Discuss Test Results With A Doctor
Dont assume that the test results are equal to a diagnosis of any kind.
The SAGE test is a screening tool that helps doctors detect early signs of cognitive impairment that are typically not noticeable during a normal office visit.
When the test is repeated over time, doctors can watch for changes in cognitive ability. Being able to measure changes helps them detect and treat health conditions early.
Thats why its important to bring the completed test to the doctor to have it reviewed. If there are signs of cognitive impairment, they may recommend further testing.
When Is Memory Loss A Problem
Do you keep asking the same questions over and over? Are you having difficulty following easy, simple instructions, such as how to put together a recipe? Do you keep becoming more and more mixed up over people and places.
Alzheimers Disease, as we all know, can lead to memory loss, but not all memory loss is linked to Alzheimers and related dementias. And, in some cases, it can be treated once the cause has been found.
Simple Tests You Can Do At Home
Sometimes, it is hard to decide whether someone is having memory problems which are unusual. Many people with dementia become good at hiding their memory confusion. Luckily, there are some simple tests you can give to test a person’s mental functioning. What I like about these sorts of tests is that you might be able to give some of these to a person without letting them know they are being tested .
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Pros And Cons Of The Mmse
Pros: Useful in multiple ways. The MMSE can be used to screen for suspected dementia, so someone who suspects theyre developing the disease might take it it estimates the stage and severity of dementia for someone who has the disease and it can show changes over time if taken every year or so. Easy to administer. No special equipment or training is necessary. Short and simple. The test only takes about 10 minutes to complete.
Cons: Less reliability. An educated person with dementia, for instance, might be able to score above 24. Not sensitive to Mild Cognitive Impairment. MMSE does not do a good job detecting Mild Cognitive Impairment or early dementia. Someone in the beginning stages, in other words, can still achieve a high score. Requires a certain level of education. Someone with a sub-eighth-grade level of education should not take the MMSE, because low educational experience can lead to a misdiagnosis.
Why Take A Test For Dementia
It is crucial that the symptoms of memory loss are diagnosed as early as possible. This helps to get the best treatment possible. A do at home dementia test can help a person come to terms with the fact that they may be suffering from dementia.
By taking a simple do at home dementia test you should be able to determine if the person may have a problem with their memory. If they show signs if difficut during the test you should encourage them to seek further help fro their GP. There Doctor can then check for problems such as early stages of Alzheimers disease or dementia.
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What Are Next Steps After Taking It
After you complete the test you should take it to your healthcare provider, who can score the test very quickly, even within seconds, and give you immediate feedback.
According to Scharre your doctor may be able to glean that a specific part of your brain is not working as well as other parts depending on how you answer specific questions. That may help them in their diagnostic considerations,” he explains.
Depending on your test results, your primary care physician may schedule additional neurological tests or brain imaging magnetic resonance imaging or computerized tomography scans to rule out other conditions that may be impairing your thinking or memory, such as stroke, Parkinsons disease, brain tumor, or other illnesses, like hypothyroidism.
Purpose Of Alzheimers Test
With the Alzheimers disease, earlier the treatment the earlier the condition can be controlled before it gets severe. Studies show that many people usually delay for about 3-4 years on the onset of the Alzheimers symptoms before visiting a doctor.
Despite the Alzheimers disease being among the weightiest health challenges in the 21st century and the intense research done, there is no sure cure for Alzheimers disease. Any early test can help catch and also treat early Alzheimer symptoms.
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A New Study Gives Canadians The Opportunity To Test For The Disease And Provide Their Perspective On How The Results Impacted Their Lives
Over half a million Canadians are currently living with Alzheimers disease or a related form of dementia, and with a rapidly aging population, that number is projected to double by 2031. Now, a new test will help patients find the answers they are seeking and assist their families in planning in the face of an Alzheimers diagnosis.
This is an urgent and rapidly growing health care issue, says Dr. Mari DeMarco, a Clinical Chemist at St. Pauls Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Her team developed a key component of the Alzheimers disease test, and worked with individuals with lived experience with dementia, along with health care providers and other partners, to implement a comprehensive diagnostic testing strategy through its IMPACT-AD project, funded in part by Brain Canada. The Alzheimers disease biomarker test, which we have now made available to all Canadians, can help doctors accurately diagnose the disease even when only mild symptoms are present. Through the IMPACT-AD project, our aim was to gain a better understanding of how this testing impacts personal and medical decision making, and health care costs.
