Memory Care & Brain Conditions

Changes occurring as our bodies age may lead to a wide range of health conditions that affect memory, brain cells (neurons), nerves and many other aspects of life. Known as neurodegenerative diseases, these conditions involve progressive and irreversible loss of neurons and brain function. Such disorders often lead to memory impairment and loss of physical function, as well as overall reduced quality and length of life.

Experts in Memory Care & Brain Conditions

At OU Health, you can take advantage of specially trained physicians and researchers who collaborate to better understand the effects of aging on the brain. Their scientific discoveries emphasize the value of early intervention for memory care and brain conditions that can affect healthy aging. Supported by these research results, you and your loved ones may benefit from early diagnosis, which can help slow disease progression, along with compassionate care that leads to better management of your specific condition.

Memory Care at OU Health

Every now and then in the midst of a busy life, we all experience the loss of a memory – I can’t find my keys; did I close the garage door; what’s this person’s name? Even when such pauses irritate you, they don’t stop you from getting on with day-to-day tasks and the routines of your life.

Memory Care – Early Diagnosis

But if forgetfulness becomes more frequent, you may want medical advice. Because memory loss and other symptoms often signal the beginning of an irreversible disease, early diagnosis holds the key to successful treatment that can slow its progression. Choose OU Health to get the comprehensive diagnosis, treatment and care management that supports the best possible quality of life.

Early Warning Signs & Symptoms

Talk with your doctor about diseases related to memory if you experience any of these early warning signs or symptoms:

• Misplacing things often and in unusual spots or being unable to find them
• Trouble having a conversation or recalling common words
• Repeatedly asking the same question
• Getting lost in familiar settings
• Losing track of the date or time of year

You also can contact OU Health, where you’ll work with a neurologist, who specializes in early diagnosis and treatment of various types of dementia, including:

• Vascular dementia
• Frontotemporal dementia
• Lewy body dementia
• Alzheimer's

Comprehensive Assessment for Accurate Diagnosis

For an accurate diagnosis through Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, you or your loved one will participate in a comprehensive assessment that includes:

• Medical history – Questions about your and your family’s health history
• Physical exam – Measurements of blood pressure and other vital signs
• Neurological tests – Assessments of balance, reflexes, sensory responses, cognitive function (thinking) and more; may involve lab tests, brain scans, psychiatric evaluation, genetic tests

Because Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, rarely occurs alone, you or your loved one may receive a diagnosis of mixed dementia, the combination of two or more types of dementia.

Memory Care – Comprehensive Management

If you or a loved one receive a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, taking an all-inclusive approach to care and treatment can boost your sense of empowerment and reduce feelings of fear or hopelessness. With comprehensive management through Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, you or your loved one benefit from:

• Greater engagement in the overall process
• Fewer unwanted or dramatic incidents
• Less need for urgent medical treatment
• Options for using hospice in a setting of your choice
• More opportunities to plan advanced care

At Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, you’ll work with our resident geriatrician, who specializes in management and treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Comprehensive management includes:

• Conversations about your goals for care
• Identifying advanced care preferences
• Enrollment in hospice
• Using Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
• Geriatrician-directed coordination of all aspects of the disease and your care
• Taking an “assess and restore” approach to care, including a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), the gold standard in best practice for managing frailty in older adults

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), a multidisciplinary diagnostic and intervention process, involves systematic evaluation across many health areas and medical specialties. The process identifies treatable health-related problems and develops a coordinated plan of care that helps maximize your overall health while aging. You benefit from:

• Developing goals for your health
• Greater feeling of direction about your care
• Improved peace of mind

Steps to Manage Dementia Care

1. Find a geriatrician
2. Determine goals for your care
3. Work with your geriatrician to identify appropriate therapies
4. Address the need for hospice care or nursing home care
5. Designate your preferences for advance directives and advanced care

Neurodegenerative Diseases

Choose Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging to help address your concerns about brain function, loss of neurons and physical health related to conditions such as:

• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease
• Batten disease
• Huntington disease
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Parkinson disease
• Prion diseases
• Spinal muscular atrophy

You or your loved ones will work with physicians, scientists, researchers and specialists in the diseases of aging to develop a comprehensive plan for care and management of your specific condition. You also may qualify to participate in clinical trials at OU Health that contribute to the growing body of knowledge in support of healthy aging.

National Dementia Care Resources

Sign up for email newsletters highlighting developments in research and care for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias from national sources such as:

• National Institute on Aging (NIA) – NIA Email Alert Subscription page
• Alzheimers.gov, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); scroll to footer for email subscription link

National Funding Support for Oklahoma

Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging is funded in part by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health.