Have you heard about the importance of an annual memory screening for those age 50 and over? I sure hadn’t until I read the book, “Preventing Alzheimer’s” by Dr. William Shankle.
If you are concerned about dementia in your aging parents, or thinking ahead to your own later years, you will definitely want to read this book. Dr. Shankle’s concept of “Prevention through Delay” is absolutely compelling.
First of all, did you know Alzheimer’s disease begins an average of 30 years before the first symptoms? It is probably safe to say that if you’re reading this, you have at least one family member with Alzheimer’s. One out of every two families in the US are in this situation. The average cost to such a family is $200,000-400,000 over the average 10 year course of the illness. The average cost to the US is $100 billion annually. These statistics are from Shankle’s book, published back in 2004. Can you imagine what the costs are today or will be 10 years from now?
So many friends share their fear that they will end up as their elderly parents in the ravages of this disease. These friends are doing all they can to preserve their own health (eating right, exercising, drinking green tea…) and yet they feel as if they are sitting on a ticking time bomb. Well, now there is something more we can do. Dr. Shankle offers a multi-faceted solution that will help preserve quality of life for as long as possible and reduce the time and cost of nursing home care.
Dr. Shankle states there are 3 components in preventing dementia:
- Know and reduce the risk factors under your control. A complete list of risk factors is discussed, including genes, alcohol abuse, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, depression diabetes, head trauma, hormones, sleep apnea, smoking…and more.
- Have an annual memory screening (after the age of 50) to detect problems early. Recommended with a neurologist or neuropsychiatrist. It’s doubtful any insurance will pay for this but wouldn’t you prefer this small cost so you can receive early detection, receive the proper treatment early on and postpone decline by years if not for the rest of your life? Shankle estimates this could save you $200,000-300,000 and give you quality of life.
- Obtain an accurate, early diagnosis and treatment. Shankle describes the different imaging to determine the areas of the brain affected, SPECT, PET, MRI. It is extremely important to determine the area of the brain affected because different medications, such as Aricept, Excelon, etc, impact different areas of the brain. So, a proper assessment and diagnosis is critical for proper treatment.
I hope my brief summary will encourage you to read this very important book to learn more about how to preserve good mental health, so very important to quality of life in later years.
And, for anyone out there on the front lines of Health Care reform, I urge you to consider the implementation of annual memory screening for those age 50+. It could save this country untold billions in many direct and indirect ways. While it is extremely important to continue to research and find cures for this devastating illness, we can do more than just wait. Each individual can take the proper steps to protect and ensure their own future mental and physical health.
(Source: Preventing Alzheimer’s by Dr. William Shankle)
