Alzheimer’s 10 Warning Signs

Looking back on the time I first suspected my parents of having Alzheimer’s was when I noticed my mother exhibiting strange behaviors. She became very paranoid and began accusing my sister of stealing from her. Their relationship became very estranged and because of this my father made up a story and told my mother that apparently a robber came inside their home and robbed them. My father had cracked open a window when my mother wasn’t looking and then took her over to the window and showed her that this is how the robber was coming into their home. Needless to say this resolved the issue of accusations against my sister, but it opened up a whole new set of problems. After she apologized to my sister, she then insisted that my father nail shut all the windows in the house. He did as she asked. She then took scotch tape and placed it over all the key holes in the doors. And, every night before she would go to bed she would take coat hanger wire and wrap it around the door handle and the dead bolt lock. She then would take my grandmother’s trunk and push it against the front door. This process played out every night for her, just as the repeated story of the robber coming into the house and stealing all of her jewelry. On one of my visits to their home, and witnessing this firsthand I asked my father about her behavior. My father simply said, “if it makes her happy, no big deal.” I was shocked by his reaction and also realized at that moment this had apparently been going on for a long time. It was this first trip home to visit them that I stayed for several weeks to observe both of them. It was also during this visit that it became apparent my father also was struggling with the disease of Alzheimer’s.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures 5.3 million people have Alzheimer’s; there is a new case diagnosed every 70 seconds; 148 billion dollars in health care cost; Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death; and there are 9.9 million unpaid caregivers.

My mother and father passed away almost 2 years ago and God’s plan for me then was to be by their side, taking care of them, loving them and holding their hand until the end. That was my purpose then. My purpose now is to spread the word and help educate as many people as I possibly can about the Beast named – Alzheimer’s.

10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s:

Memory changes that disrupt daily life
One of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s, especially in the early stages, is forgetting recently learned information. Others include forgetting important dates or events; asking for the same information over and over; relying on memory aides (e.g., reminder notes or electronic devices) or family members for things they used to handle on their own.

What’s typical? Sometimes forgetting names or appointments, but remembering them later.

Challenges in planning or solving problems
Some people may experience changes in their ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers. They may have trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills. They may have difficulty concentrating and take much longer to do things than they did before.

What’s typical? Making occasional errors when balancing a checkbook.

Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
People with Alzheimer’s often find it hard to complete daily tasks. Sometimes, people may have trouble driving to a familiar location, managing a budget at work or remembering the rules of a favorite game.

What’s typical? Occasionally needing help to use the settings on a microwave or to record a television show.

Confusion with time or place
People with Alzheimer’s can lose track of dates, seasons and the passage of time. They may have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately. Sometimes they may forget where they are or how they got there.

What’s typical? Getting confused about the day of the week but figuring it out later.

Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
For some people, having vision problems is a sign of Alzheimer’s. They may have difficulty reading, judging distance and determining color or contrast. In terms of perception, they may pass a mirror and think someone else is in the room. They may not realize they are the person in the mirror.

What’s typical? Vision changes related to cataracts.

New problems with words in speaking or writing
People with Alzheimer’s may have trouble following or joining a conversation. They may stop in the middle of a conversation and have no idea how to continue or they may repeat themselves. They may struggle with vocabulary, have problems finding the right word or call things by the wrong name (e.g., calling a “watch” a “hand-clock”).

What’s typical? Sometimes having trouble finding the right word.

Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
A person with Alzheimer’s disease may put things in unusual places. They may lose things and be unable to go back over their steps to find them again. Sometimes, they may accuse others of stealing. This may occur more frequently over time.

What’s typical? Misplacing things from time to time, such as a pair of glasses or the remote control.

Decreased or poor judgment
People with Alzheimer’s may experience changes in judgment or decision-making. For example, they may use poor judgment when dealing with money, giving large amounts to telemarketers. They may pay less attention to grooming or keeping themselves clean.

What’s typical? Making a bad decision once in a while.

Withdrawal from work or social activities
A person with Alzheimer’s may start to remove themselves from hobbies, social activities, work projects or sports. They may have trouble keeping up with a favorite sports team or remembering how to complete a favorite hobby. They may also avoid being social because of the changes they have experienced.

What’s typical? Sometimes feeling weary of work, family and social obligations.

