Medinteract

Dr. Monica Crane – Discusses Alzheimer’s Disease

Dr. Monica Crane, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and Cole Neuroscience Center discusses Alzheimer’s Disease symptoms and treatment options in a short video produce by UT Medical Center.

Sports Illustrated – Finding a Cure

Medinteract Co-founder, Dr. John Dougherty, was quoted in the article “Finding A Cure” by Alexander Wolf in the December 12, 2011 issue.

Excerpt  – “Early diagnosis is so important,” says Dr. John Dougherty, who runs the Memory Clinic at the University of Tennessee’s Cole Neuroscience Center. “The goal is prevention through delay. If we can delay symptoms by five years with medication and exercise, we can reduce the number of sufferers by six- to eight million—[about] the population of metropolitan Atlanta.”

View the full article

The cover featured: Sportsman Of The Year: Mike Krzyzewski / Sportswoman Of The Year: Pat Summitt

The two winningest coaches in Division I college basketball history (907 for him, 1,075 for her) have more in common than just extraordinary success. For reaching far beyond their campuses and refusing to be defined by their genders, SI honors them together.

Medinteract – Selected as the 2011 Technology Company of the Year

Tech 2020′s Tennessee Valley Technology Council presented its annual Navigator Awards Wednesday, November 16, during the first day of the Entrepreneurial Imperative 2011 Conference. Awards of excellence were given for this year’s top entrepreneur, researcher, and technology company, as well as for the Tech Commericalization Champion of the year.

Selected as the 2011 Technology Company of the Year, Medinteract  was cofounded by Andrew Dougherty. Medinteract provides efficient and effective detection of Alzheimer’s disease by their computer based cognitive screening testing technology. Early detection leads to early intervention delaying the impact of the disease. Medinteract is now providing their detection services to a range of medical service providers across the region.

See the full release from Tech2020′s Tennessee Valley Technology Council.

Medinteract Co-Founder – Speaks at Knoxville Event

KNOXVILLE (WATE) – Hundreds of people were at Sevier Heights Baptist Church Thursday to hear what a leading Alzheimer’s specialist had to say about the degenerative brain disease.

Dr. John Dougherty, with Cole Neuroscience Center at UT Medical Center, not only talked, he listened as people of all ages shared their stories about life with a loved one struggling with the mind-robbing disease.

Knoxville News Sentinel – Hundreds turn out to hear Alzheimer’s Expert

WATE TV Knoxville, TN – Alzheimer’s Expert Shares His Knowledge at Knoxville Event

Reports on Alzheimer’s Disease in Knoxville, TN

Below are number of recent news reports on Alzheimer’s disease from Knoxville, TN:

WBIR-TV’s Robin Wilhoit interviews Janice Wade-Whitehead & Board member Dr. Monica Crane

Knox News Sentinel interviews Programming Director Linda Johnson about early onset dementia

WBIR-TV (NBC) interviews local family who wants Pat to know she has a bigger team now

WATE-TV (ABC) interviews local woman about her mother’s fight with Alzheimer’s

What Is Mild Cognitive Impairment?

As diagnostic criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) has become more widely embraced by the medical community, more and more patients are receiving a diagnosis and then asking the obvious question: what is it? This is generally followed by: does this mean I have (or will have) Alzheimer’s disease (AD)? Read More

Dementia Screening Cuts Health Costs

Today, Bloomberg Businessweek published a study documenting the decrease in the cost of care when dementia is diagnosed early. Cost savings is a great thing. But bigger than that is the increased quality of life and potential delay of disease progression for early and proper diagnosis. The earlier we diagnose a disease like Alzheimer’s, the more effective the treatments are at staving off the onset of additional symptoms or worsening of those existing. Read More

Free Memory Testing During Alzheimer’s Awareness Garden

This week Medinteract is offering the ALZselftest free to the public as part of the 4th Annual Alzheimer’s Awareness Garden. This is part of our ongoing effort to educate the public and screen seniors for early signs of Alzheimer’s, while there’s still plenty of time to treat it.  Please join us if you are in the Knoxville area. The Memory Walk takes place Saturday, April 17th.

The Brain and Spine Institute in collaboration with the Cole Neuroscience Center will again host the 4th Annual Alzheimer’s Awareness Garden April 12-16. The Alzheimer’s Awareness Garden honors families and caregivers impacted by Alzheimer’s. This year, the garden will be located outdoors in the Healing Garden.

April 5 to 9, the week prior to opening the garden, special activities are planned in the main lobby from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. daily including the following.

• Computerized memory testing
• Tips for coping with caregiver stress
• “Food for Thought”
• Diabetes, stroke and the Alzheimer’s connection
• Brain games and teasers

Alzheimer's ABC's: Understanding The Symptoms

This is the second post in a blog series by Dr. John Dougherty, intended to simplify and demystify Alzheimer’s disease, and help you better recognize the signs and symptoms.

In the last post we learned that the single most important place to begin our understanding of Alzheimer’s is history. I start the process by building a timeline from symptom onset with the individual (and family members).  In the next few posts we’ll take a look at Alzheimer’s symptoms. We begin the list today with some of the more widely known symptoms, but we examine more closely how to distinguish signs of normal aging from those of possible impairment within them.

Repeated and persistent signs of forgetfulness
As people age they frequently complain of losing keys, losing a wallet or purse, a checkbook, or some other staple item.  With normal aging you may forget where you parked your car after shopping, or you may forget a turn or two in the car but not be lost. Read More

"There's Nothing Wrong With Me!" Caring For Loved Ones Unaware Of Their Problem

Anosognosia is a term used to describe a person who is unaware of or denies the existence of their condition or problem. Some researchers estimate 20% of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients suffer from Anosognosia. My own research puts this estimate closer to 50%.

If you have a loved one suffering with Anosognosia you are probably very familiar with this concept, even if you didn’t know the medical term for it. AD patients with Anosognosia will argue with you if you point out deficits in memory or basic functioning. They tend to believe that they can function normally – still manage the finances, for example, when it is apparent to you that their cognitive deficits impair this ability. Read More