NEW YORK — Kmart Pharmacy has partnered with the Alz­heim­er’s Foundation of America (AFA) to offer free memory screenings.

During November, which is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and National Memory Screening Month, all Kmart Pharmacy U.S. locations will serve as memory screening sites, where people can get screened at no charge during normal business hours.

“Kmart Pharmacy understands the critical impact this would have on our patients,” stated Jennifer Speares Lehman, senior director of compliance and administration for Kmart Pharmacy. “As part of our ‘Care Beyond the Counter’ approach, and our quest to continue our award-winning service levels, Kmart Pharmacy more deeply connects with our patients on issues that matter to them most. Free memory screenings is definitely one of them.”

A noninvasive test, the memory screening checks cognitive health and often takes as little as 10 minutes. It consists of questions and tasks to assess memory, language and thinking skills. If a person scores below the normal threshold, he or she will be referred to a primary care doctor for a full evaluation.

AFA and Kmart noted that not all memory problems are indicative of Alzheimer’s disease. Other sources of memory problems include vitamin deficiencies, thyroid issues and depression, which are treatable and, in some cases, curable.

If a memory issue turns out to be Alzheimer’s, benefits to early detection include allowing the individual to develop a personal care plan, perform legal and financial planning, take advantage of treatments that can slow the progression of symptoms or participate in a clinical trial.

“Memory screenings should be a regular part of an individual’s annual wellness routine. It’s important that people get regular checkups for their brains, just as they do for other parts of their bodies,” commented Charles Fuschillo, AFA president and chief executive officer. “We are grateful to Kmart Pharmacy for once again helping us make memory screenings more accessible and enabling thousands of people to take advantage of this important health service.”

AFA and Kmart have partnered on the program in the past, enabling more than 15,000 people to get screened. Since its inception in 2003, AFA’s National Memory Screening Program has screened over 3.5 million people.