Wednesday, May 28, 2008

183 Alzheimer's screening questionaire

Worried that you or a loved one has dementia? here are a few questions to ask, from a WSJ article:
1. Problems with judgment (such as trouble making decisions, bad financial moves)

2. Less interest in hobbies or activities

3. Repeating the same things over and over (questions, stories or statements)

4. Trouble learning how to use a tool, appliance or gadget

5. Forgets correct month or year

6. Trouble handling complicated financial affairs (such as income taxes, balancing checkbook)

7. Trouble remembering appointments

8. Daily problems with thinking and/or memory

If you answer yes to two or more questions, seek help from a qualified doctor.

My father had 3 & 4 for a long time, and he also had major speech problems, which isn't on the list, and that's when my mom took him to the doctor. Not after we heard about his raspberry bushes for the 150th time, or his complaints that he couldn't use the computer.
But of course who thinks of dementia until it's too late? We need this information to go out to EVERYONE.
(screenprint, PMID: 16116116)
(You may have noticed that I have started including the PubMed references for the original studies, when I can find them. I use this tool at work now to verify references, and it's also great for finding medical articles.)

3 comments:

Kathy NC said...

My name is Kathy Hatfield and I am the primary caregiver for my 79 year old Dad who has Alzheimer's disease and lives with me in North Carolina.

I am writing a daily blog on my caregiver website that shows the lighter side of caring for someone with dementia. There is also lots of information about dementia and caregiving, as well as a LIVE CHAT every Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time for caregivers who need support, but cannot attend a “live” support group.

Please pass this link along to anyone you feel would enjoy it.

www.KnowItAlz.com

Thanks,
Kathy

Anonymous said...

Hi there, It seems to me everybody does stuff like that... How do you demarcate just normal human behavior from Alz? Is there a test? A blood test? My mother hates my father and wants to put him in a nursing home, so now she's trying to convince everyone he has it... I told her she should get a divorce, but she doesn't want him to have 1/2 the $...

Anonymous said...

Informative infos abt Alzheimer's.I think those tips will us to detect this complex disease in future.