For those with basic questions about their memory or the memory of their loved one, this week it was very easy to get some answers. Morning Pointe Assisted Living and The Lantern Alzheimer Memory Care communities participated in National Memory Screening Week, Nov. 1-7 and offered free memory screenings to the public in several of its Chattanooga-area buildings.
The Alzheimer’s memory care communities partnered with local neurologists and Homehealth specialists in delivering the free memory screenings. Dr. Matthew Kodsi with Chattanooga Neurology made a special presentation at Morning Pointe of Hixson. Virtual dementia tours and brain games were also offered around the scheduled appointments.
The National Memory Screening Program is an initiative of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. Memory screenings are simple and safe “healthy brain check-ups”. Each memory screening takes approximately 10 minutes and the result is not a diagnosis of any particular illness.
“We try to do whatever we can to educate the public about memory-related illnesses,” said Carla Guthrie, Lantern program specialist at Morning Pointe. “It’s important if there is a problem for families to seek out a full-spectrum of care and to get answers sooner rather than later.”
Teresa Bryant, executive director of Morning Pointe of Hixson couldn’t agree more. “We had one lady tell us that Morning Pointe helped her take a step towards getting additional help after she failed to do well during her memory screening,” she said. “She said she knew something was up and was so glad to have Morning Pointe offer the memory screening services for free.”
Dr. Kodsi stressed during his presentation how important early diagnosis is when it comes to Alzheimer’s and other memory related illnesses.
“During the virtual dementia tour several participants came away crying,” said Ms. Bryant. “They were overwhelmed with what our seniors go through.” She said there was also much discussion and public interest in research at today’s event. “We are starting a drive to talk with primary care physicians that see Alzheimer’s patients to educate them on the importance of putting the cause of death as Alzheimer’s on death certificates. This is key in getting research dollars earmarked for Alzheimer’s."
Morning Pointe communities regularly offer public educational events and other caregiving seminars free to the public. The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence in Chattanooga also offers a full resource center.