Dentino to Give Alzheimer's Disease Presentation

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 35 million people worldwide are affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Andrew Dentino, M.D., the Bernhard T. Mittemeyer Endowed Chair in Geriatric Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), will provide information about the disease at 10 a.m. May 15 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church hall 102 N. Ave. P.

Dentino will discuss what symptoms to look for with Alzheimer’s disease:

• Difficulty managing money and paying bills
• Repetitive questions and conversations
• Taking longer than usual to finish routine daily tasks
• Losing things or misplacing them in odd places
• Memory problems that are noticed by others

The bilingual presentation also will include: what Alzheimer’s disease is, risks of developing the disease, how the disease impacts families, differences of Alzheimer’s disease and normal aging and how to get a loved one evaluated for the disease.

Dentino also will provide information about a TTUHSC study to see how the disease targets Mexican Americans. The study is a part of the Texas Alzheimer’s Research Consortium study and includes five of the state’s major medical schools and health sciences centers in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock and San Antonio.

The study takes approximately two hours once a year and involves blood work, interviews and memory testing. Participants must be 50 years or older. As study enrollment is limited, persons who meet criteria and whose cognitive status qualifies them for inclusion in the study will receive $100.

For more information about the study or presentations, call Vicki Ramirez, TTUHSC research coordinator, at (806) 743-5604.

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