Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Lots of more than just memory-loss to detect Alzheimer in early stages

Lots of more than just memory-loss to detect Alzheimer in early stages

With the Alzheimer disease continuing to impact many residents in the BVI, Vice President of the Virgin Islands Alzheimer’s Association, Dr June Samuel is reminding relatives about symptoms to be aware of to ensure their loved ones get early medical attention.

Dr Samuel outlined the symptoms in a recent interview on the Real Talk programme with host Karia Christopher.

She said while most persons usually recognise memory loss as a symptom of Alzheimer’s, there exist many other key symptoms that can be overlooked.

“Many years before you may start to notice depression, changes in their personality, and then some five years later relatives would notice that persons are having memory loss. They’re repeating themselves asking the same questions over and over. They have difficulties remembering where they’ve placed things. You may notice them being more irritable and then they have difficulties with basic everyday functioning,” Dr Samuel explained.

“So planning how to get from home to town, planning how to manage their finances, they would have difficulties with that and sometimes are different because they go in different stages,” she added.

Three stages of Alzheimer


Dr Samuel, who is also a psychiatrist, pointed to three stages of the disease — early, middle and late. She said each stage presents different levels of symptoms that someone with the disease may exhibit.

“Persons may even be looking in the mirror, and this is something that a lot of relatives relate to and because they don’t recognise themselves, because their memory isn’t working. Then they may think that persons are in the house, so then they break the mirrors,” she explained.

“[They may also experience] difficulties ,of course, with things like dressing themselves, taking care of their families and if you’re diagnosed during the time that you’re still working, in the workplace you may notice persons are not as organised as usual, they seem more confused, they seem as if they’re having just challenges functioning as they would normally function in their workplace,” she further said.

Try to convince those with symptoms to see a doctor


Dr Samuel said that once symptoms have been observed, it is important to ensure that the affected person gets medical help as quickly as possible before their condition worsens.

She said that persons are usually reluctant to seek the necessary help. She further proposed ways relatives or loved ones can use to convince the impacted person to see a doctor.

“One of the things I usually suggest to family members [is to find] who the person talks to that can convince them to do something, because essentially what you want to do is to get them to the doctor. So the person may be one of the kids that can get the parent to do anything that you ask them to do. It may be a friend or another family member,” Dr Samuel stated.

She continued: “Have them talk about what’s happening and what you’re trying to do which is to convince them to go to the doctor — that is assuming that the spouse themselves is unable to convince them in some way.”

In addition to the person physically going to the doctor, Dr Samuel also revealed that there is a system in place locally where it can be organised to have doctors provide home visits to conduct the necessary assessments.

The assessment by the doctor is covered by the National Health Insurance (NHI).

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×