Photo by Liz Macera
The Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) launched a campaign this week to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is a progressive neurological disorder that impairs judgment, thinking, and reasoning skills. Although most people with AD are over the age of 60 AD is not a normal consequence of aging
Normal changes of aging include forgetfulness and difficulty naming items. Typical age-related changes in memory might lead to an occasional bad decision or forgetting the date temporatily. A person with AD might have poor judgment most of the time and lose track of the year. A person who is aging normally might become lost while driving in an unfamiliar location. An elder with AD might get lost in his or her own home.
AD develops slowly, often taking months to develop. Here are the 10 warning signs of AD.
1. Memory changes that disrupt normal life
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home work, or at leisure
4. Confusion with time or place
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
8. Decreased or poor judgment
9. Withdrawal from work of social activities
10. Changes in mood or personality.
More detailed information on each sign is available at http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10_signs_of_alzheimers.asp.
If you have a concern that you or someone you love may be developing AD, the first step is to have a medical evaluation right away. Some medical conditions, like Vitamin B-12 deficiency or an infection, have symptoms that mimic those of AD. Remember that AD takes months to develop. So, if an older person becomes confused over the period of a few days, it is likely that some other medical condition is to blame.
If a person does have AD, early diagnosis enables life planning and the opportunity for treatment. A person diagnosed with AD can plan for the care he or she will eventually need and make financial arrangements for the future. While AD is not curable at this time, medications can slow the progression of the disease and have the best chance at working if taken early.
Your health insurance plan may have a process for screening for AD, so check with your primary care provider. Specialized centers can do a comprehensive examination, often without charge. The links below direct you to selected clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area that have expertise in AD. These centers also do research, so you might be asked to participate in a study.
University of California, San Francisco Memory and Aging Center
memory.ucsf.edu/
University of California, Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
Locations in Martinez and Sacramento
alzheimer.ucdavis.edu/careg/adc.php
Stanford/VA Aging Clinical Research Center
psychiatry.stanford.edu/alzheimer/screening.html
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