Where Are My Keys? Is It Alzheimer's?

By Gerry McFarland

Have you ever worried about your memory? Did you ever think you had Alzheimer's Disease?

Memory loss can be the first sign of Alzheimer's Disease. But it can also be a symptom of another illness. Memory loss can also occur because you are anxious or depressed.

Aging does have an impact on memory, but aging alone does not cause significant problems. The difference between Alzheimer's Disease and age-related memory problems is that Alzheimer's Disease affects many areas of a person's life besides memory. Talking, learning, thinking and reasoning can all be affected by Alzheimer's Disease, while those skills are generally not affected by normal age-related memory problems.

So how can you tell if memory loss is serious, or if you are just "not as sharp as you used to be"? Read the chart below and consider your responses.

Activity	Alzheimer's	Age-Related Memory Problems
Forgets	whole experiences	parts of an experience
Remembers later	rarely	often
Follow written or spoken directions gradually	unable	usually able
Can use notes gradually	unable	usually able
Can care for self gradually	unable	usually able

Chart courtesy of the Alzheimer's Association's pamphlet, An Overview of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.

Memory loss is a symptom of dementia. About 65 percent of all cases of dementia are Alzheimer's Disease. Other causes of dementia include: strokes, Parkinson's Disease, alcohol or substance abuse, Huntington's Disease or AIDS.

No single diagnostic test has been demonstrated effective in determining Alzheimer's Disease, but the illness can be detected. A physician skilled in diagnosing dementia can use a process of elimination, ruling out all other causes, which may result in the diagnosis of "probable Alzheimer's Disease." He or she usually works with a team of clinicians, which may include, for example, a neuropsychologist, social worker, or occupational therapist, each of whom conducts a part of this very thorough assessment. This method has been found to be 85 percent accurate in diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease.

Gerry McFarland is the founder of Long Life Consulting and can be reached at 206-608-6675, or by e-mail at longlife@telisphere.com.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

If you or someone you know is worried about memory problems, call Barbara Wend, (206) 368-1873, at Northwest Hospital's Memory Diagnostic Clinic in Outpatient Geropsychiatry. If you have questions about Alzheimer's Disease or resources related to it, call the Alzheimer's Association at (206) 363-5500.

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