A new, first-in-the-state, community program will make the detection of memory problems and doctor follow-up widely available to seniors the Greenwood and Phinney Ridge.

An informational kick-off will be held at the Greenwood Senior Center on Monday, Oct. 19 at 12:30 p.m.

"We have formed an exciting collaboration between Greenwood Senior Center, local doctors and Screen Inc. -- a memory testing company headquartered in Seattle," said Cecily Kaplan, director of Greenwood Senior Center.

"Through the Greenwood Memory Monitoring Program, we will make memory testing and follow-up widely available to our seniors," said Kaplan. "We are tremendously pleased to be part of this important community initiative."

With a grant from the Harvest Foundation, the Greenwood Senior Center purchased Screen Inc.'s Onsite Memory Testing System. This testing system was designed by Screen Inc. to provide an easy way for seniors to take a battery of tests that were able to detect the slightest changes in their cognitive abilities.

Taken in the privacy of a testing room at the center, the computer "talks" to the person taking the test and shows them pictures, words and designs. By simply touching the computer screen to make their choices, they work their way through the test.

When they touch the screen on the last question, regardless of where they are in the world, the completed test is immediately sent to Screen's home office in Seattle via the Internet where it is analyzed for any memory problems, including early predictors of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

After testing, a physician report is sent to the patient's doctor, outlining potential problems in three cognitive areas. The report also includes the patient's past test results (longitudinal information) which allows doctors to easily compare current and past results to detect the earliest warnings of memory decline.

With an Onsite Memory Testing System at the Greenwood Senior Center, local doctors now have a convenient place to send their senior patients for memory monitoring.

Since early detection of memory problems is important, many physicians recommend that their patients who are over age 65 undergo regular cognitive testing at least once a year. And for those who are showing some cognitive warning signs, they should be regularly monitored and tested every three months.