The MARS Memory Checkup is a specially designed annual assessment of your memory systems. You can think of it as a physical for your brain. We check your memory functions and give you, and your physician when requested, a full report. No physician referral is necessary for a MARS Memory Checkup.
Most often our clients leave the MARS Memory Checkup feeling reassured that their brain is functioning normally. This information can provide peace of mind and positively affect quality of life.
Occasionally, we detect a problem. When this happens, we work with your physician to help you get the best treatment. If you have been coming in annually, you provide yourself the best chance that the problems will be detected early. Early detection provides a profound clinical advantage for treatment. Give your brain the same advantages you give the rest of your body. Make an appointment for a MARS Memory Checkup today.
FAQ
What does the MARS Memory Checkup entail?
The MARS Memory Checkup is a one-on-one interview and assessment session with a trained clinician and/or technician. The assessments are like little thought and memory games. Do not worry about doing poorly, no one gets all the answers correct. In fact, the assessments are designed so that they keep getting harder until you get some answers wrong. It is similar to pole vaulting in track and field. The pole keeps getting higher until the last person knocks it down.
I am feeling fine, why should I get a memory checkup?
There are two excellent reasons to get a MARS Memory Checkup when you are feeling fine:
First, getting a MARS Memory Checkup when you are functioning normally provides you with a measure of your normal performance. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and this initial measurement will document your strengths and weaknesses. This initial measurement is called a baseline, and will be used as the comparison for your performance on future MARS Memory Checkups. Having a baseline increases the sensitivity of the test and thus allows us to detect abnormal changes much earlier than is possible without the baseline.
Second, early stage memory loss is often invisible to the client and their family. Thus, even though we “feel fine,” we should get assessed to screen for early stage memory disease.
How long does a MARS Memory Checkup take?
A MARS Memory Checkup takes between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the particular assessments given. Also, the checkup includes a 20 minute follow-up meeting with the clinician to discuss the results.
At what age should I start getting annual checkups?
We recommend that people consider annual MARS Memory Checkups as soon as they can after age 55. Younger baselines ensure a good, clean measure of normal functioning that we can use later for comparison. As we age, the risk of memory disease rises rapidly. Indeed, at 60 the risk is 1 in 100, at 85 the risk is about 1 in 2. So, as we age it becomes increasingly important to get a MARS Memory Checkup to help maintain our brain functioning.
When am I too old to start getting annual checkups?
You are never too old to start getting annual MARS Memory Checkups. Indeed, like a physical, the older you are, the more important it is to get a memory checkup. Memory disease is not a normal part of aging. It should be detected and treated.
How much does a MARS Memory Checkup cost?
We work hard to keep the price of a MARS Memory Checkup affordable. The price of a memory checkup depends on the extent of the assessment, which depends on your risk factors. However, most memory checkups cost about the same as two visits to your dentist. We like to think that keeping your brain healthy is at least as important as keeping your teeth clean.