Early onset

Memory disease and work-life – Possible to combine?

Early-onset memory disease inevitably weakens the ability to work and unexpectedly interrupts careers. Work experience, skills and the ability to work do not disappear overnight, but can be maintained for a long time in spite of the illness.

Memory disease itself does not cause disability to work but the symptoms caused by it may be a reason for retirement. The symptoms are so varied and unique that the diagnosis itself cannot yet determine the chances of continuing to work. Thus, the ability to work must always be evaluated before the decision regarding continued work can be made.

Memory symptom questionnaire for working-age adults

The Memory Symptom Questionnaire for Working-age Adults form can be used as an aid in an interview when one wishes to find out whether the customer has problems with regard to memory, concentrating or learning new things. The goal is to facilitate opening discussion about memory-related issues with working-age adults. Thus potential problems are identified and an intervention can be effected as early as possible.

The first page of the form maps how the symptoms have begun and how they affect everyday life. Progressive memory disorders are, fortunately, rare in working-age adults, but their early recognition is highly important.

Other factors that may possibly cause various cognitive disorders are mapped on the second page. Indeed, page two serves as a sort of a list of all the factors to be considered when looking into memory disorders of working-age adults.

If no explanation for the disorders is uncovered even after these extensive examinations, a referral to a neurologist must immediately be written for a more precise evaluation. In this case, all the information collected for the form, as well as other background surveys (a description of the customer's clinical status, the results of laboratory tests, descriptions of work tasks and working conditions etc.), must be included in the referral in order to make the process as fast as possible.

The questionnaire has been developed in the project Cerebral Health and Memory of Working-age Adults (Aivoterveys ja muisti työikäisillä, Varsinais-Suomen Muistiyhdistys ry) as a tool for those who work in patient reception in, for example, occupational health care.

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