Sex and intimacy can be difficult topics to navigate, especially for caregivers and their partners facing the challenges of a dementia diagnosis. These conversations are often avoided, yet the emotional toll of intimacy-related struggles can be profound, bringing feelings of grief, confusion, and isolation. The stigma surrounding sex and dementia only deepens this silence, making open dialogue all the more essential. On this episode of The Age of Aging , we explore one caregiver’s deeply persona...
Jul 08, 2025•40 min•Season 3Ep. 7
The U.S. healthcare system is changing—especially when it comes to caring for older adults. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how vulnerable our aging population is, and how unprepared many parts of the system remain. Overstressed nursing homes, overworked primary care physicians, and a lack of accessible resources for dementia care remain persistent challenges. But there’s hope. New technologies, treatments, and care models are reshaping what aging and diagnosis can look like. The question now is:...
Jun 24, 2025•36 min•Season 3Ep. 6
We often think of dementia as something that affects the oldest among us, and that’s often true; at the Penn Memory Center, the average age of diagnosis is between 70 and 75. In most of those cases, caregiving falls to a spouse, partner, or adult child. But what happens when dementia is diagnosed before the age of 65? In this episode of the Age of Aging, we explore early onset dementia and the young caregivers who step up when their lives are just beginning. The stories of teens and young adults...
Jun 10, 2025•40 min•Season 3Ep. 5
The world is getting older—and that reality is what inspired this podcast. Thanks to advances in medicine, healthier lifestyles, and improved living conditions, people are living longer than ever. That’s a good thing. However, longer lives will also require a lot of change from both individuals and society. We will have to prepare now for something earlier generations never considered possible: the second 50 years of our lives. In this episode of the Age of Aging, Executive Producer Jason Karlaw...
May 27, 2025•49 min•Season 3Ep. 4
No one wants to think about their death, let alone talk about it. But having a meaningful conversation with your loved ones about your final days is one of the most important things you can do for them and yourself. End of life is a logistically and emotionally challenging time, so making critical decisions before the process of dying can save you and those around you from further stress and turmoil. Luckily, some experts can help you navigate this time's many legal and emotional complexities. O...
May 13, 2025•38 min•Season 3Ep. 3
At the Penn Memory Center, one of the most common questions we hear is: What can I do to keep my brain healthy as I age? We often reference diet and exercise as essential tools when it comes to maintaining a healthy brain. There’s another, often-overlooked way to boost brain health, fight depression, and support cognitive resilience. It’s not a pill. It’s not a trend. It’s something far more human: our hands. On this episode of the Age of Aging, we explore the power of our hands and why using th...
Apr 29, 2025•42 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In dementia care and research, it’s widely accepted that people living with advanced dementia often lose the ability to connect and communicate as they once did. However, one phenomenon has been the exception to the rule. “Paradoxical lucidity” is a term used to describe brief moments in which individuals with severe dementia suddenly regain clarity, communicate, and reconnect in ways thought to be long lost. While care partners witness and commonly share experiences with clinicians like Dr. Jas...
Apr 15, 2025•40 min•Season 3Ep. 1
What does spring smell like? What do you think is a beautiful sound? If those questions made you pause for a second and reflect, that’s exactly the point. These are examples of “beautiful questions,” open-ended prompts designed to push you beyond your everyday thinking and invite you to look at the world a little differently. Writer and artist Anne Basting developed beautiful questions as a way to creatively engage people, particularly older adults with impaired cognition. These questions are pa...
Mar 25, 2025•11 min
Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Age of Aging ! As we bring in the New Year, we're taking a moment to reflect on the key milestones in dementia research and clinical care from 2024 and share our excitement for what's ahead in 2025. Today’s episode features a conversation between three distinguished leaders in dementia research and clinical care at Penn Medicine and beyond. Dr. Jason Karlawish is a geriatrician and co-directs the Penn Memory Center. Dr. David Wolk co-directs the Penn Mem...
Jan 21, 2025•36 min
It’s the season 2 finale of the Age of Aging ! To celebrate, we welcomed back guests from Seasons 1 and 2 and asked them to dream big to improve aging in America. In this episode, you’ll hear a wide range of ideas: from integrated child and eldercare to ballet training for young adults to walkable communities and many more. This episode is an opportunity to think idealistically about the world, hear ideas from people in the Penn Memory Center community, and develop some ideas of your own. Season...
