physician

Debbie - thanks so much for your post and sorry for the delay in responding.

I am one of the moderators here.  And though not a trained medical professional, it is important to speak with your family physician.  He or she can help find the right path to further diagnosis and treatment.

As well, you might consider contacting the AFA's hotline for more detailed answers.

 AFA's social services team, consisting of licensed social workers, answers hot line calls Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm (Eastern) -- 866-AFA-8484, and responds to emails-info@alzfdn.org.

Hope this helps.  All the best, sue

Dear Debbie,

Sue is right that our social workers can help you find a physician.

If you are concerned about signs of possible dementia in a loved one - or in yourself - start with the doctor that already knows this person, often a primary care physician. To ensure that the doctor makes time to address memory concerns, tell the doctor's staff in advance that this is the purpose of the visit. It is a good idea for someone to accompany the person with concerns, so that he or she can make sure issues are addressed, provide additional information and ask appropriate questions. Obviously, the importance of this companion depends on the severity of memory problems.

The doctor may start the assessment with a brief memory screening, and then may want to do a full assessment, which may involve an extended visit, additional visits, lab tests to rule out reversible medical causes for dementia symptoms, referral for brain scans such as MRI, and referrals to specialists such as neurologists or psychiatrists. Finally, the doctor weighs evidence and makes a diagnosis. From there, you may want to consider seeing a specialist who specializes in Alzheimer's disease or another illness that is diagnosed. For Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, these specialists include geriatricians, neurologists, and memory disorder clinics, which employ combinations of specialists. Web resources can also help you locate a nearby memory disorder clinic.

After my father-in-law was diagnosed Alzheimer's by a psychiatrist, he has been cared for  by a family doctor. He only needs to prescribe drugs for Alzheimer's and makes sure my FIL is healthy. I think my FIL may need a psychiatrist if he is in a nursing home. Otherwise the psychiatrist does not become a regular doctor. In fact. my FIL just saw the psychiatrist once for diagnosis.

Nina