Caregiver Connection

The value of early dementia diagnosis

By Heather Costello, MSW, LICSW, CDP

Man helping older man with shirt collar

Many of the caregivers I talk with feel like there’s no point getting a formal medical diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia, because there isn’t a cure. But there’s so much to be gained by having a medical evaluation and learning the reason for your loved one’s symptoms. Here are 4 reasons why I recommend having your loved one see a doctor about their brain health.

1. The diagnosis may surprise you.

First, the physical and cognitive changes you’re seeing may not be from dementia. Sometimes, it’s from something that’s preventable or treatable.

For example, certain medications, such as antidepressants, antihistamines, antipsychotics, antispasmodics, and incontinence medications, can have side effects that can be mistaken for dementia. Hearing loss may also be a factor. According to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, “older adults with greater severity of hearing loss were more likely to have dementia,” and the likelihood of dementia was lower for those adults who use hearing aids.

Another condition, such as one of those below, could be causing the dementia-like symptoms. Your loved one’s doctor may do tests to find out if any of these conditions is present.

  • Delirium
  • Infection
  • Head trauma
  • Use or withdrawal from alcohol or drugs
  • Kidney or liver disease
  • Heart or lung disorders
  • Hormone imbalance
  • Cancer
  • After-effects of anesthesia
  • Normal pressure hydrocephalus

If your loved one resists having an evaluation, let them know you want to make sure they’re okay and that you’re worried about them. Emphasize that their symptoms may be due to something that’s treatable—that the cause isn’t necessarily Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. Either way, it’s important to know so that appropriate and helpful steps can be taken.

2. Discussions now can help guide treatment and future care.

People who receive a diagnosis during the early stages of dementia may be able to receive treatments that can slow the effects of the disease. Medication isn’t a cure, but it can improve quality of life for a time. 

It’s also important for your loved one to have as much control of their situation as possible. I believe strongly that everyone, including people living with dementia, has the right to make their own decisions and should be supported in doing so whenever possible.

This is a good time to discuss the future. Specifically, it’s an opportunity for your loved one to have frank conversations about how they want to live the rest of their lives, to inform caregivers and friends of the activities they want to continue, and to make decisions about what they want for end-of-life care. 

For example, do they want to be given CPR, a feeding tube, or artificial hydration in the late stages of their disease? The Conversation Project offers free online resources to help you start a discussion and find out what matters most to your loved one. 

Conversations like these are also for you. The information that comes from them will help guide the decisions you’ll make when your loved one can no longer share their wishes and make decisions for themselves. (There are essential documents available to formalize caregiving arrangements.)

3. Your loved one can be part of the solution.

Someone with a dementia diagnosis may be able to participate in a clinical trial. Clinical trials are tests of new treatments and drugs that are being designed to prevent, detect, or treat dementia. Taking part in a clinical trial could give your loved one a chance to be part of the ongoing research into finding the causes, treatments, and—ultimately—a cure for dementia.

The Alzheimer’s Association has current information about clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Clinical trials are available for people at different stages of the disease. A person living with dementia may be able to start participating in a trial even if they’re already in a later stage of the disease.

4. With understanding comes compassion

If a visit to the doctor does result in your loved one being diagnosed with dementia, you’ll have better insight into what’s been going on. And you might find it’s easier to be patient with their forgetfulness, confusion, frustration, or anger when you know the reason for it.

You can then start to think of ways to make your interactions more positive. For example, if you provide care regularly, you may want to make a daily plan with your loved one’s strengths, routines, and stresses in mind. Think about how caregiving can change relationships and how you can influence the way yours evolves.

When you have the knowledge, you can better prepare for the care your loved one will need and for what you need to know as a caregiver.

 

Heather Costello is a memory specialist and Behavioral Health Case Manager for Fallon Health.

This is the 2nd post in a 3-part series about dementia.

Originally posted: November 2020
Last updated: November 2024

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