In 2007, we were honored to have my predecessor at the IOA, Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, return to Penn as an IOA Visiting Scholar. Now heading the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and leading the way in improving the health and healthcare of all Americans, Risa challenged us all by saying that "...it's time to start thinking geriatrics is cool.”

I don't think I'm being biased when I say I couldn’t agree more. Aging research across all academic disciplines is, I believe strongly, the place to be. Aging is not only ‘cool’ and rather exciting in scientific terms, but it is an area of critical importance to our nation and our society. We need to learn more about what is going on in the body, in the brain, and in the bones in order to improve quality of life for millions, patient and caregiver - not just here in the U.S., but across the globe.

At right you will find two new documents from the IOA. The first is a "State of the IOA" review that we prepared, to illustrate the IOA's impact here at Penn. The second is linked to this holiday season and is a "New Year's Conversation on Healthy Aging." I invite you to scroll through and learn more.

Additionally, information released from the Alzheimer’s Association as a 2011 update on the Alzheimer’s disease epidemic can be found at right - including highlights of the early detection and diagnosis work being done here at Penn and across the country. The sobering facts listed within drive home the urgency that surrounds this aging-related disease.

• Every 69 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer's.
• 1 in 8 Americans aged 65 and older has Alzheimer's disease (AD) or other dementia. 45% of people aged 85 and older have AD. More women than men have AD.
• As many as half of people satisfying diagnostic criteria for dementia have never received a diagnosis.
• People with fewer years of education appear to be at higher risk for AD and other dementias than those with more years of education.
• Between 2000 and 2025, some states are expected to experience double-digit percentage increases in the overall numbers of people with Alzheimer's - attributed to the growing number of those aged 65 and older in the U.S.
• Alzhiemer's is the sixth-leading cause of death across all ages in the U.S. and is the fifth-leading cause of death for those aged 65 and older.
• The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's and other dementias to Medicare, Medicaid, and businesses amount to more than $183 billion for 2011. The projected cost of care by 2050 is $1.1 trillion.
• Nearly 15 million Americans provide unpaid care for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. In 2010, they provided 8.5 billion hours of unpaid care, a contribution to the nation valued at $202 billion.
• Alzheimer's and dementia triple healthcare costs for Americans age 65 and older.

These are important numbers, and unfortunately, these trends will continue in the same direction for years to come unless we take bold measures to reverse them along the lines proposed by the forthcoming Alzheimer’s Study Group report and proposal.

The focus at Penn is not only on aging-related neurodegenerative disease. I remind everyone of two of our newest partners in aging here at Penn: the Penn MARCH Center (Minority Aging Research for Community Health), located in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, an interdisciplinary group, located in the School of Nursing Science, that is working to better understand transitions in health to allow nurses to play a major role in health promotion, prevention of health problems, and the effective management of people of all ages and at all stages of health.

Along with our colleagues in aging research - from the Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Center, the Penn Memory Center, the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CNDR), and the Penn Udall Center for Parkinson’s Disease Research to the Division of Geriatric Medicine and the Ralston-Penn Clinic for Osteoporosis and Related Bone Disorders, we are all deeply committed to forging new paths in basic science and clinical care for the benefit of older adults.

As you may know, Penn and Penn Medicine’s Capital Campaign is underway, building the future for continued research in a number of key areas, one of which is aging. There are a number of ways to make an investment in aging research, not least of which is one’s financial support. I invite you to review our website and newsletter archives for events in aging, for updates on our current research and researchers, and to learn more about studies in need of participants.

Allow me to revise Risa’s comment to say that aging is cool, and it’s time we all got involved.

Of interest:

• State of the IOA, December 2009 (PDF)
• New Year's Conversation on Healthy Aging with the IOA Director (PDF)
• 2011 Alzheimer Association Facts and Figures Report
• 2010 Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Takes on Alzheimer's
• Exercise & Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from the National Institute on Aging