesday, November 12 | 5:30–6:30 p.m.
📍 The Print Center, 1614 Latimer St, Philadelphia
🎟️ Free and open to all | Register here: bit.ly/4qIW4UP

11/07/2025

After her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, illustrator Neesa Becker-Procaccino returned to watercolor painting finding comfort, creativity, and connection through her art. Her series, Birds of the Mind, captures imagination and memory in motion.

Watch Neesa’s story in this video recorded in her studio and hear her voice in the new Age of Aging episode, “Making Art, Creating Mind.”

🎧 Listen here: bit.ly/4oE3LK2
🖼️ Neesa’s artwork is displayed in the south wing of the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine as part of the Center for Emerging Visual Artists community exhibition.

The Age of Aging is made possible by the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub fund and the TIAA Institute.

11/06/2025

Last month, the Quaker Notes brought harmony and heart to our Memory Café! Watch the highlights and feel the energy from Penn’s all-female-identifying a ca****la group.

Memory Café returns November 14 with Claymobile. Roll up your sleeves for a hands-on ceramics session with The Clay Studio’s Claymobile. No experience required. Bring curiosity and interest.

📍 The Ralston House, Wellness Center (first floor), 3615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
🕥 Doors open 10:30 a.m. | Event 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Register here: bit.ly/43VzePY

11/05/2025

After a stroke changed everything, stage designer Joe Vanek found a new creative path. Through art and writing, he transformed recovery into reflection, capturing the emotional and physical shifts of life after illness.

Hear Joe’s story in the new episode of The Age of Aging, “Making Art, Creating Mind,” and see how art can help us adapt to life’s biggest changes. In this clip, Joe reads his sonnet Some Days.

🎧 Listen here: bit.ly/4oE3LK2

The Age of Aging is made possible by the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub fund and the TIAA Institute.

10/31/2025

🗳️ Municipal Election Day is Tuesday, November 4.
Get ready by revisiting this episode of The Age of Aging, “What’s Your Voting Plan?”

Penn Memory Center Co-Director Dr. Jason Karlawish and advocate TJ DeLuca discuss voting rights and practical support for people living with cognitive impairment and their caregivers.

🎧 Listen to what’s your voting plan?: bit.ly/3WwSIqm
🗳️ Learn where to vote: bit.ly/43Lhh6F

10/30/2025

Alzheimer’s research is entering what Penn Memory Center Co-Director Dr. David Wolk calls “the dawn of a new era.”

He shares how new drugs and diagnostic tools are reshaping what’s possible for patients and caregivers.

Read more: thepenngazette.com/alzheimers-now/

10/28/2025

Art has the power to heal, restore, and reconnect us to who we are.

The newest episode of The Age of Aging, “Making Art, Creating Mind,” explores how creativity sustains identity and meaning in the face of brain disease.

Stage designer Joe Vanek, poet Scott LaMascus, and illustrator neesa becker-Procaccino each show that aging and illness do not silence imagination, they transform it.

🎧 Listen here: bit.ly/4oE3LK2

The Age of Aging is made possible by the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub fund and the TIAA Institute.

10/24/2025

“I was standing there when six people started talking to me about Alzheimer’s.”

That’s how Neurologist and Author Daniel Gibbs describes one of his most unexpected encounters since sharing his diagnosis publicly.

In the latest episode of The Age of Aging, Dr. Gibbs speaks with Penn Memory Center Co-Director Dr. Jason Karlawish about what it’s like to live with Alzheimer’s after a career spent treating it.

From dog walks and reading to moments of confusion and humor, Dan opens up about how he and his wife, Lois Seed, stay grounded through change.

🎧 Listen, share with a caregiver or clinician, and join the conversation: bit.ly/471m1Gg

The Age of Aging is made possible by the Michael Naidoff Communications Hub fund and the TIAA Institute.

10/23/2025

10/22/2025

Caring for someone with dementia can be overwhelming. The Empowering Caregivers Workshop Series is here to guide and support you through those challenges.

Join the next session:
How to Read a Research Paper: Understanding Scientific Writing for Dementia Caregivers
🗓 Thursday, October 31, 12 p.m.
🎙 With Dr. Emma Rhodes, Penn FTD Center

Learn how to navigate scientific papers, understand technical language, and apply research findings to caregiving.

Online, free and open to the public.
Register or share with someone who might benefit: bit.ly/47BEU42