Memory Screening:
Health Story

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, February 3 and March 23, 2008
Show 505

Virginia Scardina is only 65, but with her family history and increasing forgetfulness, she decided to get a memory screening. What they found was not what she expected, but it has changed her -- and her memory -- for the better. Early symptoms of a memory disorder can include sleep problems, reversal of sleep cycles, irritability, missing exits on the freeway, and forgetting very common faces.  Some can attribute memory problems to multitasking or being too busy, but for true memory disorders, medications and lifestyle changes can slow its progress. Some avoid memory screenings because they fear the worst – however, only a small percentage of neurological disorders are due to Alzheimer's disease.  While it's widely recommended that people get a memory screening by the age of 65, Dr. Jamie Huysman points out that early screenings for people with genetic or other "red flags" when they're still in their 30's can dramatically prolong quality of life.