People With Alzheimer's Lose Financial Acumen Years Before Diagnosis

United Press International says a new study found people with Alzheimer's can start making poor financial decision even before symptoms appear. The study in JAMA Internal Medicine determined that older people diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's were more likely to miss credit card payments up to six years before their diagnosis, compared with those without dementia. Those with dementia also were more likely to have lower credit scores in the three years before diagnosis than those without dementia, and these deficits were more frequent among people with less education. "Given the patterns that we're seeing, along with other research suggesting that people who are more susceptible to fraud in hypothetical survey questions are more likely to develop dementia in the future, I would definitely view falling for a phone scam as a potential early sign/symptom that I would monitor," said Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health Professor Lauren Hersch Nicholas. She also was adamant that "earlier detection of dementia can help protect patients from these financial errors. When dementia is diagnosed, it is important to make sure that patients are also receiving assistance in managing their money."