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W.Va. Alzheimer’s group shares tips

CHARLESTON — June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, and the Alzheimer’s Association together with advocates in the early stages of the disease are encouraging families to talk about memory and cognition concerns sooner. Early diagnosis offers many benefits, including access to more effective medical and lifestyle interventions and the ability for the person with Alzheimer’s to take an active role in planning with family members for the future.

To help people understand early symptoms of Alzheimer’s or behaviors that merit discussion, the Alzheimer’s Association offers 10 Warning Signs. Should these signs appear, it is important to talk about them with person experiencing symptoms and encourage them to speak with a medical professional.

“Approaching a family member or loved one about their forgetfulness, confusion or other signs associated with Alzheimer’s or dementia can be difficult, but in order to help our loved one in the long-run, we have to get past our own fears and denial,” said Sharon M. Rotenberry, Executive Director for the Alzheimer’s Association. “The sooner a person receives a diagnosis, the sooner that person and their family can begin understanding the disease, obtaining support and planning for the best possible future.”

New findings from an Alzheimer’s Association survey found a majority of Americans would be concerned about offending a family member (76 percent), or ruining their relationship (69 percent), if they were to approach that person about observed signs of Alzheimer’s. More alarming, 38 percent said they would wait until a family member’s Alzheimer’s symptoms worsened before approaching them with concerns. Additionally, nearly 1 in 3 Americans (29 percent) would not say anything to a family member despite their concerns.

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