Tuesday is National Memory Screening Day

Ever misplace your car keys? Enter a room and forget why you're there? If so, you've experienced those frustrating but common bouts of forgetfulness often humorously referred to as "senior moments."

The lapses are anything but funny to older adults who, research shows, identify Alzheimer's disease as one of their top health concerns. Yet, despite those fears, an overwhelming majority of Americans with memory-related concerns have never discussed the issue with their doctors, according to results of a survey released last month by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.

While more than 80 percent of those polled had visited their primary-care physician within the past six months (including 41 percent within the past month), fewer than 10 percent raised the subject. While more than half of individuals with self-identified memory problems had spoken to a spouse or an adult child, close to 20 percent had not expressed their concerns to anyone. The survey also revealed that a significant number of participants reported that they have hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and other common medical conditions that are risk factors for cognitive decline in later life.

Eric J. Hall, the association's chief executive officer, says the findings support the value of memory screenings, as well as the need to raise more awareness about the importance of being proactive about memory problems.

To help raise public awareness, sites across the country will offer free, confidential screenings on National Memory Screening Day. The annual event, scheduled for Tuesday, was initiated five years ago to coincide with National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month. (For a list of participating sites, visit www.nationalmemoryscreening.org or call 866-AFA-8484.)

An estimated 5.1 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, and that number is rising as baby boomers head into their 60s. Age is the greatest risk factor. One in 10 individuals over 65 and nearly half of those older than 85 have the progressive, degenerative disease, which attacks the brain's nerve cells, impairing memory, thinking and behavior. Warning signs include: forgetting people's names and events, asking repetitive questions, loss of verbal or written skills, confusion over daily routines and erratic mood swings.

"The impact of Alzheimer's and other dementias are among the nation's greatest medical, social and economic challenges," says Hall.