Dementia diagnosis: a family affair
They say family is important – and now research is showing the valuable role it plays when diagnosing dementia. A federal advisory council on dementia care in America is pushing for the first ever National Alzheimer’s Plan, which aims to diagnose dementia earlier through family input.
They say family is important – and now research is showing the valuable role it plays when diagnosing dementia.
A federal advisory council on dementia care in America is pushing for the first ever National Alzheimer’s Plan, which aims to diagnose dementia earlier through family input.
According to CBS News, the new plan will require more screenings for warning signs and regular checks of the physical and mental health of caregivers.
The plan is the brainchild of Dr Laurel Coleman, a geriatric physician at Maine Medical Centre, who says family input is the “only true way” of knowing how a person is coping with dementia as patients are reportedly rarely asked the right questions by doctors.
Dr Coleman is calling for family input to be mandatory as family members often know whether or not a loved one is really eating or taking their medicine.
This practice will reportedly allow doctors to direct families toward advanced-care planning and early diagnosis, which will ultimately give patients the freedom and capability of making decisions about their future while they are still able to.
Do you agree with Dr Coleman’s theory that family should play a greater role in the diagnosis of their loved one’s condition?
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