The mind is like a computer. When I have trouble remembering something, usually the name of a movie or the perfect word to describe something, I will put my “computer” on search and, lo and behold, a few minutes later the answer will pop into my head. Although sometimes it’s a few hours later. Or a few days.
As the years go by, we collect more and more important information as well as trivia in our brains. If only I could clean my hard drive of all those song lyrics from the ’60s. No wonder it’s not all at the forefront, ready to be accessed in a split second. Add in a little stress and a busy life and we sometimes become forgetful. So how are we to know when our forgetfulness has gone beyond normal and we may need help? National Memory Screening Day is Tuesday, Nov. 14, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is encouraging everyone who is concerned about memory problems to get screened. Locally, Caring Solutions of Walnut Creek is holding free screenings from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the San Ramon Senior Center at 9300 Alcosta Blvd.
Lydee Hershey, president of Caring Solutions, which provides caregivers for the home, said the company is a member of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, which has given them instructions for the screenings. First, people will fill out a questionnaire, and then they will be screened. The whole process should only take about 10 minutes. Questions include remembering simple things, such as colors, in sequence. “For example, we’ll say, ‘Red, orange and blue,’ go to another question and then go back and say, ‘Do you remember the colors?'” explained Hershey.
For another part, the screener tells the screenee (is that a word?) a time and has the person draw the long and short hands onto a clock to tell that time. “Some people forget, or it takes them a long time,” said Hershey.
The purpose of the screening is to catch people early who have symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Early warning signs are forgetfulness about names and events; asking repetitive questions; loss of verbal or written skills; confusion; and erratic mood swings. There are medicines and activities to slow down the progression, said Hershey. Plus sometimes memory loss is not Alzheimer’s at all. For instance, it can be due to a vitamin deficiency or a thyroid problem. If the screening score is low, she said, they recommend the person see a professional or physician who specializes in that area for further tests and exercises.
Alzheimer’s is occurring in younger people, Hershey said she learned recently at a seminar. Plus researchers said some geographic locations seem to have more sufferers, which leads them to believe it may be caused by something external. “It could be genetic, it could be environmental,” Hershey said. “They are predicting it is going to get worse and worse.” The good news is that research is being done, and medications are improving.
The Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute reports that 10 percent of people 65 or older and half of those 85 or older are victims of the disease. It lists risk factors as age, family history and previous head trauma. As a way of keeping a healthy memory, it suggests: eating a low-fat diet rich in antioxidants; keeping weight, blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check; keeping an active mind by reading, learning and solving puzzles; and staying socially active.
I remember when my father was worried he was getting dementia – actually, it was my mother who was worried about my father – his doctor told him to start with 100 and count backward by 7s: 100, 93, 86, 79, etc. He was able to do it fine. Every once in awhile I give myself this little test and it helps reassure me that I am still within the range of normal and keeping things straight.
Now I am rethinking the first sentence of this column. Perhaps it should read: The computer is like a mind.
-Dolores Fox Ciardelli can be e-mailed at editor@DanvilleWeekly.com.
