my story revisited #131-its still one of the best alzheimers questionnaires

MY STORY REVISITED #131-ITS STILL ONE OF THE BEST ALZHEIMERS QUESTIONNAIRES

i discovered this alzheimers questionnaire not long after my diagnosis was made
i have recommended it to a lot of folks who were worried about family members friends or other loved ones or themselves

spouses and children have filled them out on their loved ones and scored them
its a good screen for 
is there a memory problem with my loved ones

i remember scoring my younger brother who was diagnosed at an early age in his mid 50s
using what symptoms he was having when he was diagnosed
this questionnaire would have been helpful to his family to help them decide on getting him evaluated

today i did it on myself and i scored in the normal range ie all my answers were no
this matches with my memory testing i have done every 6 months
my moca memory tests scores usually 28-30

i scored my younger brother based on my being with him for one day 
after that day i recommended his family have him evaluated
he scored in the 5-14 level or memory loss may be an early warning of alzheimers
im sure his score was worse than what i scored him since some of the questions i couldnt answer

if you do one on a loved one 
make a copy and score it and take it with you for their memory evaluation
any doctor will look at that and know that there is a problem

also a good online memory test one takes themselves is the sage test
be honest dont cheat
you can score it yourself
it is similar to the moca test i take but probably not as accurate but close enough for screening someone
if there is a problem copy it and take it with you to a memory issue doctors appointment
ie make the appointment only for a memory problem and nothing else

below is a link to a blog i wrote about the 21 question alzheimers questionnaire

i have removed part of that blog since some links are now nonexistent

_________
04-11-2014
QUESTIONNAIRE, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, SYMPOSIUM

here is the link to
the 21 question questionnaire
yesterday when i did an q and a on alzheimers disease
i recommended folks use this as a way to evaluate
their family member or friend to help decide if they
had a problem with their memory
and
if it is needed then
a medical evaluation

here is how to use this form
answer the questions
score it
if they score high
they need evaluated
take a copy of the completed form to their doctors
you go with them
the doctor will accept the form and will usually act
on what it shows
it also gets entered in the medical record so it wont
usually be ignored by their doctor
ie
now their memory is ok wont be an answer
if you have documented a problem

doctors and medical systems get audited and will
usually act when provided this document


for yourself if you are concerned about your memory
go to
this link for the sage test

if the results are abnormal
further evaluation is warranted
it doesnt necessarily mean there is a problem
remember these are screening tests
and again
copy the test and take it with you to the doctors visit

yesterday i did a question and answer session on alzheimers disease
at a facility near my home for caregivers and representatives
of different home health agencies and long term care facilities

i enjoy these as i let the questions determine which direction the
session goes
although i have talking points of questions i want to answer
like politicians do
i try to let the audience get the questions out and hopefully
answers to things they want to know
about medications
side effects
how to get a workup for dementia
how to get your doctor to listen a real problem im afraid to say

i suggest the 21 question test and take it in with them to the visit

what new tests are becoming available

what a person can do if they are diagnosed
or
what a person can do to keep from getting dementia
the answer to that is the same
healthy stuff like control weight blood pressure diabetes
cholesterol depression anxiety decrease stress sleep well
exercise be happy etc
and
for those younger folks its important to do that also

whats new in alzheimers research
they are looking at diagnosing folks earlier and earlier
as the push is to begin treatment before symptoms occur
a lot of research is ongoing now starting new treatments that
if it works will slow down or prevent alzheimers disease

a lot of questions got answered yesterday
hope it helped
the caregivers the ones who feel the brunt of this disease
the most asked most of the questions
good questions
hope i answered them to their satisfaction
________
the financial times interviewed me a couple of weeks ago
recently they quoted me in the two paragraphs below in an article titled

us imposes strict curbs on contentious biogen alzheimers treatment

Dewayne Nash a retired family physician who was diagnosed with alzheimers said the fda should probably have waited for more conclusive data before approving aduhelm 
but he said now that the medicine is approved the cms should pay for it

alzheimers is like having terminal cancer
people are willing to take experimental drugs to slow things to gain some time with family to gain six months a year or two
said nash who is a participant in a clinical trial of aduhelm

you can read the full article by clicking here but there is a paywall
you can google the title and possibly access it that way

yesterday i had my mri of the brain looking for microbleeds and my prescan neurology visit
if its all clear then i will get my next infusion of aduhelm in two weeks

i was interviewed by bloomberg news on monday for about an hour via zoom
i will post that article when its published

the organicgreen doctor