Do I Have Alzheimer’s? The Process

My spouse thinks I am forgetful. Is it Alzheimer’s? What do I do? There are many different causes for memory challenges. It is good to take a close look. Here’s a checklist from the forMemory organization that may help you or someone you know.

—Ask yourself if you notice changes physically, mentally, emotionally and/or socially. Do you avoid activities you used to enjoy? Are you as coordinated as before? Do you have a change in sleep patterns? Have you had memory changes since an anesthesia, an illness, a stroke, a fall, a concussion, or a medication change? Are you able to stay on task at your workplace like you used to? Do you have more trouble finding your words now?

—Ask loved ones to honestly tell you about any changes they see.  Try to see if you are forgetting memories from long ago or are getting confused about recent occurrences.

—Write down examples of concern, dates or frequency.  Note any personal or family history of memory issues, neurological illness or possible toxic contamination. Take your time to describe how you are now compared to how you used to be.

—Before seeking a diagnosis, consider whether you have the best health insurance, public benefits, disability insurance and long-term care insurance that you are likely to obtain.

—If you have a trusted family physician, start with an appointment there. But be aware that not every doctor understands memory challenges or handles subtle symptoms well.

—Go to the appointment with a spouse or loved one and preferably with another person who can take good notes. Give one copy of your list of concerns to the doctor, one to your note-taker, and keep one in front of you.

—Informed physicians will speak to you directly. They will also ask a spouse or loved one about their impressions and may order routine blood tests. They may give a mini-mental exam or other short screening devise, knowing these tools are not sensitive to early changes. They will make sure you are not dehydrated. They may work with you on depression issues, knowing that Alzheimer’s also brings its own depression.

—A referral to a neurologist or memory clinic shows your physician understands his/her limitations. Ideally you will maintain your primary care physician for overall health issues and have him/her receive reports from any specialists.  If your physician dismisses all your concerns out of hand, you may need to locate another physician who listens.

—Schedule a neuro-psychological assessment through a neurologist, memory clinic, or veterans or university hospital. These often last two to three hours. The earlier you have a neuro-psychological, the more helpful it is as a baseline.

—At a follow-up appointment, a psychologist will explain the assessment results to you and those accompanying you. Keep your own copy of the written report. It compares you to average persons at your age and education. The different components of it will show where you may have problems. An exam two years later may show whether there is a progression or not.  It is possible you might not get even a tentative diagnosis
until then. And/or you may be referred for an MRI, other scans and/or an EEG now.

—Contact your local Alzheimer’s Association Chapter for individualized suggestions, support groups, and financial planning.  Find the chapter nearest you at www.alz.org. Feel free to call their 24-hour helpline at (800) 272-3900.

—Even if you solve your memory issue, consider speaking openly about and arranging for a brain autopsy to be done upon your death. Confirmation of your diagnosis or of your healthy brain at autopsy may help your family and help research.

—Whether you have a confirmed memory issue or not, consider joining a registry or clinical trials around the country that need more participants with your characteristics such as age, family history, etc.

—If you do find you have memory loss consider joining our database at www.formemorydatabase.org.