When family or friends suspect a loved one has memory loss, an evaluation with a physician can determine whether the patient has mild cognitive impairment due to aging or something more severe, like dementia.
In recent years, a greater understanding of dementia has enabled clinicians to diagnose earlier in the disease progression. Early diagnosis allows the patient and their loved ones to make plans for their medical care. Although patients in the earlier stages can still live independently, people with advanced dementia require constant care.
Those planning on meeting with a physician for a dementia evaluation should take note — there isn’t just one test that can deliver a dementia diagnosis. A physician typically needs to conduct multiple tests and the process could take several weeks.
Dementia is a disease that happens to many people, even if they don’t have a family history. In the 2019 World Alzheimer Report, 95 ...
