When its time for an individual with memory challenges or other cognitive complications needs to visit their doctor for diagnosis or for a checkup, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to make sure that this visit goes smoothly. First, it is important to remember that an individual with cognitive challenges always needs to have a loved one or family member with them during their visit. Even if they are still able to drive, if you assume that dementia could be at the root of their problems, they will need someone with them to answer questions effectively and to make sure that there is no confusion when speaking with the health care provider.
Visiting Your Doctor: What to Bring
There are a few things that you should bring when visiting your doctor to help make the appointment a more effective one:
- A list of all of the symptoms that you and other loved ones have noticed as well as information on when these symptoms began, how frequent they are and if they have gotten worse
- A list of all of the current and past medical problems
- A complete family history of past medical issues and complications
- The bottles from all of the current medications that the individual is taking. This includes vitamins and over the counter medications.
- A list of any other concerns you may have to make sure that no questions go overlooked
Questions to Ask When Visiting Your Doctor
When you visit a doctor for a dementia or Alzheimers diagnosis, it is important to be prepared with questions. Make sure that you write down any questions that you may have and also ask a number of other questions during your visit such as:
- What tests are going to be performed during this visit and what does each test involve?
- How long is the testing expected to take?
- When will we get the results for this test?
- What is it that you are testing for at this time?
These questions can help you get a better picture of what is going on with your loved one and they can help you avoid any confusion during your medical visit.