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Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
What should I do if I think I have dementia?
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Alzheimer’s Australia is the charity for people with dementia and their families and carers. As the peak body, it provides advocacy, support services, education and … View Profile
The first step is to see your doctor ask for an assessment. Being assessed early can allow a doctor to rule out other conditions that may be causing the memory loss or changing behaviour (depression, or hormone imbalance for example) which there may be treatments for. If a diagnosis of dementia is made, however, this does have its benefits for the patient and their family and carers. An early diagnosis allows for advance planning of finances, health and future medical care. This also allows time for the person with the diagnosis and any family members or carers to receive information, education and any counselling or support they need. These services are all offered through Alzheimer’s Australia.
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Dr Rohit Bansal
Geriatrician (Aged Care Specialist)
If you think you have Dementia your first step is to write down your symptoms and discuss them in details with your family doctor.
Your GP can perform some initial screening tests and Cognitive assessments and if deemed necessary will refer you to a Geriatrician(Aged Care Specialists). Geriatricians can undertake a further comprehensive assessment of your cognition to establish if you have Cognitive Impairment/Dementia.
Sometimes Geriatricians will organize Brain Imaging like MRI / SPECT Scans, Blood tests and Neuropsychological assessments as part of Dementia workup.
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