Alzheimer’s disease: If you’re worried, consider a memory screen Tuesday

Alzheimer’s disease threatens more and more people in the United States as the population ages. Anyone concerned about himself or herself or a loved one can get a free memory screen Tuesday at one of more than 2,300 locations across the nation (Tuesday is the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s National Memory Screening Day).

The five-minute screenings -- which are to be available at doctors’ offices, hospitals, senior centers and K-Mart pharmacies, among other locations -- are confidential.

Go to www.nationalmemoryscreening.org to find a location and time. Or call (866) AFA-8484.

A word of caution from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America: “The results do not represent a diagnosis, and screeners encourage individuals with below-normal scores as well as those who still have concerns to pursue a full medical exam.” Another thing to bear in mind: Not all memory problems are Alzheimer’s, and some in fact can be due to treatable conditions such as vitamin deficiencies or thyroid problems.

As well as alerting some to potential problems, the screen could well be a relief to many who (like me, already) forget people’s names, forget what they came into the kitchen to get, etc. Some degree of memory loss is a normal feature of aging.

For more on the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, go to www.alzfdn.org.

Finally, here’s a recent article written by staff writer Shari Roan about the frustrating quest to find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Given the dearth of medicines, it makes sense to pay attention to the lifestyle measures it describes that may reduce your risk.