Money management difficulties may be a clue that predicts the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Research by the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham suggests that people with mild memory problems will soon develop Alzheimer's disease.
The study included older people with mild cognitive impairment and others with no memory problems. All participants took a money management test at the start of the study and again one year later. The process looked at such typical functions as buying groceries, counting coins, understanding a bank statement, and using a checkbook, preparing bills for mailing, and identifying fraud situations.
After one year, 29 percent of the people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) had developed Alzheimer's. Those people scored lower on the initial test than participants without memory problems and those with MCI who didn't develop dementia. The researchers noted that their money management skills continued to decline over the following year.
"Every 72 seconds someone in America develops Alzheimer's," explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. "Some 450,000 will be diagnosed with the disease this year, creating enormous financial and emotional hardships for family and loved ones." Direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer's and other dementia's amount to more than $148 billion annually.
Medical and senior care-giving experts note that family members and friends should proactively monitor people with MCI for declining financial skills and advise them and any caregivers about steps they can take to watch for signs of poor money management.
The study appears in the September 22, 2009 issue of Neurology.
Written by Mindy Hartman
Los Angeles, CA
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