health & wellness >> continued from page 44 depth testing. There have been many instances of people who are highly intelligent testing in the MCI range when more in-depth testing indicates Alzheimer's disease. Their intelligence allows them to compensate for their cognitive deficits on the screening tool but cannot be sustained through more extensive testing. St. Joe's Lung Cancer Program Offers the Latest Diagnostics, Treatment Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in men and women combined, but recent treatment breakthroughs provide ways to earlier diagnose and better treat the disease. St. Joseph Mercy Oakland's Lung Cancer Program offers the latest in diagnostics, treatment and clinical trials. By Jack Weiner, President and CEO St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Here's why you should seek out St. Joe's for lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. We offer: • A quicker path to diagnosis and treatment with twice monthly multidisciplinary Lung Tumor Board meetings attended by a team that includes nationally recognized experts in Radiation Oncology and Thoracic Surgery, along with specialists in Pulmonary Medicine, Medical Oncology, Pathology, Radiology and others. Working together, the team develops a personalized cancer treatment plan for each patient designed to deliver the best outcomes. • A lung cancer nurse navigator who facilitates care for each patient. She provides patient education, coordinates appointments and provides additional emotional and resource support throughout each patient's treatment journey. • Our nationally recognized specialists have dedicated St. Joe's affiliated lung cancer practices and are skilled and experienced in the latest cutting-edge diagnostic and treatment technology. • Superdimension Navigational Bronchoscopy System, Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) and Low-Dose Lung CT screening for the latest in detection, diagnosis and staging, along with da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery. • A Surgical Pavilion with modern surgical suites that offers the most up-to-date technological advances in the area. • Access to nearly 150 clinical trials through our Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP), the same trials accessed by the Mayo Clinic. This means patients can receive cutting-edge treatment while remaining right in our community. • Access to educational information in our Cancer Resource and Support Center, within the Alice Gustafson Center on the hospital campus. • A Cancer Center that offers an environment of patient comfort and dignity in both the physician office and the infusion center. For more information on St. Joe's Lung Cancer Program, call Patti Moore, Lung Nurse Navigator, at 248-858-3471. When you're looking for the latest, comprehensive and compassionate lung cancer care, come to St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, where our clinical outcomes speak for themselves. DiscoverRemarkable 1973890 46 November 26 2015 JN Why is it important to be screened or tested? That's an individual decision. There is no cure for dementia; however, there are medications believed to slow down the progression of the disease, which helps people live with more mild to moderate forms, rather than severe. With that in mind, starting treatment as early as pos- sible is important to help preserve cogni- tive functioning. How can I tell if my memory issues are normal for someone my age or a sign of dementia? Have you ever walked out of a park- ing lot and had to think for a moment because you weren't sure where you had parked your car? Or searched the house because you couldn't find your keys? Most of us have. We tend to joke about losing our memories or getting older, but the reality is that most of us lead busy lives; we don't always pay enough atten- tion to routine tasks and occasionally have difficulty remembering where we left our keys (or car). And that's perfectly normal, especially as we age. So how do you distinguish when your level of forgetting is no longer what would be considered normal? Generally speaking, when memory loss or confu- sion is severe enough to interfere with someone's ability to work and maintain a social life, it is no longer considered normal age-related cognitive chang- es. Instead, that's probably the time to consult a neurologist or geriatrician for a closer look. But the fact that some of these things occasionally happen to all of us, ironi- cally, feeds denial, both on the part of the person living with dementia and his or her family members. I have a family member just diag- nosed with dementia and I am feeling overwhelmed. What do I need to know? As overwhelming as it can be in the beginning, it is important to understand that everyone's course of the disease is individual because different parts of the brain can be impacted by dementia. For example, short-term memory may be impaired, but judgment may still be intact. Because impacted areas differ from person to person, people with dementia can have very different func- tional abilities. Unfortunately, this means that a cookie-cutter approach won't work; ifs important to avoid fast forwarding to the worst-case scenario until you have to. Someone who is diagnosed with the early stages of dementia later in life may never reach advanced stages of the disease. It's also a good idea to plan ahead. Start by discussing with your loved one their needs, plans and wishes, includ- ing end-of-life care, advance directives, hospice and funeral arrangements. Ifs also a good idea to obtain Durable Power of Attorney documents if they aren't already available. Gathering telephone numbers for doctors, lawyers, financial advisers and having them all in one place, along with copies of crucial docu- ments such as wills, insurance policies, tax returns, investments, bank accounts and medical records, can make things easier than searching frantically when the need arises. How can I plan a family celebration to include a relative who has dementia? A little advanced planning can make a tremendous difference when including a loved one with dementia in a family celebration. Use these suggestions: • Choose the time of day careful- ly: Many people with Alzheimer's experi- ence Sundowner's syndrome, meaning they become less lucid later in the day and into the evening. If this is true for your relative, brunch would be a better choice than dinner. • Plan activities for every- one: Singing songs from long ago is a favorite pastime for many adults with dementia. Pop in a CD and your loved one might sing along! Or, if you've got little ones who like to paint, have every- one participate. People with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia often enjoy painting. It's like riding a bike — people never forget how. It also allows them to tap into the creative side of their brain. • Join in her reality: Oftentimes people with dementia can become agitated if they're challenged, and that doesn't create a warm, celebratory feel- ing. So if your family member thinks she just got back from Europe, instead of trying to tell her that was a long time ago, ask what she liked best about her trip. Joining in their reality enhances your time together and provides reas- surance. • Use bright colors for decora- tions: Brighter colors are easier for older adults to see, so if you're picking up flow- ers or balloons, choose bright, vibrant colors. * For more details or support, contact ElderCare Solutions of Michigan, a Jewish Family Service agency at www.eldercaresolutionsofmLorg or (248) 592-1944; or the Alzheimer's Association at www. alz.org or its 24/7 Helpline at (800) 272-3900. Lynn Breuer, MSW, is the 24/7 team leader and marketing manager of ElderCare Solutions of Michigan.