“Medical advances in memory testing, brain imaging, spinal fluid markers and genetic testing have improved the sensitivity and accuracy of the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease allowing earlier recognition and intervention.” says Greg Jicha, M.D., Ph.D. of the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Center. “Early detection of disease allows active and meaningful participation in medical treatment decisions, adaptation to the disease process, and future planning by persons afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease directly. This is something we simply didn’t see, even a few short years ago.”
In recognition of the changing landscape of Alzheimer’s, in 2008, the Alzheimer’s Association hosted four regional town hall meetings with more than 800 participants, including 300 people living with the disease. The 2008 report Voices of Alzheimer’s Disease examined the rich dialogue at these town halls and identified diagnostic challenges and dissatisfying interactions with the medical community as two major challenges articulated by people living with the disease. The new, innovative Principles for a Dignified Diagnosis, release in February 2009, are insights from people living with the disease on how to improve that experience.Read this article in detail in our KentuckyDoc magazine.
