An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, said Benjamin Franklin, and it’s with those wise words in mind that a local mental health group and a prestigious university Alzheimer’s institute are teaming up to lead the fight for early detection of memory loss in South County.
The SouthShore Coalition for Mental Health and Aging is teaming up with the University of South Florida Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, Sun City Center Emergency Squad and members of Sun Towers Retirement Community to offer free memory screenings for seniors in South Shore and Sun City Center.
The project aims to offer free monthly screenings throughout South County, eventually expanding into towns like Wimauma, Apollo Beach and Riverview.
Before that can happen, though, memory screeners are needed and the call is going out to recruit volunteers to join the program. Becoming a screener is a relatively easy process that can be completed at home by watching online videos created by the experts at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. A little study, and volunteers are ready to join the ranks battling the scourge of memory loss, helping, it is hoped, improve the lives of those with early-onset memory loss.
“So a year from [the initial screening], we can do a second screening and see if people are experiencing [symptoms] like a cognitive decline,” said Debbie Caneen, president of the Coalition. “If you do, there are now things you can do that the Byrd Institute is showing positive results with, so you may qualify for a clinical trial.”
The outreach project is badly needed, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Most people living with Alzheimer’s are not even aware of their diagnosis or have not been diagnosed at all, according to the group. In addition, less than half (45 percent) of seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or their caregivers are aware of the diagnosis, compared with 90 percent or more of those diagnosed with cancer and cardiovascular disease. Among all people living with Alzheimer’s disease, only about half have ever been diagnosed
Eileen Poiley, director of education at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, is spearheading the courses for volunteers who will attend four weekly training sessions with a community-based approach to providing memory screenings for Alzheimer’s and other diseases causing memory loss. Once completed, participants will be USF Health volunteers trained to serve as memory screening administrators of the Byrd Institute’s Community-Based Memory Screening Program. Similar programs have been successful in Tampa and The Villages, a retirement community in Sumter County with roughly 100,000 residents.
A number of screeners have already been trained and are now certified Byrd Institute memory screeners. But many more will be needed for the program to achieve its goal. Some prior knowledge of HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] requirements is recommended, but not required. Once trained, memory-screening administrators will commit to volunteering one day each month to provide screenings to South Shore community members who are concerned about their memory.
Anyone interested in joining the cause is encouraged to attend a meeting from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Sun City Chamber of Commerce, 1651 Sun City Center Plaza, with Theresa Crocker, assistant director of community-based research for USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. The goal is to have 50 screeners.
“Early detection is the key,” Caneen said. “There are drugs on the market that have been used for quite some time. My own grandmother was on a drug that, while it does not reverse the decline, does slow it down.”
The first monthly screening will be 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at Sun Towers, 101 Trinity Lakes Drive, with a further screening slated for the same time Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the United Methodist Church, 1210 W. Del Webb Blvd. Each session will offer three screeners doing one 30-minute screening.
The group is also looking for spaces to hold screenings. “The problem with finding locations is that we have to have a quiet, clean space — and by clean, I don’t mean it’s not dirty. I mean a space where there is no distraction,” Caneen said.
For example, she went on, “If there’s a question asking ‘Can you name 10 things starting with the letter C?’ and a person can look around the room and see a clock and curtains, the test is not truly tapping into their cognitive abilities because the answers are directly in view.”
Those interested in making an appointment for a screening can call 813-419-4902. Interested in volunteering or want to nominate a quiet, clean space for prospective screening? Call 813-892-2990.
The SouthShore Coalition for Mental Health and Aging is a nonprofit organization providing mental health services to the residents of South Hillsborough County, including Sun City Center, Ruskin, Wimauma, Apollo Beach and Riverview.