Changes in mood and personality
The mood and personalities of people with Alzheimer’s can change. They can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, at work, with friends or in places where they are out of their comfort zone.

What’s typical? Developing very specific ways of doing things and becoming irritable when a routine is disrupted.

God Bless You,
Deborah Tornillo
Author, “36 Days Apart”

Mom and Dad

You taught me as your daughter
the meaning of life,
to stop and look all around me,
to reach for the stars and
appreciate everything that life has to offer.
You taught me as your daughter
the meaning of love,
to have compassion for others and myself,
listen, learn and understand
that every day is a gift of life.
You taught me as your daughter
the meaning of death,
to brave its storm and understand
that life is a full circle.
You taught me as your daughter
the meaning of life, love and death
and not fear them, but embrace them
and pass to my children,
your grandchildren
the circle of life, love and death.

Deborah Tornillo
Author, “36 Days Apart”

A Living Death – 7 Stages of Alzheimer’s

In February, 2006 my sister brought to my attention that our mother and father had something wrong with them. She visited them every Sunday and said she particularly noticed strange behaviors in my mother. I lived 1300 miles away from my parents, but hopped on a plane to check things out for myself. It was during this first visit, I observed their behavior and suspected Alzheimer’s. I made them an appointment with a Neurologist who examined, tested and diagnosed my father with Stage 4 Alzheimer’s and then diagnosed my mother with Stage 6 Alzheimer’s. He then told me my mother had less than a year and a half left to live, but felt my father had many years left. The doctor was right-on with my mother, but he was dead-wrong with my father. My father died before my mother. My father passed away in October, 2007 and my mother passed 36 days later in November. They died 36 Days Apart of each other, which is why I titled my book – 36 Days Apart – in honor of my parents love for each other. Thirty-six days was the longest my parents had ever been separated from one another.

I’m grateful, to this day, that God blessed me with taking care of my mother and father. God blessed my father, because he did his best to take care of my mother until I could get there to take care of the both of them. He must have been so tired, so worn down, which makes me believe this is why he passed before her. The night I drove him to the hospital, he asked me who was going to take care of mother. I knew then, that he knew he was not coming home. My last promise to my father was that I would hold my mother’s hand until the very end. I kept that promise, and seconds before her death, as I held her hand, she told me she loved me. This was the first time in months she had spoken recognizable words.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association experts have documented common patterns of symptom progression that occur in many individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and developed several methods of “staging” based on these patterns.

Barry Reisberg, M.D., Clinical Director of the New York University School of Medicine’s Silberstein Aging and Dementia Research Center outlines key symptoms characterizing seven stages ranging from unimpaired function to very severe cognitive decline.

Stage 1: No impairment (normal function)Unimpaired individuals experience no memory problems and none are evident to a health care professional during a medical interview.

Stage 2: Very mild cognitive decline (may be normal age-related changes or earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease)
Individuals may feel as if they have memory lapses, especially in forgetting familiar words or names or the location of keys, eyeglasses or other everyday objects. But these problems are not evident during a medical examination or apparent to friends, family or co-workers.

Stage 3: Mild cognitive decline
Early-stage Alzheimer’s can be diagnosed in some, but not all, individuals with these symptoms:
Friends, family or co-workers begin to notice deficiencies. Problems with memory or concentration may be measurable in clinical testing or discernible during a detailed medical interview. Common difficulties include:
Word- or name-finding problems noticeable to family or close associates. Decreased ability to remember names when introduced to new people. Performance issues in social or work settings noticeable to family, friends or co-workers. Reading a passage and retaining little material. Losing or misplacing a valuable object. Decline in ability to plan or organize

Stage 4: Moderate cognitive decline (Mild or early-stage Alzheimer’s disease)
At this stage, a careful medical interview detects clear-cut deficiencies in the following areas:
Decreased knowledge of recent occasions or current events. Impaired ability to perform challenging mental arithmetic. Decreased capacity to perform complex tasks, such as planning dinner for guests, paying bills and managing finances. Reduced memory of personal history. The affected individual may seem subdued and withdrawn, especially in socially or mentally challenging situations.

