Cognitive Screening « The Professional Geriatric Care Manager’s Blog

Memory Screening

Distinctive Care participated in the national memory screening day again this year on the 17th and had the opportunity to screen and evaluate many people. While a large majority of the people we saw were older adults this was the first year that I saw several people who were in the fifties participate. Intrestingly enough one of these people presented with significant memory loss, indicative of dementia. As most of our readers know the first thing I advise people who score in this category is to see their physician to rule out reversible causes of dementia, which can range from something as simple as dehydration or a vitamin deficiency to something more complex as undiagnosed dementia. So, while it may be very scary to hear, this person is armed with important information to bring to her primary care physician to start a dialogue and begin the process of determining whether she may have a reversible cause of dementia. Personally, I have my own theory about her results. Because she is a caregiver dealing with the challenges of caring for her father who has Alzheimer’s Disease, she is under a great deal of stress. Based on a series of questions I asked her, I do think that she is suffering from depression and it is my hope that with treatment her cognitive impairment will resolve.

The staff of Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management evaluated many people that day, discovering impairment in a great deal of them. The good news about this is that these folks will be following up with their physicians to obtain an accurate diagnosis. What’s very important is that for those who are ultimately diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, the most common form of dementia, will have access to the medications available that may slow the progression of the disease and will be able to develop and implement a plan for their future.

Early diagnosis is so very important and although it is often difficult to encourage your loved-one to participate in a memory screening because of the denial and fear they are experiencing as they too notice the changes in themselves I encourage you to work with them to convince them to agree to a screening.

Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management includes a cognitive exam in all of our initial assessments, but we also offer this exam as a seperate service. If you are only interested in this service, please do not hesitate to contact in our main office, in Ridgewood, New Jersey. We can do the assessment in your loved ones home environment and serve northern New Jersey and Rockland County, New York. Please contact us at 201-857-5283.

Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

May 12, 2009 at 8:37 am | Posted in Sophia Heftler, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Disease, Cognitive Screening, Early Onset

On Friday the staff of Distinctive Care Geriatric Care Management attended the NJ Alzheimer’s Association annual confernce New Directions in Research and Care. The conference was amazing and there were internationally renowned presenters speaking about the new developments in the field of Alzheimer’s Disease research.

I had the privilege of attending a panel discussion featuring two couples in which one of the partners had early stage dementia. It was fascinating to hear them describe what prompted them to be evaluated for the disease and what life has been like since receiving the diagnosis.

One couple was older and they did not live together. The woman and the gentleman’s daughter had noticed changes in his memory, mood and behaviors. They in turn had informed his son who lived out of town and it was during a visit to his son that he was told about the changes they all had observed. Upon his return home he made an appointment to have a complete evaluation conducted and received the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. He is currently living alone and his girlfriend worries about him being alone in the house. He is still driving but knows that in the future he will have to give up the keys to his car. His family and friends have been very supportive and the medication seems to have slowed the progress. His brother also has the disease and they talk about it often. He and his girlfriend attend a support group for people with early stage Alzheimer’s Disease.

The other couple was a married couple in their early fifties. The wife, age 52 had been diagnosed with early onset, early stage dementia and at this point she seems to have progressed to a moderate level. She had been an executive with a major television network and is currently on permanent disability. The couple have two daughters, age 13 and 11. They are aware of their mother’s diagnosis. The couple reported that she had initially been misdiagnosed as suffering from anxiety, but as her symptoms continued to worsen she went to a memory center for a complete work up and received the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. They said the biggest issue for them currently is the feeling that they are all alone and have lost many of their friends. The husband has been having a difficult time being the primary caregiver, care manager and working fulltime. He reported that he is taking an antidepressant. The girls see a therapist every other week and there currently is no support group available for them.

The biggest thing both couples stressed was the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. They both indicated that it is much better to be able to deal with the known rather than to be wondering what was wrong and that taking the medication early had slowed the progression and kept them much more functional than they would be if they had waited to start treatment.

At Distinctive Care we know the importance of early diagnosis and treatment which is why we have developed our Cognitive Screening Program. We offer this service at all three of our Bergen County offices and it helps Clients decide whether they should persue further testing, or if they are just experiencing mild age-related memory loss. Please call (201) 857-5283 to learn more about this program.

Alzheimer’s Disease: The Numbers

May 4, 2009 at 1:18 pm | Posted in Sophia Heftler, GCM | Leave a comment
Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Cognitive Screening, Depression Screening, Statistics

The Alzheimer Association recently posted the following numbers on their website:

5.3 million people have the disease

Alzheimer’s Disease results in 148 billion dollars in annual costs

There are 9.9 million unpaid caregivers

There is a new case of Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosed every 70 seconds

Alzheimer’s Disease is the 6th leading cause of death

Alzheimer’s Disease triples healthcare costs for American over 65 years old

These numbers are staggering and cause a great deal of anxiety among older adults who often fear they have Alzheimer’s Disease or some other form of dementia if they are forgetful. At Distinctive Care’s three Bergen County offices, in Ridgewood, Tenafly and Dumont we have helped to put a great deal of older adults at ease by performing our Cognitive Screening Evaluation. We conduct a series of screenings for cognitive impairment and depression and provide our Clients with the results at the time of the assessment. Should cognitive impairment be suspected, the Client is provided with information to bring to their physician to help them initiate the dialogue necessary to begin the process of determining whether further testing is necessary.

Feel free to contact our office at (201) 857-5283 to schedule an appointment for our Cognitive Screening Evaluation.