What to Expect
What to expect with an evaluation
Along with your doctor's evaluation, there are tests available to potentially help identify what could be behind your memory and thinking issues
The process of evaluating what might be behind your memory and thinking issues can take time. To evaluate what might be the problem, your doctor may run a few tests that assess your thinking, memory, and decision-making abilities:
First, you may have to discuss your medical history
Next, your doctor may give you a verbal test or questionnaire
Then, you may have to do blood tests, as well as physical and neurological exams
Finally, your doctor may refer you for additional testing, including brain imaging tests or a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) test.
Exploring the cause of your memory and thinking issues early on can help you and your doctor understand the cause and move forward with potential management of the condition.
What about coverage?
Medicare provides coverage for an annual wellness visit that includes a memory and thinking assessment.* This assessment can give you and your doctor a baseline to help track your brain health.
* You must be enrolled for at least 1 year before Medicare provides coverage for an annual wellness visit.
Private coverage varies by test and insurance plan. When you and your doctor discuss different types of tests, ask about your coverage options.
Awareness is the first step. See how Mary approached her doctor to find out if her memory and thinking issues were more than normal aging.
VISUAL: Open on a black and white photo of Mary and Peggy
MARY: I was a general manager…
VISUAL: Transition to a collage of Mary and Peggy
MARY: …and she’d come in and dine all the time just to come see me.
VISUAL: Transition to a close up of Peggy
Super: Mary and Peggy were compensated for their time
PEGGY: I had chased her for 6 months.
VISUAL: Transition to Peggy and Mary sitting on a couch in their home
Super: Peggy
Super: Mary
Super: Experiencing memory & thinking issues
Super: Mary and Peggy were compensated for their time
PEGGY: We’ve been together for 30 years
VISUAL: A green screen animates on with a collage of Mary
Super: Mary’s Story
Super: Mary is a real patient with memory and thinking issues
VISUAL: Memory & thinking issues keep piling up?
VISUAL: Transition to a close up of Mary
MARY: I was going through a phase where I was forgetting things and losing things and couldn’t keep my mind on a topic.
VISUAL: Transition to a close up of Peggy
PEGGY: Her wedding ring she lost 4 of those so now she wears it around her neck.
VISUAL: Transition to a close up of Mary
MARY: I didn’t know what was going on in my brain...why I was forgetting everything…
VISUAL: Transition to an animated collage of Mary’s memory and thinking issues (labeled: which road to take, appointments, passwords, wallet) that pile up
MARY AND PEGGY: I couldn’t remember which road to take…Forgetting appointments…passwords…her wallet.
VISUAL: Transition to a close up of Mary
MARY: And that’s when I really decided—well, the 2 of us together—decided that I needed help.
VISUAL: Transition to a close up of Mary and Peggy sitting on their couch
MARY: We sought a doctor that was just absolutely awesome.
VISUAL: Transition to a close up of Mary
MARY: Took me under her wing and...
VISUAL: Transition to an animated collage of a magnifying glass identifying a biomarker on a brain appears
Super: Mary was tested for the amyloid marker
MARY AND PEGGY: She came right out and said it. “Yeah, it’s there. The marker. The marker is there”
VISUAL: Transition to a close up of Mary
MARY: She’s been with us. Been by my side, pretty much the whole time.
MARY: As a matter of fact, my doctor was real pleased with my last check up. So I’m doing something right, I think!
MARY: So, yeah, trying to do the right things…
VISUAL: Mary plays Sudoku on her phone
Super: Discuss with your doctor what may be right for you.
MARY: …eat right, I do a lot of reading, get good sleep.
VISUAL: Mary and Peggy do a jigsaw puzzle in their home
MARY: If somebody is having memory issues…
Super: Find it while it’s still early
MARY: ...find it while it's still early, while they can do something more with it
VISUAL: Mary walks her dog down the street
MARY: I would say I was early, I was diagnosed pretty early I think. My doctor seems to be very pleased with how I'm continuing to not decline as fast.
VISUAL: Mary and Peggy have lunch with their friends
MARY: I'm at a time in my disease that I know where it's going to go.
VISUAL: Transition to an animated collage of Mary and Peggy on a green screen
Super: You and your doctor can use the results of certain tests
MARY: I’m prepared for it as much as I can be, I think. It’s my life and I’m going to make the best of it.
Super: You and your doctor can use the results of certain tests to better understand your memory and thinking issues and plan for the future
Super: Acting early can make a difference Talk to your doctor today
VISUAL: Lilly logo animates on screen
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Because the differences from normal aging can be slight at first, memory and thinking issues can be easily dismissed as a normal part of aging, but these can progress over time.