There is so very much we don’t understand about dementia. Yet every study contributes valuable information that may be crucial in the future as we work to develop prevention and cure. Recently, there were two developments – one on sense of smell and one on personality changes - to which you can alert your clients.
Regarding smell, scientists studied several factors in reasonably healthy people and then followed them for five years to see who developed dementia. They found that when combined with baseline cognitive function at the start, the most important factor was sense of smell. They specifically studied five scents – orange, leather, peppermint, rose, and fish. The greater number of scents that created difficulty and the more poorly a person could discern these smells, the more likely they were to exhibit dementia five years later. Researchers noted that this can’t be relied on as a singular test, but rather as a realization that sensory function is closely related to brain function, and may be among the first areas to exhibit deficiencies.
Another study focused on the long-recognized fact that personality changes are an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, especially becoming uncharacteristically angry, aggressive, paranoid, or inappropriate. Now researchers have developed a 34-question quiz that can help determine the breadth and depth of behavioral changes, and they are proposing an intermediate diagnosis of mild behavioral impairment. You can see the quiz here. Note that these changes should persist for 6 months and be fundamental changes in behavior in order to indicate problems.
An older test, developed in 2014 by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, is called the SAGE test. You can download a copy here and take the test. Then take the results to your doctor for evaluation and to see whether further tests are justified.
These are all items that you can include in your newsletters for your clients. Let them know you are keeping up to date with this growing issue. Guide them through every transition of their lives.