Stage 5: Moderately severe cognitive decline (Moderate or mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease)
Major gaps in memory and deficits in cognitive function emerge. Some assistance with day-to-day activities becomes essential. At this stage, individuals may:
Be unable during a medical interview to recall such important details as their current address, their telephone number or the name of the college or high school from which they graduated. Become confused about where they are or about the date, day of the week or season. Have trouble with less challenging mental arithmetic. Need help choosing proper clothing for the season or the occasion. Usually retain substantial knowledge about themselves and know their own name and the names of their spouse or children. Usually require no assistance with eating or using the toilet

Stage 6: Severe cognitive decline (Moderately severe or mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease)
Memory difficulties continue to worsen, significant personality changes may emerge and affected individuals need extensive help with customary daily activities. At this stage, individuals may:
Lose most awareness of recent experiences and events as well as of their surroundings. Recollect their personal history imperfectly, although they generally recall their own name. Occasionally forget the name of their spouse or primary caregiver, but generally can distinguish familiar from unfamiliar faces. Need help getting dressed properly; without supervision, may make such errors as putting pajamas over daytime clothes or shoes on wrong feet. Experience disruption of their normal sleep/waking cycle. Need help with handling details of toileting (flushing toilet, wiping and disposing of tissue properly). Have increasing episodes of urinary or fecal incontinence. Experience significant personality changes and behavioral symptoms, including suspiciousness and delusions (for example, believing that their caregiver is an impostor); hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not really there); or compulsive, repetitive behaviors such as hand-wringing or tissue shredding. Tend to wander and become lost.

Stage 7: Very severe cognitive decline (Severe or late-stage Alzheimer’s disease)
This is the final stage of the disease when individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, the ability to speak and, ultimately, the ability to control movement. Frequently individuals lose their capacity for recognizable speech, although words or phrases may occasionally be uttered. Individuals need help with eating and toileting and there is general incontinence of urine. Individuals lose the ability to walk without assistance, then the ability to sit without support, the ability to smile, and the ability to hold their head up. Reflexes become abnormal and muscles grow rigid. Swallowing is impaired.

God bless our loved ones and God bless the earth angels (caregivers) who take care of them,
Deborah Tornillo
Author, “36 Days Apart”

A Living Will

Webster’s dictionary defines competent as “having enough ability to do what is needed; capable”. The key word here is capable. In regards to dementia, whether one is considered capable or not may differ from person to person. With this in mind, I have found it to be of utmost importance to make all the legal decisions I can while I still have that capability.

Facts:

• 5.3 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s.
• Alzheimer’s and Dementia triple healthcare costs for Americans age 65 and older.
• Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.
• Alzheimer’s is the seventh-leading cause of death.

A living will is a legal document that a person uses to make known his or her wishes regarding life prolonging medical treatments. It can also be referred to as an advance directive, health care directive, or a physician’s directive. A living will should not be confused with a living trust, which is a mechanism for holding and distributing a person’s assets to avoid probate. It is important to have a living will as it informs your health care providers and your family about your desires for medical treatment in the event you are not able to speak for yourself.
The requirements for a living will vary by state so you may want to have a lawyer prepare your living will. Many lawyers who practice in the area of estate planning include a living will and a health care power of attorney in their package of estate planning documents. If you need to write or update a will or trust, you can take care of your living will at the same time.
Generally, a living will describes certain life prolonging treatments. You, the declarant, indicate which treatments you do or do not want applied to you in the event you either suffer from a terminal illness or are in a permanent vegetative state. A living will does not become effective unless you are incapacitated; until then you’ll be able to say what treatments you do or don’t want. They usually require a certification by your doctor and another doctor that you are either suffering from a terminal illness or permanently unconscious before they become effective as well. This means that if you suffer a heart attack, for example, but otherwise do not have any terminal illness and are not permanently unconscious, a living will does not have any effect. You would still be resuscitated, even if you had a living will indicating that you don’t want life prolonging procedures. A living will is only used when your ultimate recovery is hopeless.
For situations where you are incapacitated and therefore not able to speak for yourself, but your health is not so dire that your living will becomes effective, you should have a health care power of attorney or health care proxy. A health care power of attorney is a legal document that gives someone else the authority to make health care decisions for you in the event you are incapacitated. The person you designate to make health care decisions on your behalf is supposed to consider what you would want, so be sure to talk with them about it. It may be a difficult conversation, but you’re asking someone to take on a great burden for you – letting him or her know what you want lessens that burden.
None of these documents will do you any good if no one knows about them. You have to talk with your doctor and the person you designate as your health care proxy. Discuss with your doctor what kinds of end of life medical treatments you want. He or she can help you by answering any questions you have about certain treatments. Once you’ve decided what it is you do or don’t want, make your wishes known to your doctor and your family.

