Hey Dr. Sam is there a written test I can give my mother inlaw to show her 2 sons she has dementia and needs to see a doctor. I fear she will hurt herself as I know she can no longer live alone. Her sons don t really want to deal with it and she can NOT LIVE ALONE ANY LONGER. My doctor said there was one I could print out for her to take on your website but I can t find it.
Hello, welcome to Chat Doctor. Dementia is a chronic illness. It develops slowly, due to that diagnosis is delayed in most of the cases. Before any test it is important to take detail history to know about problem, type of dementia, cause of dementia and to rule out other condition which can present as dementia like initial stage of depression. Test like MUSE (mini mental status examination) is used by trained professionals to assess cognitive function of dementia. It is better to visit nearby psychiatrist or neurologist for diagnosis and management. Wish you all the best.  Chat Doctor. 99doctor.com