From: hounddog23x@gmail.com   
      
   Many doctors derelict in duties with Alzheimer's patients and caregivers   
      
      
      
   Mark McCarter | mmccarter@al.com By Mark McCarter | mmccarter@al.com    
   Email the author | Follow on Twitter    
   on April 05, 2015 at 12:51 PM, updated April 05, 2015 at 12:52 PM   
   View/Post Comments   
   alz logo.jpg   
      
       
   More than 45 percent of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease are not told   
   of the diagnosis by their doctor, nor are their caregivers.   
      
   Let me stop a second and let you to try wrap your head around that one.   
      
   Nearly half of the people who are diagnosed with the sixth-most deadly disease   
   in the United States aren't told they have Alzheimer's or a dementia.   
      
   That, according to the 2015 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report,   
   released recently in conjunction with the Alzheimer's Association annual   
   advocates' meeting in Washington.   
      
   AL.COM OPINION   
   About the writer   
   Mark McCarter began working with The Huntsville Times in 1998 and writes   
   columns on local news for the Alabama Media Group. He frequently writes on   
   Alzheimer's disease and dementia and the journey his family has faced with   
   that disease. Let us know what    
   you think by leaving a comment below or reach Mark at mmccarter@al.com.   
   Read more   
   * Mark McCarter   
   More opinion on AL.com   
   By contrast, says the report, 90 percent of those diagnosed with the four   
   major types of cancer are informed of the prognosis.   
      
   We're not talking a misdiagnosis here.   
      
   We're talking malpractice at the worst, incompetence and indifference at the   
   least.   
      
   "Unfortunately, I am not surprised by these numbers," said Brandi Medina,   
   director of programs and education for the Alzheimer's Association in   
   Huntsville. "I have people call us at the Alzheimer's Association every day   
   with concerns about themselves and    
   loved ones but with no diagnosis."   
      
   Ironically, she says some patients have been prescribed drugs that treat the   
   symptoms of dementia, but the doctors don't give tell them why.   
      
   "Those diagnosed with Alzheimer's have a great need for information on the   
   disease, what to expect and what resources are available," Medina said. "It is   
   imperative patients are receiving this education and support from their   
   physicians."   
      
   To that end, as part of an outreach program to health care providers, the   
   local association office is sponsoring a physicians conference on May 15 from   
   2 p.m. until 4:30 at Hampton Cove Golf Course. A golf tournament will held   
   that morning prior to the    
   conference and there is no charge for the tournament or program for qualified   
   health care professionals.   
      
   Dr. Keith Fargo, the director of science operations and outreach for the   
   national Alzheimer's Association, and Dr. Bob Zylstra, the director of   
   behavioral medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in   
   Chattanooga, will be the keynote    
   speakers.   
      
   It's an important awareness issue for health care professionals in this state.   
   Some 12 percent of seniors in Alabama have a form of dementia. There are   
   87,000 Alabamians living with the disease; with life expectancies rising, that   
   number is expected to    
   be 110,000 by 2025 unless treatment is discovered.   
      
   It's not easy news to share, and there "are various reasons," acknowledged Jim   
   Ward, the CEO of the Mid South chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.   
      
   It's partly because of the stigma and discomfort some people still have with   
   mental health issues compared with other health issues. And because there is   
   not a cure - scientists continue to make inroads for treatment and toward a   
   cure but - there is the    
   sense of pronouncing a death sentence to the patient and their family.   
      
   My late mother died more than three years ago after suffering from Alzheimer's.   
      
   She never received a diagnosis from her long-time personal care physician,   
   though I'm not sure he could tell athlete's foot from appendicitis, much less   
   Alzheimer's. He simply ordered his nurse practitioner to call me a couple of   
   times to say, "Your mom    
   is slipping a little bit."   
      
   After consultation with the Alzheimer's Association, we were fortunate to find   
   a capable specialist who confirmed our fears.   
      
   Through our family's journey with her illness, I've written frequently about   
   the disease. And through that -- in the interest of full disclosure -- I was   
   honored to be asked to join the Mid South Chapter board of directors.   
      
   We were told of the 45-percent stat at a meeting last Saturday. And for   
   whatever the reasons might be for the lack of full disclosure, I agree with   
   what Ward told us.   
      
   "It's an insulting thing."   
      
   It's 55 percent who are negligent - and that's 100 percent wrong.    
      
      
      
      
   http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/04/many_doctors_derelict_in_dutie.html   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)