Alzheimer's Care in Tampa

There’s no one test for dementia. Instead, to diagnose your condition, we’ll perform a few exams to rule out other conditions. We’ll be thorough, performing a combination of physical and mental tests to get a full picture of what’s causing your memory loss. These tests may include:

• Blood and Other Lab Tests
• Brain Scans, including CT Scan and MRI
• EEGs (Electroencephalogram), to Measure Brain Wave Activity
• Genetic Testing
• Physical and Neurological Exams
• Psychiatric Evaluations
• Verbal and Written Tests to Assess Memory, Cognitive, and Thinking Abilities

These aren’t like other medical tests, and there’s no right or wrong answer. Your results will simply help us understand your wellness needs so we can create the best care plan for you.

You may have noticed that the words “dementia” and “Alzheimer’s” are often used interchangeably. But they’re not the same. Dementia describes symptoms of memory loss and Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia. We’re here to shed light on dementia and memory loss, helping to arm you with knowledge. The different types of dementia we can help treat include:

• Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia, is degenerative, takes years to develop, and will eventually lead to the need for full-time assistance.
• Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is related to abnormalities in the tau protein and can lead to changes in your personality and behavior.
• Huntington’s disease is an inherited disease that causes the brain and spinal cord to degenerate. Symptoms include jerky movements and personality changes.
• Lewy body dementia is a common type of dementia caused by protein deposits in nerve cells that affect thinking, memory, and motor control.
• Vascular dementia occurs after a heart attack or stroke and leads to incontinence and depression.

Whatever the diagnosis, we’ll be there to provide clarity and guidance for you and your loved ones, explaining what’s to come with compassion and transparency.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms can impact your whole life and the lives of your loved ones. That’s why we take a whole-person, comprehensive approach to caring for you. We may prescribe medications to help slow memory loss and ease symptoms, connect you with therapists and counselors who can help improve your cognitive function, and work to treat the root of the problem if your dementia is caused by an underlying condition. We’ll also work to help make life easier at home, providing services to help manage daily life and encourage rehabilitative, satisfying activities.

Though in many cases dementia and Alzheimer’s can’t be prevented, a number of lifestyle changes have shown to help prevent symptoms and slow the progression of the diseases. Healthy diets, mentally active lives, managed blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and exercise have all shown to help delay or prevent dementia.

Like you, we hope for a day when there’s a cure for dementia and Alzheimer’s. As part of the AdventHealth network, you'll have access to a number of clinical trials that test innovative treatments. Our AdventHealth Neuroscience Institute in Tampa is a leading facility that frequently uncovers groundbreaking research and new therapies. Whether you or your loved one explores clinical trials or sticks to more traditional treatment methods, we’ll be there to support and guide you with a nurturing touch at every step.