Memory Disorders Clinic Education and Resources

Whether you’re watching a movie or attending a concert or sporting event, you rely on your hearing and vision to fully enjoy life. As you get older, maintaining your hearing and vision may also help keep your brain healthy....

Receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is life changing for both patients and their loved ones. “Alzheimer's disease does not just impact the person, it impacts the entire family,” explains Stephen Gemmell, PhD of the Washington Regional Memory Disorders Clinic. “Once a diagnosis is made and we know the stage of a dementia, the next thing we focus on is how do we help this person and how do we help their family.”...

When temperatures drop and daylight becomes scarce, it’s not unusual to start feeling a little blue. “Winter blues are very common in the United States; in fact, between 10% and 20% of Americans experience some degree of winter blues,” says Stephen Gemmell, Ph.D., director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Washington Regional’s Pat Walker Center for Seniors....

Even men who feel great need an annual checkup, says Dr. Randy Shinn, a geriatrician at Washington Regional’s Senior Health Clinic, part of the Pat Walker Center for Seniors. “It’s important for men — even if they feel they’re in good health — to see their physician on at least a yearly basis.”...

Smart food choices can keep your brain sharp. “Research has shown for years that what we eat can impact brain function,” says Stephen Gemmell, Ph.D., director of the Washington Regional Memory Disorders Clinic. Eating healthful foods found on the MIND diet, he says, may lower a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders....

The time to start addressing risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease may be earlier than you think. “Alzheimer’s disease is actually a midlife disease with later-life consequences,” says Stephen Gemmell, Ph.D., director of the Washington Regional Memory Disorders Clinic. “People who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease likely have already had the disease for 10 to 15 years before they receive the diagnosis.”...