Alzheimer’s Disease: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Research Advances

Only 38% of patients with dementia are diagnosed in the primary care setting. Ideally, this number should be 100%. Healthcare providers need to understand how to diagnose dementia and differentiate it from cognitive changes that represent normal healthy aging.

The issues are: 1) recognizing the difference between changes in cognition that are part of normal aging and those...

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD
• Marie B. Smart , SW, BA

Non-AD Dementias: Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Frontotemporal Dementia and Vascular Dementia, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Research Advances Many healthcare providers equate dementia with Alzheimer's disease. Few understand or diagnose the full spectrum of causes for degenerative dementia. Ideally, a specific diagnosis can lead to improved care and future care planning as well as heighten surveillance for potential emergent comorbidities associated with specific forms of dementia.

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD

End Stage Dementia and End-of-Life Care Many healthcare providers do not conceptualize degenerative dementia as a fatal, uncurable condition and do not take appropriate steps to ensure adequate end-of-life care. Current hospice mentality focuses on physical impairment related to systemic organ system failure. Ideally, end-of-life care should be prepared for and initiated with end-stage brain failure irrespective of the...

Faculty

• Salli E. Gallaher-Whisman , MD
• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD
• Marie B. Smart , SW, BA
• Renee Chase , MDiv

Promoting Brain Health Activities and Preventing Memory Problems in Later Life

In 2011, the NIH led a consensus panel on identification of strategies for reducing risk for the future development of degenerative dementias such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). While extensive literature is available from a wealth of published studies, sufficient data warranting recommendations for risk reduction was lacking. Care providers need to understand this risk data to...

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD
• R. Ronan R. Murphy , MD

Safety Precautions in Older Patients: Medications, Driving Risks, and Home Environment

The emergence of memory problems and subsequent development of a clinical dementia poses significant health risks to affected persons. Our analysis of such problems suggests that they cluster in three key areas including driving, medication management, and home safety issues. These risks are poorly understood by many primary care providers, but it is essential that they understand...

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD
• Marie B. Smart , SW, BA

Confidentiality and Privacy of Health Information

Issues of privacy, capacity, and guardianship are common problems in the management of dementia. These issues are complicated by the fact that the laws regarding such issues vary state to state. While many equate the diagnosis of a dementing illness with a lack of capacity and need for oversight, the lines are blurring as we have begun to diagnose disorders like Alzheimer’s...

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD

Recognizing Medical Conditions that Mimic Dementia ...

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD

The Docs Talk About Memory Loss: Is it Normal Aging or Alzheimer’s Disease?

The primary issues are recognizing the difference between changes in cognition that are part of normal aging and those that signal a more malignant process and a lack of familiarity with appropriate screening tools for identification of true memory problems.

Over the last 15 years, emerging data on pre-dementia forms of Alzheimer’s disease including...

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD
• Neelum T. Aggarwal , MD

Breaking News On the Horizon: How Close Are We to Curing Alzheimer’s?

Health care providers need a comprehensive update covering the latest developments in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease including current FDA-approved treatment options, latest trends in clinical research for the prevention and treatment, and the risks and benefits of clinical trial research participation for patients and families.

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD
• Marwan N. Sabbagh , MD
• James E. Galvin , MD, MPH, FANA

Supporting Family Caregivers and Underserved Populations in Providing Care for Patients with Alzheimer’s

Health care providers need current information about the risks of developing Alzheimer's Disease including racial/ethnic heritage, rural areas, vascular risks, and Down Syndrome. It is also important to review the reasons why one becomes a caregiver and the tasks and roles the must provide. There is an impact of caregiving on occupational, psychological, and...

Faculty

• Gregory A. Jicha , MD, PhD
• Marie B. Smart , SW, BA
• Frederick A. Schmitt , PhD