Can you recognize Alzheimer's and related dementias?

By KAREN GARLOCK - McClatchy Newspapers


If you've ever forgotten the name of a business associate or lost your keys, you might have wondered, even just fleetingly, if you have the beginnings of Alzheimer's disease.
Everyone has heard heart-rending stories about this progressive brain disease. But as much as we think we know about Alzheimer's disease, a recent survey of more than 1,000 seniors found a lack of knowledge of the symptoms and how to respond.
Forty-seven percent of respondents said they have a close friend or family member diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and 83 percent thought they could recognize the disease in themselves or a loved one. But 99 percent were unable to tell the difference between symptoms of early disease, late disease, and non-Alzheimer's dementia. ...read the whole article