For the Love of Memories

[Img source: cardinalseniorcare.com]

It affects many around us, some of them even our closest relationships of grandparents and longtime friends: Alzheimer’s. It’s a difficult disease to cope with for both victims and their loved ones, as the devastating cognitive loss it affects relationships and bonds.Alzheimer’s is a disease of the brain that slowly and gradually affects memory loss and thinking skills. Its debilitating progression affects its victims’ abilities to recognize familiar faces or accomplish even the simplest tasks. There is no current cure for this disease, a pathological process that starts mid-life and remains undetected until it finally causes dementia.A recently published Medscape article regarding Alzheimer’s and early intervention focused on the economic effects of diagnostic timing. It mentions that increased public awareness of Alzheimer’s (AD-dementia) has encouraged older adults suffering from memory problems to seek help in earlier and earlier stages of the disease. Technology also now exists that allows for earlier detection in memory loss tied to incipient dementia.The study had the goal of analyzing economic effects of intervening in AD-dementia up to 9 years earlier than it currently does. Two types of intervention were modeled: Symptomatic treatment & Disease modification.It concluded the following: “For both symptomatic and disease-modifying interventions, timing is crucial in determining the economic benefits of a treatment. Early intervention is clearly indicated for current symptomatic treatments, which are likely to be most cost-effective when applied as early as it is possible to diagnose AD-dementia. For a disease-modifying intervention, maximal cost-effectiveness would be achieved by intervening early enough to anticipate the point at which cognition begins a rapid decline. Taken together, these results suggest that cost-effective early detection and intervention should be an achievable goal in earlier stages of AD (MCI-AD), and that a range of different intervention effects and costs might be manageable or even beneficial in terms of overall healthcare costs.”The study urged public policy to reform its current practices and encourage better screening, diagnostic and prescribing guidelines in order to find “the optimal cognitive stage for cost-effective intervention,” which is thought to be several years prior than today’s standard practice. Achieving these goals not only reduce healthcare costs for patients but also give them a fighting chance at retaining their cognitive wellbeing.A great local charity committed to preserving the preciousness of memories, is working towards just that. Keep Memory Alive (link: keepmemoryalive.org), offering care and research, has a mission of “improving the lives of patients and their families as they navigate the extraordinary challenges of brain disorders.” 100% of the support given to Keep Memory Alive goes to Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health(link: http://clevelandclinic.org). At Cleveland Clinic’s state-of-the-art facility, world-class researchers and physicians dedicated to advancing brain science for the benefit of our community, are delivering first-rate care right here in Las Vegas. Visit their pages for more information.And for those of you curious about prevention, we have some simple advice. In the same way we go to the gym to work out our bodies and then give them rest, Steinberg Diagnostic believes there is a benefit in working out and clearing our minds. The team behind Lumosity.com calls themselves the “Human Cognition Project.” Their website asks you to challenge your brain with scientifically designed training so that you can improve memory, attention, and problem-solving skills. We hope playing a few fun games will help you strengthen your brainpower. But when you’re done … we encourage you to step away from your gadgets and give your mind a rest. Maybe go out for fresh air, soak in the present moment and find yourself some peace and clarity.