Dec 10, 2024•44 min•Season 2Ep. 6
The holidays are a time for celebration, joy, and being with loved ones. Unfortunately, it can also be a time that brings stress and anxiety. Between travel, shopping, and managing family dynamics, this season can feel overwhelming. For caregivers and individuals with dementia, these challenges are often magnified. Travel and social gatherings can pose unique difficulties, leaving many caregivers wondering: What will the holidays look like for my loved one and me this year? To help you answer th...
Nov 26, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Providing equitable aging research and care faces a major barrier: minorities that are disproportionately impacted by dementia are greatly underrepresented. Data shows that Black and African American individuals are twice as a likely to develop dementia. Hispanic and Latino populations are one and a half times as likely. At the core of this issue is what researchers call social and structural determinants of health (SSDOH). These are the ways our health is impacted by social factors in our envir...
Nov 12, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 4
This November, millions of Americans will head to the polls for the 2024 presidential election. But while the right to vote is essential to our democracy, unfortunately, the process of voting can present unique challenges for individuals with disabilities like dementia, often requiring outside assistance. If you’re a caregiver, how much can you help someone vote? What kind of assistance is available to those with dementia? On episode 3 of the Age of Aging , we look at voting, and what the proces...
Oct 29, 2024•27 min•Season 2Ep. 3
An Alzheimer's doctor goes to the opera...This isn't the start of a bad joke; it's the result of a collaboration between the Penn Memory Center and leaders of Philadelphia's arts community. The first of its kind at PMC, the Arts on the Mind Festival explored the intersection of the mind and art over a two-month event span. Music, literature, visual art, and film were all featured as mediums to better understand the importance of art in our lives and even how art can be used to help those with co...
Oct 15, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Over the past two years, the world has seen major developments in Alzheimer’s disease treatment with the release of two new medications: Lecanamab, marketed as Leqembi, and Donanemab, marketed as Kisunla. These two treatments are the first of their kind to reduce the physical signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain and potentially slow down the progression of cognitive decline. In the premiere episode of season 2 of the Age of Aging, we explore these new anti-amyloid therapies, what they are, ...
Oct 01, 2024•22 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The first four episodes mark the end of the first season of the Age of Aging. But don’t worry! The second season of the Age of Aging will resume two weeks from now. With a slightly different format, the stories of Season 2 will feature old and new voices from researchers, clinicians, and patients. In this episode, hosts Terrence and Jake reflect on their favorite stories from season one, share feedback from listeners, and talk about the lessons learned along the way. They’ll also give you a snea...
Sep 17, 2024•10 min
Diagnostic testing is at the heart of both the clinical care and research at the Penn Memory Center. Patients and research participants alike undergo various diagnostics such as PET scans, MRI scans, and cognitive tests. These tools help clinicians turn symptoms such as dementia into a diagnosis like Alzheimer’s disease. But what are these tests? And what can they actually tell us about aging? On Episode 4 of the Age of Aging, we examine the full diagnostic experience. Our first segment explores...
Sep 03, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 4
We often think of Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia in terms of their impact on the individual living with the disease. Of course, this is with good reason: a person with an age-related neurological disease will experience difficulties in their day-to-day life incomprehensible to most others. However, for every patient, there is one person or many people caring for that person daily. Caregivers do the often unsung physical and emotional labor of dementia, making sure a person is s...
Aug 20, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 3
We all hope that we can age with as much independence, purpose, and well-being as possible in our later years. Unfortunately, aging is never so straightforward and we will all face our own unique challenges and complexities as we get older. So, with all this uncertainty, how do we get the most out of this later stage of life? In our second episode of the Age of Aging , we explore stories about maintaining dignity, health, and a sense of meaning in our older years. Our first story will look at a ...
Aug 06, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Clinical advancements have made it easier than ever to learn your personal risk of developing age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Through genetic testing or biomarker measurement, you can learn if you’re more likely than your peers to develop dementia as you age. Do you want to know? In our first episode of the Age of Aging , we explore exactly that question. First, we’ll hear about the role of genetic counselors in guiding people through the process of genetic testing. In our second story...
Jul 23, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 1
A podcast about living well with an aging brain. Brought to you by the aging experts at the University of Pennsylvania. Supported by the Penn Memory Center , Penn FTD Center , Penn Institute on Aging, and Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center . Episode 1 available Tuesday, 7/23
Jul 12, 2024•4 min•Season 1Ep. 1
