VOA标准英语2011--Report: Dementia Not Being Identified Ea

Report: Dementia Not Being Identified Early Enough

This year's World Alzheimer's Report focuses on caring for patients in the early stage of the disease, and identifying those who can benefit from treatments that are effective at that stage.
In some countries, as many as 90 percent of people with dementia might not be diagnosed, according to the annual report published by Alzheimer's Disease International, the federation¹ of national Alzheimer's societies.
Worldwide, an estimated three out of four people with dementia have not been diagnosed, even though they might benefit from treatment.
Dementia - including its most common form, Alzheimer's disease - often starts with very subtle symptoms that even family members might not notice.
The report's lead author, Martin Prince, says there are ways to identify dementia patients that can be used, even in resource-poor settings.
"These are people who can be routinely diagnosed, using paper-and-pen tests - very simple clinical procedures that ought to be within the abilities and competencies of family physicians, you know, with some backup from specialist services."
Prince, with the Institute of Psychiatry² at King's College London, says that early diagnosis³ can save money. Beginning a program of care early can delay very expensive institutional care later, at least in higher-income countries.
Experts reviewing thousands of scientific studies for the World Alzheimer's Report found that even in poorer countries, early treatment can delay the advance of symptoms and improve the quality life for patients and caregivers.
"It isn't very expensive care and I think particularly in low-income countries, where there's a lot of human resource, potentially," he says. "You know, spending some time with patients and their families is the sort of thing that realistically can be provided in a cost-effective way."
But to benefit from that, Prince says, people need to recognize that dementia, whose early stages often are marked by memory lapses⁴, is not a normal part of aging.
"You know, your father's forgetful. So what, it happens all the time. That's how people are. And if you think it's a normal part of aging, then you're unlikely to go and seek help for it."

1 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

2 psychiatry   

n.精神病学，精神病疗法

参考例句：

• The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
• A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。

3 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

4 lapses   

n.失误，过失( lapse的名词复数 )；小毛病；行为失检；偏离正道v.退步( lapse的第三人称单数 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He sometimes lapses from good behavior. 他有时行为失检。 来自辞典例句
• He could forgive attacks of nerves, panic, bad unexplainable actions, all sorts of lapses. 他可以宽恕突然发作的歇斯底里，惊慌失措，恶劣的莫名其妙的动作，各种各样的失误。 来自辞典例句