Early detection can help with Alzheimer's

HUNTINGTON - It's part of getting older, right? It gets harder to remember names, sometimes things get misplaced and sometimes the word you are looking for gets stuck on the tip of your tongue.

No need to worry, right?

Ten percent of West Virginians 45 and older report they are experiencing confusion or memory loss that is happening more often or is getting worse and 54.8 percent said it interfered with their daily life, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, 52.4 percent of individuals with increased memory problems reported they had not discussed their symptoms with a health care provider.

"It is important to discuss memory changes with your physician," said Lisa Campbell, program and advocacy coordinator for the Alzheimer's Association West Virginia Chapter, in a release. "Early detection improves access to medical and support services, provides an opportunity to make legal, financial and care plans while the affected individual is still capable, and improves quality of care through the better management of other chronic conditions."

There is evidence that self-reported memory problems are a good predictor of future diagnosis of Alzheimer's or another dementia. Collecting this data is helpful in predicting future costs as well as care and support service needs at both the state and national level.

In West Virginia, more than 37,000 people are living with Alzheimer's and 107,000 are providing unpaid care for someone with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association 2017 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures. Nationally, an estimated 5.4 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease at an annual cost to taxpayers of $259 billion.

While there is no way to cure, prevent or slow the progression of the disease, early and documented diagnosis when coupled with access to care planning services leads to better outcomes for individuals with Alzheimer's as well as their caregivers.

There are 10 warning signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's to keep an eye out for. One of the most common signs of Alzheimer's is memory loss, especially forgetting recently learned information. A typical age-related change in memory is forgetting an important date but remembering it later, but someone in the early stages of Alzheimer's may completely forget important dates or events or just increasingly need to rely on family members or other memory aids for things they used to handle on their own.

Another typical age-related change is getting confused about the day of the week, but figuring it out later.

People with Alzheimer's, however, 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.

Other symptoms of Alzheimer's include challenges in decision-making or problem solving, difficulty completing familiar tasks, trouble understanding visual images or spatial relationships, new problems with words in speaking or writing, misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps, decreased or poor judgment, withdrawal from work or social activities, and changes in mood and personality.

The Alzheimer's Association has a free, 24/7 support hot line for those with Alzheimer's or caring for someone at 800-272-3900.

Follow reporter Taylor Stuck on Twitter and Facebook @TaylorStuckHD.