Alzheimer's is rarely diagnosed properly

There are many parts of growing old which are considered normal: slowing of mobility, increasing forgetfulness, and a higher likelihood of chronic pain. Yet Alzheimer’s Disease, despite its millions of sufferers, is not, and should not be considered a normal part of aging.

According to a recent report from the Voice of America, experts say it is essential to view Alzheimer’s as a disease which is foreign to a normal aging body. One of the dangers of accepting Alzheimer’s and Dementia as normal is that it is often overlooked or not properly diagnosed.

“You know, your father's forgetful. So what, it happens all the time. That's how people are. And if you think it's a normal part of aging, then you're unlikely to go and seek help for it,” Martin Prince from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, told the news source.

Prince said that as many as 90 per cent of Alzheimer’s and Dementia sufferers are not diagnosed because either they or their family members do not recognize the early symptoms of these diseases.

Fortunately, however, he told the media outlet that diagnoses for Alzheimer’s is not difficult; it just takes time.
“These are people who can be routinely diagnosed, using paper-and-pen tests - very simple clinical procedures.”