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Memory Screening
December 12, 2007
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73-year-old Baxter Cochran says his memory isn’t quite what it used to be. “Fairly
often forget things and can’t remember where I put something can’t remember what
somebody told me those little things like that.” It’s those little spouts of forgetfulness
that brought Baxter and his wife to Lee Memorial Hospital for memory screenings.
Dr. Michael Raab is a geriatrician
with Lee Memorial Health System. He says the
screening process is fairly simple. “The screening consists of doing some simple
memory tests to check short term memory and some executive functions.” Baxter says
he decided to get the screening for many different reasons. “My wife and I we kind
of joke about which one of us is forgetting the most so this is almost a contest
to see
who fails the test most miserably.”
But the Cochrans can both benefit from
the screening. Physicians say it could be the first step in preserving the memory
power they now have. “Memory loss is something that tends to get worse over time
so by the time you get to the point where you can no longer ignore it, it’s kind
of late to be treating it,” says Dr. Raab. He adds that noticing the signs of memory
loss early may also help stop it from becoming a more serious problem like Alzheimers
disease. “Getting irritable, repeating themselves, forgetting things that they would
always remember then it’s time to get evaluated because we like to test this before
they can’t remember your name or your children’s names.” Once you’ve been evaluated
by a physician or specialist they can begin treatment or therapy to help keep your
memory strong and even slow down the process of developing memory related diseases.
Free memory screenings are offered once a week at various hospitals in Lee County. |
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