Deborah Tornillo
Author, “36 Days Apart”
http://authorsden.com/dtornillo

Caregiver Advice

What to do when an Alzheimer’s patient becomes aggressive … and what not to do:
Scientists know that many Alzheimer’s patients go through periods of swearing, screaming, pilfering, wandering and other combative behaviors. Often this makes home care difficult. Here are steps experts say can help prevent such behavior:
– Avoid violating a patient’s space. This often leads to misinterpretation and aggression.
– Check to see if the patient is in pain or hungry. Patients may become combative because they have no other way to express their needs.
– Keep a written journal of events and triggers that lead to aggressive behavior, and communicate these triggers to other caregivers.
– Maintain a regular routine.
– Regular and gentle exercise on days when patients visit doctors may help reduce outbursts.
– If an outburst occurs, talk to the patient in a low and soothing voice. If a TV or radio is on, turn it down or off.
– Don’t ask too many questions or make too many statements at once.
– Focus on feelings, not the facts. Try not to concentrate on specific details; rather, consider the person’s emotions. Look for the feelings behind the words.
– Don’t take the behavior personally. The person isn’t necessarily angry with you.
– Shift the focus to another activity. The immediate situation or activity may have unintentionally caused the aggressive response. Try something different.
– Avoid using restraint or force. Unless the situation is serious, avoid physically holding or restraining the person. He or she may become more frustrated and cause personal harm.

Deborah Tornillo
Author, “36 Days Apart”
http://authorsden.com/dtornillo

Should Alzheimer’s Testing Be Mandatory?

Both my mother and father were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2007, at which time I was told my mother had a year and a half to live and my father possibly a couple of years? Prior to my taking them to a neurologist they were both very healthy and had yearly physicals with their same family doctor whom they had for years. My parents passed away several years ago, and 36 days apart of one another, which I later wrote a book titled “36 Days Apart.” As I reflect back on their life I can recall many years prior to their diagnosis strange behaviors in both of them. I truly believe that Alzheimer’s testing should be a mandatory test as part of a yearly physical. I feel that if my parents were diagnosed early in their disease that the drugs used to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s would have sustained their life.

Deborah Tornillo
Author, “36 Days Apart”
http://www.authorsden.com/dtornillo

Memories Lost Forever

It is our memories that keep us alive. It’s the memories of our past that we share with our children and grandchildren. As my parent’s Alzheimer’s progressed, I would bring out the family photo album daily with hope that a picture would stir a memory.

As I turned the pages, pointing at a picture, I would ask my mother who this person was. She would stare blankly at the picture and then turn to me and stare blankly at me. Memories lost forever. Alzheimer’s is the cruelest of all diseases, for it robs us of our memories. As we age, it’s our memories that keep us alive. It’s our memories that we share with our children and grandchildren. And, without our memories, what is left?

I use to stare for hours at my parents. What were they thinking? Were they thinking? I use to stare at them wishing I could read their mind, wishing I could understand where they had gone to. Many days I would pray to God to bring them back to me so they could once again, just sit beside me and tell me stories of yesterday.

Did my parents die because they could no longer share their stories? If it is our memories that keep us alive, what is left of life, if we can’t share our memories?

God Bless You,
Deborah Tornillo
Author, “36 Days Apart”

Life Care and Long Term Planning

Being sole caregiver of my parents, both diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the same time presented me with many challenges. In the beginning of my care giving for them I knew it was imperative that I obtain a better understanding of not only their heath care needs, but also long term care. One of my concerns at the time would be whether my parents would qualify for Medicaid to pay for long term care at some point in the future, because I knew with the high cost of Assisted Living Homes, that their monies would eventually run out. I was also aware that neither Medicare nor Medicaid paid for assisted living except in very limited situations. It was apparent to me that my mother was progressing rapidly in the disease process and would require the level of care that can be provided only at a licensed nursing home.

