Do I Want to Know?

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, Dr. Emily Largent discusses how people react to learning their level of risk for Alzheimer’s. Then Dr. Shana Stites discusses the way stigma impacts those with cognitive impairment and those wanting to learn their risk.

Finally, we’ll hear an update on how the Penn Memory Center is rolling out the new prescription Alzheimer’s disease treatment, Leqembi.

Resources

• Find a genetic counselor through the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC)
• More information on SOKRATES
• “Stigma causes underdiagnosis in dementia,” by Meghan McCarthy
• More information on Leqembi and other disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s

Thank you to Laynie Dratch, SCM, CGC, Elisabeth Wood, MS, LCGC, Deia Schlosberg, Emily Largent, PhD, RN, Shana Stites, PsyD, MA, MS, and Jason Karlawish, MD, for being a part of this episode. Special thanks to Melissa Flamporis, Melissa Kelley, Dan Papa, and Alex Prusky for lending their voices to the SOKRATES participants.

The Age of Aging is a Penn Memory Center production hosted by Editorial Director Terrence Casey and Producer Jake Johnson, in partnership with the Penn FTD Center, the Penn Institute on Aging, and UPenn’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Contributors include Nicolette Calcavecchia, Marie Ingegneri, Jason Karlawish, Cait Kearney, Emily Largent, Meg McCarthy, and Olivia Vozzella.