The goal of IMPACT-AD is to inform positive change in the Canadian health care system to improve care and support for individuals living with Alzheimers disease, and their families, according to DeMarco.
Who can take the test?
Take The Sage Test At Home
Anyone can take the SAGE test anytime. Its free and you can get it here on the Ohio State University website.
Print the test and take it with a pen or pencil. Theres no time limit, but most people finish in about 15 minutes.
Sample questions from the test:
- How many nickels are in 60 cents?
- You are buying $13.45 of groceries. How much change would you receive back from a $20 bill?
- Write down the names of 12 different animals.
- Draw a large face of a clock and place in the numbers.Position the hands for 10 minutes after 11 oclock. On your clock, label L for the long hand and S for the short hand.
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Blood Tests To Check For Other Conditions
Your GP will arrange for blood tests to help exclude other causes of symptoms that can be confused with dementia.
In most cases, these blood tests will check:
- liver function
- haemoglobin A1c
- vitamin B12 and folate levels
If your doctor thinks you may have an infection, they may also ask you to do a urine test or other investigations.
Read more about blood tests.
What Does Sage Stand For
The Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam, known as SAGE, is a brief, pen-and-paper cognitive assessment tool designed to detect the early signs of cognitive, memory, or thinking impairments. The test evaluates your thinking abilities. This can help your doctors understand how well your brain is functioning.
Douglas Scharre, MD, director of the division of cognitive neurology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, developed the test over a five-year period based on clinical experience and review of literature.
Questions were designed to evaluate every part of a patients brain,” Dr. Scharre explains.
The scoring for SAGE was designed to give equal weight for questions that assess brain function for the front, the back, the left, and the right side of the brain, so that no area was overrepresented.
SAGE will not diagnose any specific condition. It will not tell your doctor if you have Alzheimers disease or any other condition that can impact your thinking.
But it is a helpful screening tool for mild cognitive impairment from any cause and early dementia.
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Early Warning Signs And Diagnosis
Alzheimers Disease can be caught in the early stageswhen the best treatments are availableby watching for telltale warning signs. If you recognize the warning signs in yourself or a loved one, make an appointment to see your physician right away. Brain imaging technology can diagnose Alzheimers early, improving the opportunities for symptom management.
How Does Memory Loss Happen
If we think of memory as a store of information that sits inside our brain. Normally, when we want to remember something, we send a signal to our brain to go find and retrieve that piece of information. So far, so good. Unfortunately, sometimes this doesnt work properly. In this sense, memory loss happens when our brain is unable to find a piece of information in that store its lost or forgotten.
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How To Take It
Unlike other tests that charge a fee per use or require significant training for those who administer them, the SAGE test is both freely available and user-friendly. It can be taken in as little as 10 to 15 minutes .
It’s available online and in print versions you can access by going to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center site. You can take the test at any time on your own, or it may be administered by a healthcare provider.
What Is The Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimers disease was originally identified by a German physician called Alois Alzheimers in 1907. It is a progressive neurodegenerative condition and one of the most common types of dementia that slowly declines a persons memory, behavior, thinking and reasoning capabilities. The overall effect is that the patient is unable to fully perform simple day to day task and to effectively communicate.
The illness usually afflicts 1 in every 9 adults aged 65 and above and an overall estimation of about 5 million Americans. Alzheimers symptoms may appear in the 30s and mid-60s ages. The symptoms if not noticed and treated early develop slowly and can get worse over time causing the patient condition to get severe.
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Cholesterol Lipid Panel And Blood Pressure
Almost everyone who reaches middle age will have regular cholesterol-lipid panel tests and blood pressure readings as part of a yearly physical. Most doctors will help you to treat high cholesterol and/or high blood pressure in order to make sure your heart is healthy. Another reason to keep your cholesterol in the right range is because elevated cholesterol levels and high blood pressure also are an indicator of risk for Alzheimer’s.
Common Causes Of Memory Loss
One of the most common causes of memory loss is age. Unfortunately, there isnt much you can do about getting older, but well be looking at things you can do to help treat age-related memory loss later on. There are other common reasons for memory loss. For the most part, these arent permanent and can almost always be effectively managed to get your memory back to normal.
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What Diagnosis Falls Under Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimers disease is a diagnosis in itself. When it is noticeable clinically and identified early on, the formal diagnosis may be Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimers disease which may later develop into a diagnosis of dementia due to Alzheimers disease.