In the United States, for the most part, people must pay for their own long-term care until they run out of money. Then, Medicaid, a joint federal-state welfare program for medical expenses, may pay for the patient who is receiving care in a nursing home, or occasionally at home, if all Medicaid criteria are met. Federal law sets many Medicaid eligibility regulations, but each state has certain flexibility to establish individual Medicaid rules. The result is that no two states have exactly the same rules for Medicaid eligibility.

Medicare, the health insurance plan for persons receiving Social Security benefits, pays for little nursing home care. Medicare pays only for skilled care, and pays in full for only 20 days and partially for up to 100 days of skilled nursing care following a hospitalization. Medicare does not pay for long term care in a nursing home.

Medicaid will pay for long term care in a nursing home. It also will pay for some in-home assistance under the community based case waiver programs. Medicaid will not pay for assisted living.

The basic rule of Medicaid eligibility is that an applicant may not have more than $2,000 in “countable” assets in his or her name. For a married couple both applying for Medicaid, they can have a total of $3,000 in countable assets. “Countable” assets include all belongings accept for: 1) personal possessions, such as clothing, furniture and jewelry; 2) one motor vehicle each, regardless of value; 3) the applicant’s residence if a spouse, minor child or disabled child of any age lives in it, and 4) certain burial funds for each spouse.

All Medicaid resource eligibility calculations are based on the assets both a husband and wife hold on the first day of the month in which one spouse becomes institutionalized. That date is the day on which he or she has been in a hospital for 30 days or the day he or she enters a long-term care facility. All countable assets are included, regardless of whether they are in joint names or in the husband’s or wife’s separate name. In effect the Medicaid eligibility worker takes a “snapshot” of what is owned on that date and refers to it later when application is made for Medicaid.

Resources owned in the name of one or both spouses (or titled in any trust) are considered available regardless of whether either spouse agrees to sell or liquidate the resource, and regardless of whether either spouse refuses to make the resource available.

Where an applicant for Medicaid is married, his or her spouse – known under the Medicaid rules as the “community” spouse – is permitted to keep half of the couple’s combined holdings on the date of institutionalization, up to a cap of $101,640. There also is a floor of $20,328. These numbers are adjusted each January for inflation. Non-countable resources, such as the family home if the community spouse lives there and one motor vehicle are not included in determining Medicaid eligibility.

An example below demonstrates how this works:

If the couple had $250,000 in countable assets on the date of institutionalization, the community spouse’s resource allowance would be $101,640 and the nursing home spouse would be required to spend all, but $2000 of his or her remaining $146,360.

……to be continued: (Income Eligibility Determination, Spousal Income Protection, Spend Down, Penalty Period, Transfer Penalty “Look back” Period, Exceptions, Expenditure of Institutionalized Spouse’s Income, Community Based Care)

Deborah Tornillo
Author, 36 Days Apart
http://www.authorsden.com/dtornillo

Books and Prayers

When I was taking care of my parents, whom were both diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I prayed daily for God’s guidance. Through prayer I knew that no matter how bad or how difficult things became God would carry me through it. I read many books on the subject of Alzheimer’s. I read many books on the subject of Caregiving and I read many books on the subject of Dying. I was convinced I was an expert on the subject matter of Alzheimer’s, Caregiving and Dying and no matter what obstacle I confronted I would be able to overcome it.

The reality for me was overcoming my fear of watching my parents die. Little did I realize they would die just 36 Days Apart of each other. I remember talking with family and friends about my fear of death and being alone in the room with Mom and Dad when they die. I did not want my parents to feel my fear, because I did not want to burden them with my pain.

My determination of being present with both of them when they die was deeply seeded inside of me. But, I needed to overcome the fear! I prayed daily to God to help me overcome that fear. I voiced my desire to Hospice that I wanted to be present when my parents passed. Hospice turned to me and told me “it’s not always your choice.” Many weeks prior to my father’s passing I would wake every night at exactly 3:33. I didn’t understand why I was waking at this time, until the phone call came that night at exactly 3:33 telling me that my father had passed. I didn’t get to be with my father when he passed. He didn’t want me there. He sensed my fear and as a father, who always protects his children, he didn’t want me to see him die. I remember when I was saying my “goodbyes” to him, there was one promise that I made him. I promised him that I would be by my mother’s side, holding her hand until the very end. I promised him that I would not let her die alone.

