How We Treat Dementia

We’ve seen it too many times

We’ve seen too many families receive a dementia diagnosis and then hear, “There’s nothing we can do, come back in a year”. A loved one receives the dementia diagnosis, but the family and patient receives no direction on what to do next. No suggestions for dementia-related services provided. The family and patient feels helpless and struggles to find hope. 

A better way

We believe that collaborating with a patient, their family and their dementia clinician can slow progression of dementia symptoms leading to more life to live. We start with a thorough dementia risk assessment and evaluation in our office, then formulate a diagnosis and management plan. A patient’s referring primary care or specialty clinician remains in charge of their care, but we partner with them to provide a more thorough and successful management. Through personalized recommendations for diet, exercise, sleep, relaxation, personal connection, health habits, and therapeutics can be effective in slowing progression.

First Visit Consultation

We start by getting to know the patient, asking them several questions − preferably with a loved one / caregiver present. We review their current symptoms and any problems, caregiver status, medications and their dementia risk factor questionnaire results. We conduct cognitive and other screenings and perform a brief physical examination. If a caregiver is present, we also conduct a caregiver interview and assessment.

Care Plan, Diagnosis and Recommended Next Steps

Next, we create a care plan that outlines our findings, patient goals and recommended steps and follow up. The plan may recommend additional tests or referrals for specific counseling for things like nutrition, sleep hygiene, exercise or stress relief. With the patient’s permission, we will send all reports and recommendations to their primary or specialist physician for collaboration on next steps, follow up or any referrals.