Alzheimer's Diagnosis Guideline to be included in the Carepath.

From Alzheimer's Info blog for Caregivers: 

"Talking to most caregivers, I realise that doctors are not providing a complete check up before handing out a diagnosis of dementia. 


As per medicinenet.com the following would be required to arrive at a complete diagnosis."

1. Patient history - to compare normal aging and dementia related symptoms the caregiver is the best person to provide this information;

2. Physical examination – to rule out other diseases/disorders that can overlap or medication that may be causing dementia like symptoms;

3. Neurological evaluations – to look at balance, reflexes, sensory functions;

4. Laboratory tests – blood tests, urine analysis, toxicology tests etc to rule out treatable causes of the dementia symptoms;

5. Cognitive and neuropsychological tests – language skills, problem solving ability, other abilities required to perform tasks of daily living. A Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) assesses cognitive skills in persons suspected with dementia; 

6. Brain scans like CT and MRI can confirm the causes of the dementia symptoms and whether they are treatable;

7. Psychiatric evaluation – to determine if the person is suffering from depression or other psychiatric disorder that also has dementia like symptoms."

Link: http://caregiverfriend.blogspot.fr/2012/05/diagnosis-of-dementia.html?spref=fb