What questions should I ask my doctor when I am diagnosed with Alzheimer’s?

Your life is changed forever by a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Seeing your familiar family doctor or a primary care physician may be the easiest way to start getting help. Ask the following questions as you or your loved one is first being told that the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s disease:

- How sure are you that this is really Alzheimer’s disease?

- What type of dementia do you think I have/my loved one has? What is the medical name?

- What stage is the disease? What does this mean in my/my loved one’s case?

- What is the prognosis? What can be expected over time? When will I/my loved one die?

- What treatments could I/my loved one benefit from?

 - What will happen if I/we choose to do nothing and not seek treatment? Is that a viable option?

 - How long do I/we have to make decisions about treatments?

- What kind of Alzheimer’s specialist do you recommend that we see next?

- Where do you recommend that I/my loved one be treated? Why do you recommend this facility? Do they specialize in treating Alzheimer’s patients?

 - How can I get more information about Alzheimer’s disease? Where can I find emotional and psychological support?

- If I am diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, what can I be hopeful about?

 A well-educated patient and his family have the greatest chance of successfully fighting back the progression of AD for as long as possible. As the high-profile former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop told this author in an interview, “I always warn people to not think of their questions when they get to the doctor’s office but to think of them the day before and write them down.”

Find out more about this book: The 10 Best Questions for Living with Alzheimer's: The Script You Need to G...

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