Recognizing Alzheimer's Early
Posted on Thu, May 27, 2010 @ 09:23 AM
Bob DeMarco of the Alzheimer's Reading Room recently wrote an article where Alzheimer's caregivers shared their experiences that first alerted them that their loved one was having memory issues that they could no long attribute to "old age". We regularly evaluate patients at our Memory Loss Center and lament that we did not get the opportunity to see this patient earlier.
Many of the clues that these people shared were centered on common themes:
- Driving problems
- Checkbook and finances
- Mood changes like unexplained irritability or paranoia
- Hygiene and clothing attire
- Eating issues - usually not remembering to
Key takeaways from this article: 
1. Don't rely upon your personal care physician to pick up on these things before you do.
2. When you begin to suspect a problem, get tested by a memory loss specialist.
3. Don't wait!
The entire article can be read here.
Currently there are therapies for Alzheimer's dementia but there is no cure. We felt that these personal experiences will help educate the public on the importance of getting a diagnosis early. At our Memory Loss Center we participate in clinical trials of investigational drugs for Alzheimer's disease. Keeping patients sharper, longer with currently available therapies is the key - should one of the new drugs in trial now become a future cure.