Improving Outcomes for Older Adults With Epilepsy: Anny Reyes, MD

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“We really need to focus on more interdisciplinary care… making sure these older adults are receiving every type of care that they need and seeing the specialist that they need at the time.”

The state of care for epilepsy remains a complex landscape influenced by patient needs, comorbidities, and evolving treatment options. Current epilepsy treatment emphasizes individualized, patient-centered approaches that combine medicine, lifestyle modifications, and surgery in some cases. Multidisciplinary care teams continue to intergrade into the field and make navigating epilepsy care easier for patients. While new therapies and technology are improving seizure monitoring, access to care, particularly among older adults, remains an area of interest.

At the 2025 American Epilepsy Society (AES) Annual Meeting, held December 5-9, in Atlanta Georgia, several speaker sessions focused on the care of older patients with epilepsy. Among them included Anny Reyes, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center, who addressed this topic in her talk, Distinct Neuropsychological Profiles and Neuroimaging Correlates of Epilepsy in Older Adults and Late-Onset Epilepsy. Prior to the presentation, NeurologyLive® sat down with Reyes to discuss her clinical insights.

In the exclusive interview, Reyes discussed the growing population of older adults with epilepsy and the complex challenges they face. She noted that many patients experience cognitive changes and carry vascular risk factors that increase their likelihood of developing dementia. Emphasizing the importance of comprehensive care, she highlighted the need for interdisciplinary approaches that integrate clinical, cognitive, and social support, drawing lessons from Alzheimer disease care models. She also underscored the need for further research, particularly longitudinal studies, to better understand risk factors and optimize care strategies for this vulnerable population.

Click here for more AES 2025 coverage.