Blog Topic: Aging

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  Dementia Trends Inspire Innovative Approaches to Care

  February 04, 2020

  Mary walks toward the hospital, unsteady and confused. Her daughter Susan gently guides her toward the door. As they sit in the waiting room of pre-admission testing, Mary barely hears her name called and doesn’t know what to do when she hears it. Susan helps her to stand and to walk toward a smiling stranger. Mary doesn’t understand the questions the stranger asks.

  Aging Neurology
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  Building Bridges: Giggles, Smiles, and So Much More

  January 08, 2018

  Nobody likes long waits to see a doctor, but it’s especially hard for young children to “sit still and behave.” Thanks to Building Bridges, an intergenerational partnership between the Penn Memory Center and CHOP, a lot more giggles are emanating from the waiting room. Perhaps, even more important, older adults are feeling needed.

  Community Patient Care Family Medicine and Community Health Aging
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  When I Die, Let Me Live

  June 21, 2017

  The first two-part episode of Perelman School of Medicine graduate Lauren Kelly, MD’s podcast, “When I Die, Let Me Live,” is not always an easy listen — but that’s kind of the point. Kelly aims to present the listener with firsthand stories from patients, families, and caretakers dealing with the myriad physical, mental, emotional, and moral complexities of end-of-life care.

  Aging Patient Care Patient Stories General Interest
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  Is Living Longer, Living Better?

  March 10, 2017

  With the potential for repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the health care safeguards that help care for the aging and those with chronic disease could be in jeopardy. Research has shown there is a correlation between access to care and health–and perhaps by association, lifespan—and the risks are becoming more profound over time, with the increasing number of people who need care for serious illnesses throughout their lives.

  Aging Public Health
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  Putting the ‘Plastic’ in ‘Synaptic Plasticity’

  March 03, 2017

  We’ve all seen 'em: Children displaying prowess far beyond ours in areas we considered ourselves capable. They make up for a lack of experience with the ability to learn at an extraordinary pace, surpassing their elders quickly. You may be relieved to know there’s a term, and full scientific explanation, for this phenomenon—beyond just your being out of touch.

  Aging Brain and Behavior Neurology Psychology
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  Raising Spirits Throughout the Holiday Season

  January 09, 2017

  Reaching out into our communities to improve the lives of those less fortunate is one of Penn Medicine’s highest priorities. But giving back takes on a special significance during the holiday season.

  Community Addiction Aging Family Medicine and Community Health Home Hospice and Palliative Care
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  The Memory Café: A “Safe” Place to Socialize

  August 22, 2016

  At a recent event at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, a group of people sat around four tables, each with Egyptian artifacts as its centerpiece. Museum educators went from table to table explaining – in a highly entertaining fashion – what each artifact signified in ancient...

  Aging Measures that Matter Neurodegenerative Diseases
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  Can Movin' and Groovin' Keep Alzheimer's at Bay?

  June 17, 2016

  At the Ralston House, home of Penn’s Institute on Aging (IOA), a small group of older African-Americans moves to the rhythm of African music, keeping time to the beat of the drums as they follow their dance instructor’s steps. Another similarly aged group tackles mentally stimulating activities, such as creating...

  Aging Measures that Matter
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  Hips Don't Lie; Neither Do Radiologists

  January 20, 2016

  On this blog, we frequently write about what it’s like to work for — or experience life at — Penn Medicine. What we don’t get the chance to write about very often is what it’s like to see the University of Pennsylvania Health System from the other side: as a...

  Aging Human Interest Orthopaedics Patient Stories
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  Penn Leads the Way in Alzheimer’s Research and Care

  November 19, 2015

  It’s an exciting time in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research, declared a recent CNBC.com article. Enhanced investment in research has led to new and improved treatments for cancer and other common illnesses, with Alzheimer’s perennially lagging in both available treatments and federal funding. But leading researchers, those at Penn among them,...

  Aging Brain and Behavior