{"id":1350,"date":"2026-03-23T06:29:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T06:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/departments\/neurology\/memory-dementia\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T03:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T03:56:14","slug":"memory-dementia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/departments\/neurology\/memory-dementia\/","title":{"rendered":"Memory Concerns and Dementia Evaluation"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"op-section disease\" id=\"memory-dementia\">\n<header class=\"disease-header\">\n<div class=\"disease-kpi\">\n<div class=\"disease-kpi__item\">\n<div class=\"disease-kpi__label\">What we do<\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-kpi__value\">Evaluation of memory concerns and suspected dementia<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-kpi__item\">\n<div class=\"disease-kpi__label\">Purpose<\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-kpi__value\">Identify the cause of symptoms and determine appropriate next steps<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-kpi__item\">\n<div class=\"disease-kpi__label\">When to escalate<\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-kpi__value\">Referral for further testing or treatment when clinically indicated<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"disease-lead\">\n      We assess patients with <strong>memory concerns<\/strong>,<br \/>\n      including suspected <strong>mild cognitive impairment (MCI)<\/strong> or early-stage dementia.<br \/>\n      The aim is to determine the likely cause of symptoms and whether further evaluation or treatment should be considered.\n    <\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"disease-rows\">\n<div class=\"disease-row\">\n<div class=\"disease-row__h\">\n<h2>Symptoms we commonly see<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-row__b\">\n<div class=\"disease-callout\">\n<ul class=\"disease-bullets\">\n<li>Progressive forgetfulness or repeating the same questions<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty managing daily activities (finances, medication, appointments)<\/li>\n<li>Word-finding difficulty or problems following conversations<\/li>\n<li>Getting lost in familiar places or confusion about time<\/li>\n<li>Changes in judgment, behavior, or personality noticed by family members<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p class=\"disease-muted\">\n          Sudden-onset confusion or new neurological symptoms (such as weakness, speech difficulty, or severe headache)<br \/>\n          require urgent evaluation. In such cases, please contact the Emergency Department immediately.\n        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-row\">\n<div class=\"disease-row__h\">\n<h2>At your visit<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-row__b\">\n<p>\n          We review symptoms, medical history, and current medications, and perform a neurological examination.<br \/>\n          Cognitive screening may be used when appropriate, and prior imaging or test results are reviewed.<br \/>\n          The next step is determined based on clinical findings.\n        <\/p>\n<p class=\"disease-muted\">\n          Not all patients require advanced imaging or specialized testing.<br \/>\n          Testing is recommended only when clinically indicated.\n        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-row\">\n<div class=\"disease-row__h\">\n<h2>Diagnostic workup and Alzheimer&#8217;s-related testing<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-row__b\">\n<p>\n          Memory symptoms may have multiple causes, including Alzheimer&#8217;s disease, vascular changes,<br \/>\n          medication effects, sleep disorders, mood disorders, and other neurological conditions.<br \/>\n          Each case is assessed individually, and further testing is considered when appropriate.\n        <\/p>\n<p class=\"disease-muted\">\n          <strong>Amyloid PET<\/strong> is not used as a general screening test.<br \/>\n          It may be considered when clinically indicated, such as in suspected early Alzheimer&#8217;s disease.<br \/>\n          See <a href=\"\/en\/departments\/neurology\/alzheimers-testing\/\">Alzheimer&#8217;s-related testing<\/a> for details.\n        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-row\">\n<div class=\"disease-row__h\">\n<h2>Treatment planning and next steps<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-row__b\">\n<p>\n          After evaluation, we explain the likely diagnosis and outline a care plan.<br \/>\n          This may include medication management, follow-up, and coordination with family members.<br \/>\n          If further investigation or treatment is required, referral is arranged as appropriate.\n        <\/p>\n<p class=\"disease-muted\">\n          If findings are consistent with early Alzheimer&#8217;s disease and criteria are met,<br \/>\n          treatment options such as<br \/>\n          <a href=\"\/en\/departments\/neurology\/leqembi\/\">Lecanemab (Leqembi\u00ae) or Donanemab (Kisunla\u00ae)<\/a><br \/>\n          may be considered.\n        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-row\">\n<div class=\"disease-row__h\">\n<h2>Appointment<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"disease-row__b\">\n<p>Appointments are required in principle. A referral letter from another medical institution is recommended but not mandatory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"disease-muted\">\n          If you have prior records (MRI\/CT reports, referral letter, medication list), please bring them.<br \/>\n          It is also helpful if a family member can accompany the patient when possible.\n        <\/p>\n<p class=\"disease-muted\">\n          For appointment requests and language support, please see the<br \/>\n          <a href=\"\/en\/departments\/neurology\/#contact\">Neurology<\/a> page.\n        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"MedicalWebPage\",\n  \"@id\": \"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/departments\/neurology\/memory-dementia\/#medicalwebpage\",\n  \"name\": \"Memory concerns and dementia evaluation (Neurology)\",\n  \"description\": \"Specialist neurological evaluation for memory concerns, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and suspected dementia. The service focuses on clarifying possible causes, determining appropriate diagnostic workup, and planning follow-up care. Alzheimer's-related testing such as amyloid PET may be considered when clinically indicated.\",\n  \"inLanguage\": \"en\",\n  \"url\": \"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/departments\/neurology\/memory-dementia\/\",\n  \"about\": [\n    { \"@type\": \"MedicalSpecialty\", \"name\": \"Neurology\" },\n    { \"@type\": \"MedicalCondition\", \"name\": \"Mild cognitive impairment\" },\n    { \"@type\": \"MedicalCondition\", \"name\": \"Dementia\" },\n    { \"@type\": \"MedicalCondition\", \"name\": \"Alzheimer's disease\" }\n  ],\n  \"author\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n    \"name\": \"Kishiwada Tokushukai Hospital\",\n    \"url\": \"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/\",\n    \"telephone\": \"+81-72-445-9915\"\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What we do Evaluation of memory concerns and suspected dementia Purpose Identify the cause of symptoms and determine appropriate next steps When to escalate Referral for further testing or treatment when clinically indicated We assess patients with memory concerns, including suspected mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early-stage dementia. The aim is to determine the likely [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":677,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1350","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1350"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1367,"href":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1350\/revisions\/1367"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}