
If you're concerned about the condition of an older family member or loved one, you are likely asking yourself: "I know there's something wrong. Could it be Alzheimer's?"
You aren't alone. Many folks share these "silent" fears and concerns about loved ones who show signs of memory lapses or have difficulty performing routine tasks. They fear Alzheimer's Disease -- a terrible, progressive brain disorder that slowly strips away one's mental and physical capabilities.
A new manual, "How to Tell if Someone You Love May Have Alzheimer's", details exactly what early symptoms and warning signs to look for, and provides simple home tests that can indicate potential Alzheimer's problems. The manual is available online, free of charge, at www.alztest.com.
Is there really a way to "predict" who will get Alzheimer's?
In most cases, early warning signs (also known as "markers") give clear indication that problems are brewing that may indicate Alzheimer's. Often, these warning signs can be seen years before clinical symptoms appear. These include:
1) Loss of the sense of smell: A loss of ability to distinguish or recognize odors can take place up to two years before memory loss is noticed. This loss is due to damage to nerves in the olfactory area of the brain, which controls the sense of smell.
2) Visual / Spatial Impairment: Because of insufficient blood supply and nerve damage to the occipital area of the brain, another early marker is difficulty comprehending visual information. This shows up in an inability to follow and recall visual directions, or in copying or drawing.
3) Loss of hearing: A study at the University of South Florida revealed that 49 out of 52 patients had a significant hearing loss. Most individuals affected by this are unaware of their hearing loss.
4) Abnormal Fingerprint Patterns: One unusual type of fingerprint pattern is found in over 75% of all Alzheimer's patients, suggesting that there is a genetic predisposition for developing this disease or other dementia.
5) Depression: Approximately 50% of all Alzheimer's patients suffer from abnormal bouts of depression, well before other personality changes are noticeable.
A series of simple home tests provided in the manual can help determine if there are potential problems that may require professional intervention. For more information, the complete text of the manual, "How to Tell if Someone You Love May Have Alzheimer's", may be seen at http://www.alztest.com.
Jim Erskine is the author of 12 books and lives on a 12 acre homestead in the hills of Kentucky. Visit him at http://www.alztest.com
AP - Lebanese militants fired at least three rockets into Israel early Thursday, threatening to open a new front for the Jewish state as it pushed forward with a bloody offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 700 people.
AP - President-elect Barack Obama said Thursday that the nation's recession could "linger for years" unless Congress acts to pump unprecedented sums from Washington into the U.S. economy, making his highest-profile case yet on an issue certain to define his early presidency.
AP - Wall Street headed for a mixed open Thursday, bracing for what are expected to be more bleak data on employment and retail sales.
AP - Illinois Republicans are promising tough questions Thursday for Senate-appointee Roland Burris on why he accepted a position offered by disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich and whether he promised the governor anything in return.
AP - The United States and its partners have shortchanged Afghanistan by focusing on short-term goals pursued without a cohesive strategy or a clear understanding of the way the poor, decentralized country works, an independent study concludes.
AP - More than 30,000 people were urged to leave their flood-endangered western Washington homes as swollen rivers, mudslides and avalanches engulfed neighborhoods and roadways.
AP - Showing the emphasis that some lawmakers are putting on health care issues this year, former Sen. Tom Daschle will be the first of President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet choices to undergo a hearing.
AP - Standing next to the crystal football, Bob Stoops was the picture of Mr. Agreeable. Any pose the photographers wanted, the Oklahoma coach gave them. Looking to the right, gazing to the left, smiling straight ahead. That is, until a shutterbug told Stoops to hold up one finger a "we're No. 1" shot. No chance, pal.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama will seek Thursday to rally support for a massive fiscal stimulus package by warning that the United States could remain mired in recession for years without bold action.
Reuters - Several rockets fired from Lebanon struck northern Israel on Thursday, slightly wounding two people, police and medics said, in an attack seen as linked to Israel's war on Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip.
Reuters - Citigroup forecast a synchronized global recession in 2009 and said developed economies may "flirt" with deflation while emerging market economies will slow sharply, adding that global corporate earnings were only a quarter of the way through an expected 50 percent drop.
Reuters - India vowed to strengthen laws to prevent corporate fraud after Satyam Computer, the country's fourth-largest software company, shocked investors by revealing profits had been falsely inflated for years.
Reuters - The Bank of England cut interest rates by half a percentage point to a record low of 1.5 percent on Thursday as it battles to keep Britain from falling into a deep and lasting downturn.
Reuters - Russia and Ukraine failed to resolve a gas row at a meeting in Moscow but will continue talks to end the dispute which has choked off supplies to Europe, a senior Ukrainian gas official said on Thursday.
Reuters - It took war, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and the collapse of some of New York's famed investment banks, but Manhattan apartment prices are finally falling.
AFP - Rockets fired into northern Israel from Lebanon on Thursday jolted efforts to end the war in Gaza where Israeli jets carried out mass strikes on smuggling tunnels.
AFP - Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.
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