Difficult Financial Set Start That Got senile

Decreased ability to manage financial detected several years before Alzheimer's disease strikes. The researchers say that these criteria could be a useful indicator for doctors to detect the symptoms of dementia.

"Declining financial skills are detected in patients who have mild cognitive impairment, a year before the disorder to worsen into Alzheimer's. That is, doctors and health care providers need to watch patients with mild cognitive impairment, which showed a decrease in the skills of its finances. In addition, families and caregivers should immediately take steps to avoid any negative impact on its finances, "said researcher Professor Daniel Marson.

Previous studies have shown that interference with daily activities often precedes

Alzheimer's disease. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham studied 87 people with mild cognitive impairment.

A total of 25 of whom had Alzheimer-type dementia during the study, and 62 the rest were not. Researchers compared them with 76 healthy people who do not have memory impairment.

In a report published the journal Neurology, the researchers used a tool called the Financial Capacity Instrument (FCI) to measure the skills of the one-year study. FCI saw skills involves understanding the terms of banking, managing a checkbook, paying bills, preparing bills and calculate currency.

Participants were tested at baseline and one year later. Overall FCI scores in 25 patients who have Alzheimer's disease showed a decline of 6%. Their skills in managing checkbook also fell by 9%. While the control group and 62 people with mild cognitive impairment but did not progress to Alzheimer retains its value FCI throughout the year.

"This study shows that if a person is already experiencing significant memory impairment and began to experience a decline in their financial skills, it could be signs of dementia," said Dr Susanne Sorenson, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, as reported by BBC