What Do I Do After I Take The Test
After you complete the test, take it to your primary care physician. Your doctor will score it and interpret the results. Your doctor may schedule some tests to further evaluate your symptoms or refer you for further evaluation.
If your score does not indicate any need for further evaluation, your doctor can keep the test on file as a baseline for the future. That means, you can take the test again in the future, and the doctor can see if there are any changes over time.
There is no answer sheet provided here for you to score yourself because there are multiple correct answers to many of the questions on the test. SAGE should be scored by your physician.
If you don’t have a primary care physician, view our list of primary care providers accepting new patients.
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Sage Test To Detect Alzheimers And Dementia
If you’re concerned about your memory , you might want to take the Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam . The test was developed by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as a tool to detect early signs of cognitive impairments.It can accurately identify early symptoms of Alzheimers and dementia.
What Should You Do First
Dementia is a symptom which is caused by many different things, some of which are reversible. Especially if the memory loss has occurred quickly, it is important to be screened by a doctor. It is quite possible that a medical condition like diabetes or the side-effect of a drug is causing the forgetfulness, and not Alzheimer’s. As a matter of fact, I thought my mother was developing memory problems but found out that actually was just experiencing severe hearing loss. When she got hearing aids, she was fine. So be sure to see a doctor.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the authorâs knowledge and does not substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, and/or dietary advice from a licensed health professional. Drugs, supplements, and natural remedies may have dangerous side effects. If pregnant or nursing, consult with a qualified provider on an individual basis. Seek immediate help if you are experiencing a medical emergency.
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Summary Of Test And Benefits
Knowing that your symptoms are due to Alzheimers can help inform your healthcare provider to prescribe specific Alzheimers treatments in order to aid in the management of the disease. If your symptoms are unlikely due to Alzheimers , your healthcare provider can search for other causes, some of which can be treated with different interventions.
Earlier detection provides the opportunity for earlier care options, including clinical trials. Many clinical trials for Alzheimers disease are looking for participants who show initial signs of cognitive impairment. You also may be eligible to enroll in clinical trials as a result of the PrecivityAD test results.
Researchers at CN Diagnostics have found the PrecivityAD test results to be an accurate indicator of Alzheimers disease pathology among people with memory and thinking issues. The PrecivityAD test is easy to administer, does not involve any radiation, and is non-invasive. These features make it more accessible than other diagnostic methods doctors use to evaluate issues with memory and thinking.
What Is Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, a loss of brain function that affects memory, thinking, language, judgment and behavior. In Alzheimer’s disease, large numbers of neurons stop functioning, lose connections with other neurons, and die.
Irreversible and progressive, Alzheimer’s disease slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living.
Although the cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unknown, scientists believe that a build-up of beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain are associated with the disease.
The stages of the disease typically progress from mild to moderate to severe. Symptoms usually develop slowly and gradually worsen over a number of years however, progression and symptoms vary from person to person. The first symptom of Alzheimer’s disease usually appears as forgetfulness.
Mild cognitive impairment is a stage between normal forgetfulness due to aging and the development of Alzheimer’s disease. People with MCI have mild problems with thinking and memory that do not interfere with everyday activities. Not everyone with MCI develops Alzheimer’s disease.
Other early symptoms of Alzheimer’s include language problems, difficulty performing tasks that require thought, personality changes and loss of social skills.
People with severe Alzheimer’s disease are unable to recognize family members or understand language.
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Testing For Alzheimer’s Disease
There is no single test for Alzheimers disease. The GP will first need to rule out conditions that can have similar symptoms, such as infections, vitamin and thyroid deficiencies , depression and side effects of medication.
The doctor will also talk to the person, and where possible someone who knows them well, about their medical history and how their symptoms are affecting their life. The GP or a practice nurse may ask the person to do some tests of mental abilities.
The GP may feel able to make a diagnosis of Alzheimers at this stage. If not, they will generally refer the person to a specialist. This could be an old-age psychiatrist often based in a memory service. Or it might be a geriatrician , a neurologist or a general adult psychiatrist in a hospital.
The specialist will assess the persons symptoms, and how they developed, in more detail. In Alzheimers disease there will usually have been a gradual worsening of memory over several months. A family member may be more aware of these changes than the person with suspected Alzheimers is themselves.
The persons memory, thinking and other mental abilities will also be assessed further with a pen-and-paper test. When someone with Alzheimers is tested, they will often forget things quite quickly. They will often not be able to recall them a few minutes later even when prompted.