my story revisited #53-early detection and alzheimers questionnaire

MY STORY REVISITED #53-EARLY DETECTION AND ALZHEIMERS QUESTIONNAIRE

over the last 10 years a lot of folks have reached out to me about what do do about a loved one or friend who might have memory issues

many times i suggested to them that they complete the 21 question questionnaire and score it based on the questions hat are asked about the affected persons

if the score is less than 5 there probably is not a problem
if they score a higher number there is likely an issue that needs medical evaluation
if they score a real high number there is more than likely a memory problem

i scored myself when i was diagnosed and i scored in the normal level since i was so early and was not having symptoms others would notice

i scored my younger brother when he was diagnosed based on what i knew of his condition at that time
he scored at a higher number which meant it needed to have an evaluation for his memory which he did

these things he was having issues with lead to his diagnosis and treatment

remember this test is not for the patient to do
copy the test and results and take it with the patient when they go to the doctor
go with the patient or someone like a spouse or sibling or close friend should go with them
when the medical provider sees the results of the questionnaire it tells them what they need to know
ie this patient probably has memory issues and warrants further evaluation

here is the uk daily mail link i like to use for the 21 question alzheimers questionnaire 

it is easier to understand than the original scientific article linked here

four of the questions below in the old blog could be used as a quick screen on your loved ones
if the answer is yes on these 4 there probably is a memory issue that warrants further testing
of course
doing all 21 questions is more accurate

notice in my blog my wife she failed some of the questions but thats just the way she is

note my wife she is a good sport when i blog about her
she just smiles and looks at me
im sure she gets me back in some way that i dont know about

__________
02-10-2012
EARLY DETECTION
as these new drugs and treatments get developed new ways to detect
people early are being worked on

find people early like me and get them on something when symptoms
start or before the symptoms start

a recent small study using just 4 questions from the alzheimers
questionnaire dementia assessment test might pick up patients with
amnestic mild cognitive impairment (mci)-thats what i have but i
have a very mild form of it

these could be used in a doctors office and could be easily used as
a screen test for patients

the questions are
does the patient have trouble repeating questions or statements
in the same day
does the patient have trouble remembering the date year or time
does the patient have difficulties managing finances
(oops my wife she flunked this one)
does the patient have a decreased sense of direction
(oops again my wife she flunked this one also
she never could read a map)

no my wife she doesnt have mci
i pass all four of these tests as mine is picked up on more extensive tests
but there are a lot of patients showing up in doctors offices who 
can not answer these questions and families and friends arent really
aware they have a problem
if they dont pass the screening then further testing could be done
__________

consider doing the 21 question alzheimers questionnaire on your loved ones if they might have memory issues
if its scored high encourage them to be evaluated for memory issues
dont let them go by themselves
take a copy of the scored alzheimers questionnaire to the visit
make the visit only for possible memory loss

the organicgreen doctor