UA Professor, Students to Lead Free Memory Screenings

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Over 50? Feel forgetful? Feel healthy?

You may be as sharp and focused as ever or experiencing increased forgetfulness.  If you have concerns about your memory or just want to see how you are doing, the Memory Screening event may be for you.

The University of Alabama is hosting an open-enrollment period for a free memory screening to be conducted over the next few months. The screening will last about 45 minutes and will take place at Gordon Palmer Hall on the UA campus.

Interested community members must be over the age of 50. If interested, phone 205/348-9973.

The project is led by Dr. Forrest Scogin, professor of psychology at UA. Scogin led similar studies in 2013 and 2005.

“We had over 100 people the first time,” Scogin said. “There was a full range of abilities, and there were some people whose memory was entirely intact. There were other folks who really struggled.”

Scogin said participants will not receive a diagnosis, but rather a baseline assessment, which could include a recommendation of a follow-up appointment with a doctor. Additionally, mood and anxiety will be evaluated during the screening.

“We’ll have a number of clinical geropsychology students who will available to meet with them for an interview and short assessments,” said Lisa Mieskowski, a third-year doctoral student from Cleveland, Ohio. “We’ll have a range of questions, some more challenging than others.

“Participants will be randomized to one of two cognitive screeners, which will provide us with the ability to give them instant feedback at the end of their screening,”  Mieskowski said. “We can also get that information to their physician if desired.”

Scogin said he anticipates some community members who participated in previous screenings to return. He hopes to provide the service to as many as 200 people.

“The goal is to provide a community service but also to give our Ph.D. students good experience working with older adults concerned with cognitive function,” Scogin said. “There’s a training, science and research aspect to this event; the info we collect, we keep, and, at some point, we analyze it to promote better community service.”