Alzheimer's Disease
Patient Education

Doctors Who Treat Alzheimer's Disease

As Alzheimer's is diagnosed, treated and managed, you may encounter the following team of doctors and specialists as the Alzheimer's diagnosis progresses. Having a team of doctors or specialists with varied expertise will more accurately help diagnose the possibility of having Alzheimer's Disease.

Neurologist - This physician deals with disorders of the nervous system. A Neurologist will differentiate the various nervous system disorders to come to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease.

Psychiatrists - A specialist doctor who treats disorders that affect mood or the way mind works. A psychiatrist often helps the Alzheimer's patient control mood swings, associated with disease. They typically provide medical interventions and drug therapies as opposed to analysis and counseling.

Psychologists - A clinician with special training in testing possible memory loss and other mental functions. They nay help prevent and relive psychologically-based distress or dysfunction associated with Alzheimer's and promote well-being along with personal development.

Geriatric Medicine - An internist who has special knowledge of the aging process and special skills in the diagnostic, therapeutic, preventive and rehabilitative aspects of illness in the elderly. This specialist cares for geriatric patients in the patient's home, the office, long-term care settings such as nursing homes and the hospital.

Geriatric Psychiatry - Geriatric Psychiatry is a subspecialty with psychiatric expertise in prevention, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders in the elderly, and improvement of psychiatric care for healthy and ill elderly patients.

How to Prepare for Your Alzheimer's Disease Doctor Visit

Having made your appointment with a healthcare provider, there are certain actions that you need to take in order to maximize the benefit of your Alzheimer's doctor visit which are listed below in this patient education guide:

• Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. When you make your appointment, ask if you need to fast for blood work or if you need to do anything else to prepare for diagnostic tests.
• Write down all of your symptoms. Your doctor will want to know details about what's causing your concern about your possible memory loss or mental function. Make notes about some of the most important examples of forgetfulness or other lapses you want to mention. Try to remember when you first started to suspect that something might be wrong. If you think your difficulties are getting worse, be ready to explain why.
• Take along a family member or friend, if possible. Corroboration from a relative or trusted friend can play a key role in confirming that your difficulties are apparent to others. Having someone along can also help you soak up all the information provided during your appointment.
• Make a list of your other medical conditions. Your doctor will want to know if you're currently being treated for diabetes, heart disease, past strokes or any other conditions.
• Make a list of all your medications and present the list at your Alzheimer's doctor visit. Include over-the-counter drugs and vitamins or supplements that you take regularly. Note the dosage of each drug you take.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Alzheimer's Disease

From your initial diagnosis throughout your treatment and care, you will have questions about your Alzheimer's. Our patient education guide lists questions to discuss with your doctor so you can make informed decisions about your condition.

Question About My Diagnosis

• Do I have a memory loss problem or other cognitive changes?
• Do you think my memory loss symptoms are due to Alzheimer's disease?
• What tests do I need?
• Do I need to see a specialist? What will that cost? Will my insurance cover it?
• Will my new symptoms affect how I manage my other health conditions?

Questions About My Treatment

• Are Alzheimer's treatments available?
• Is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing?
• Are there any clinical trials of experimental treatments I should consider?
• If my diagnosis is Alzheimer's disease, will you or another doctor manage my ongoing care? Can you help me get a plan in place for ongoing care?
• What should I expect to happen over the long term?

Questions About My Lifestyle & Family

• Do I need to follow any restrictions?
• What changes should I make in my routine?
• Is Alzheimer's genetic?

Common Tests Or Labs To Diagnose Alzheimer's Disease

Currently there is no particular test that can diagnose early stages of Alzheimer's. A diagnosis is based solely on the symptoms and characteristics provided by the patient. However, a doctor may order the following tests listed in this patient education guide to rule out other conditions and diseases that may be contributing to memory loss.

Severe and late stages of Alzheimer's can be diagnosed by a change in brain size due to the degeneration of cells.

Brain Image Tests

Test	Why Test?	What Happens?	What is Normal/Abnormal?
Computerized Tomography (CT) test	To detect tumors, stokes and head injuries.	X-rays pass through the brain to create cross-sectional images, or slices of brain. Painless test. Takes around 20 minutes to complete.	It provides very detailed images of many types of tissue, bones and blood vessels. So many abnormalities can be detected.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test	Rules out other conditions that may account for cognitive symptoms. Helps detect shrinkage of brain cells in late Alzheimer's stage.	Radioactive waves and strong magnetic field passes through brain to produce detailed image of brain. Painless test. Takes around 1hr to complete	Normal brain Shrinkage of brain Under MRI even soft tissues are visible, more detailed imaging than CT scan. Helps physician to see minute changes in the brain.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) test	Helps detect brain areas that are not working and the level of plaque in the brain, which is used as an important base to detect Alzheimer's.	Low-level radioactive tracer is injected intravenously (into the Vein) in the arm. Scanner tracks the flow through brain. Takes typically 45min to 1hr.	The findings of PET scan are very limited, as it shows blood flow in to the body. But can be combined with CT scan or MRI scan result for final diagnosis.

Lab Tests

Neurological Tests

Common Medications and Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease

There is no complete cure for Alzheimer's, but some >memory loss medications help delay progression symptoms. Medications are listed below in this alzheimer's patient education guide:

There is no complete cure for Alzheimer's, but some memory loss medications help delay progression symptoms.