Memory Screening is Not a Substitute for Diagnosis

Today was National Memory Screening Day, where healthcare agencies across the country offered free, confidential screenings for memory problems along with follow up resources and educational materials.

While memory screenings can identify warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, it's important to remember that a screening is just that -- a screening -- not the final word on a person's memory functioning.

A memory screening is not a substitute for a diagnostic workup by a qualified physician. For more information about what a diagnostic workup entails, see Diagnosis of Alzheimer's. It provides an overview of what to expect at the doctor's office and what kinds of specialists might be called in to help pinpoint an accurate diagnosis.