I think my relative might have dementia or Alzheimer’s. They seem confused or are having some difficulty thinking straight.
Dementia is a term that covers many conditions from classic Alzheimer’s disease to Mild Cognitive Impairment. These medical terms denote a large variety of changes in an individual’s ability to think, understand, make decisions, and assess information. What to do? Luckily today these changes can be diagnosed with some accuracy. And getting a good differential diagnosis is important because what you and your family will need to do depends on understanding, as exactly as possible, what has caused these changes. From there, you can address concerns and prepare.
Further Reading
Care Managers Can…
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- Help you obtain a differential diagnosis and discover any possible reversible causes
- Identify where the person is in the stages and understand disease progression
- Provide education
- Assist with accessing resources
- Provide emotional support
- Help with the impact on the family caregiver and give everyone a sense of expectations and options