Why Early Diagnosis is so Important

Getting a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or another form of dementia is the first step toward getting treatment. And yet, it’s estimated that fewer than 25 percent of cases of Alzheimer’s disease in Canada are diagnosed—even though cognitive impairment and dementia are present in about a fifth of the elderly population, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC).

There are a few reasons for this dire situation.

People may not consult their doctors because they’re afraid to acknowledge that dementia is a possibility. “In our national surveys we know that it’s feared only second to cancer,” says Mary Schulz, director of education for the ASC.

Even if they are willing to go for diagnosis, 4.4 million Canadians don't have a family physician. According to a 2012 Statistics Canada survey, not all of those people want one, but some 800,000 said they didn't have a place to go for regular medical care.

Sometimes, however, people with dementia and their families simply don’t recognize the signs. It’s not about forgetting where you put your keys, says Schulz. “It’s about memory loss and changes that affect your ability to function day to day. Things like forgetting how to make a meatloaf when you’ve been doing it your whole life.”

In some cases, as she points out, dementia doesn’t show up as a problem with memory at all. “Quite often people will demonstrate changes in behavior or personality,” says Schulz. “They may become much more irritable or more withdrawn and apathetic. These could be the signs of lots of other conditions, but they could also be the signs of early stage dementia which often go unexplored.”

See the Alzheimer Society’s 10 warning signs of dementia.


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Camilla Cornell

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