Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are widespread around the world, posing a serious threat to the stability of health care systems, suffering patients, and the friends, family members and medical professionals who provide ongoing care. As the population ages faster than ever before, the pressures faced by all parties involved in the epidemic that is cognitive decline increase exponentially.
Currently, more than 800,000 individuals struggle with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease within the UK alone, and recent trend reports speculate the number growing to an oppressive 1 million in five years’ time. With a clear uptick in patients comes the need for alternative solutions to diagnosis and subsequent care.
Organizations worldwide have started to come together in an effort to slow the drastic growth of the patient population, not only by focusing on research efforts designed to offer a cure but also through early diagnosis solutions.
Recently, a research team based out of Ohio State University developed and tested one such solution: the Self-administered Gerocognitive Test, commonly referred to as SAGE.
What is Sage?
Determining if a patient has cognitive issues such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease is most effectively done through in-depth testing performed under the care of a physician with a medical facility. While this method does not prove burdensome for most patient groups, knowing when to visit the doctor for such testing is a challenge.
Primary care providers often have a difficult time observing subtle mental decline during routine office visits, and family members and friends may not know what constitutes a need for additional testing.
The SAGE test offers a solution in providing early detection of Alzheimer’s and dementia for patients, outside the confines of the doctor’s office.
SAGE consists of a 12-question exam designed specifically to be completed in the comfort of one’s home. Questions included on the SAGE exam help identify cognitive decline by asking individuals to complete certain tasks.
For example, one question may ask for the current date, including the year, while another may ask the individual to list out a specific number of items from the next room. For most, the exam can be completed in as little as 15 minutes, which is a welcome change from the hours’ long testing that takes place throughout medial offices around the world.
Additionally, no specialized equipment is necessary to complete a SAGE questionnaire; individuals only need a pen and paper.
Individuals who complete SAGE with a score of six or more incorrect answers are encouraged to speak with their primary care provider so that further testing can be completed.
Although SAGE does not represent a method to diagnose dementia or Alzheimer’s, it has been reported to accurately show the early signs of cognitive decline which are often missed or ignored.
Why Early Detection Matters?
The development of SAGE is a necessary step in the right direction toward moving the medical community away from treatment and toward prevention. Because SAGE is administered at home in a relatively short period of time, individuals suffering from slight to severe cognitive decline have an early opportunity to gain access to relevant treatment methods.
Early detection offers a range of benefits, including:
- The opportunity to participate in decisions surrounding the plan of treatment
- The ability to participate in research-driven clinical trials, potentially leading to a cure sooner
- Additional time to plan for future care needs, including social and medical aspects of treatment
- Reduced anxiety for the patient and the family members
- An increased probability of benefiting from treatment
When individuals suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease go too long without understanding and subsequently treating their cognitive issues, a financial strain is placed on the health care systems providing treatment.
For example, the UK reports one in six individuals over the age of 85 currently suffers from a long-term medical condition like dementia.
As the number of patients in this category grows due to delayed diagnosis, increased pressure is placed on the national health care system which stands to leave an unspeakable number of patients without the medical assistance they desperately need.
Speaking to this point is a representative from Patient Claim Line, a firm of medical negligence solicitors, who explains that the rising number of patients entering the system combined with the already exorbitant health care costs realized by the NHS puts the UK in a financial bind.
Solutions for early detection like SAGE relieve some of the financial stress experienced by the health care system and the patients who deserve quality care.
While SAGE does not provide a full diagnosis to patients suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s, the at-home test does offer some hope in laying a solid foundation for cost-efficient detection early on. The sooner patients have the opportunity to explore social and medical care options for cognitive decline issues, the better off they will be as it relates to the quality of treatment and most importantly, quality of life.