I prayed constantly to God to give me the strength and courage, and to erase all fear inside of me when my mother passed. I had made a promise to my father, and I was determined to keep it. You can read all the books in the world and talk to all the people in the world about dying, but the only one thing that will keep you strong and give you courage to see it through is God. God answered my prayers, I held my mother’s hand the day she passed, I held her hand, never to let go of her, never to forget her, to always keep her close to me in my heart. That day I kept my promise to Dad and on that day God held my hand.

God Bless You,
Deborah Tornillo
Author, 36 Days Apart
http://www.authorsden.com/dtornillo

Author’s Saga Underscores Need for Alzheimer’s Testing

Interview by Cecily O’Connor, RedwoodAge.com

When reflecting about the last several years of her parents’ lives, Deborah Ann Tornillo can clearly recall those times when her parents exhibited the telltale signs of Alzheimer’s.

“I noticed that when I would call them, (my mother) never shared anything anymore,” Tornillo said. “This was slowly progressing, and by the time I got her into see a doctor to do a test on her and my father, (the doctor) told me at that point, ‘Your mom has got a year and a half.’”

The outlook for her father was about the same. So Tornillo became a full-time caregiver to her parents in 2006, moving them from their home in San Antonio, Texas, to be near her in Great Falls, Virginia.

During the year and a half in which she cared for them she extensively researched Alzheimer’s to provide the best care possible, even though she knew the disease would eventually win in the end. Her father passed away in October, 2007, and her mother died 36 days later in November.

“By the time we put mom and dad on the Alzheimer’s pills that slow (the disease down) down, it was too late,” said Tornillo, who wrote about her caregiving experience in 36 Days Apart: A memoir of a daughter, her parents and the Beast named – Alzheimer’s: A story of Life, Love and Death.

Necessary Tests
By sharing her experience, Tornillo is hoping to draw more attention to memory loss and Alzheimer’s. Given the severity of the disease, caregivers are not only concerned about their loved one’s brain health, but also interested in early detection for their own benefit.

That’s why the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America recently introduced a new program that encourages local organizations to offer free, confidential memory screenings and education about brain health. As part of early detection, scientists separately continue to study Alzheimer’s and the disease’s pattern of brain damage.

“Memory screenings need to become as much of a household word as blood pressure checks,” said Eric Hall, AFA’s president and chief executive officer. ”By providing convenient and free access to these screenings, we hope people will be more proactive about their memory concerns.”

AFA is helping local groups host screenings by providing sites with screening tools and educational and marketing materials. It’s also offering training and guidance on implementing the event, and publicizing the screenings on the AFA Web site.

A growing number of community venues, such as local Alzheimer’s agencies, senior centers, long-term care facilities and retail pharmacies, have signed on to participate. Among them, pharmacists at 42 Fred Meyer stores in Oregon and Washington are providing screenings by appointment daily.

“We thought this would be a great thing because we’re reaching people who might not otherwise get screened,” said Jennifer Davis, pharmacy clinical coordinator at Fred Meyer. 

Screenings and Aging
Alzheimer’s disease currently affects as many as 4.2 million Americans, but the rate of incidence is expected to triple by 2050 as boomers age. Warning signs include memory loss, especially of recent events, trouble completing familiar tasks, poor judgment and confusion.

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. However, the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute recently announced that it has joined with a major maker of diagnostic tests to speed development of what could be the first test to detect Alzheimer’s in its early stages. The test could be particularly helpful for people with a family history of Alzheimer’s worried about their risk, researchers said.

As part of the AFA memory screenings, qualified healthcare professionals provide educational materials, and administer a series of questions and tasks that takes about five to 10 minutes. Screening results do not represent a diagnosis, and individuals with below-normal scores are encouraged to receive further medical attention.

Some memory problems stem from reversible conditions, like vitamin deficiency or thyroid problems, while others result from irreversible conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

A report released by AFA late last year cited research that supports memory screenings “as a simple and safe evaluation tool that assesses memory and other intellectual functions and indicates whether additional testing is necessary.” In addition, “screenings also can reassure the healthy individual and promote successful aging.”