cal battery of urinalysis and blood tests that he sends off to the lab. If the tests come back negative, and no other cause of the symptoms is established, the patient is then referred to a specialist. The specialist, usually a psychiatrist, will then continue to rule out other possible illnesses through testing. If the next battery of tests also comes back negative, then the specialist will call on a neurologist to run a series of neurological examinations including a PET and CAT scan to rule out the possibility of brain tumors. A spinal tap is also performed to determine the possibility of other types of dementias. The patient will also undergo a complete psychiatric evaluation. If the patient meets the preliminary criteria for Alzheimers disease, an examination of the patients medical history is also necessary to check for possible genetic predispositions to the disease. The psychiatric team finally meets with the neurological team to discuss their findings. If every other possible disease is ruled out, and the results of the psychiatric evaluation are typical to that of a person with the disease, the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is given. The initial symptoms of Alzheimers disease are usually brushed off as a natural part of aging. The myth that a person's memory worsens over time is just that - a myth (Myers, 1996, p.100-101). Alzheimers disease victims are mostly over the age of 65 and many delay treatment by attributing their problems to age. A victim might forget a well known phone number or miss an important appointment. These symptoms eventually escalate to the total disintegration of personality and all patients end up in total nursing care. In descending order, the patient goes from (1) decreased ability to handle a complex job to (2) decreased ability to handle such complex activities of daily life as (3) managing finances, (4) complex meal preparation and (5) complex marketing skills. Next comes (...
