Why I believe some clinicians struggle diagnosing dementia…….

This week I’m changing Gp practice. My daughters don’t like my Gp and I don’t like their chemist. I got on well on my own before they ‘tried to help’. I’d go on line, in my own time, re order my perscription, collect the perscription and then collect my tablets. This happened every 2 months – perfect. Then the chemist got involved. First he wanted to put my tablets in blister packs, which for some are very useful, but not when you take trial tablets and they insist on me taking Donezepil in the evening, which has never worked for me.
So then they suggested I let them order my perscription and for me simply to pop in and pick it up – no need for me to do anything but pick it up – sounded perfect so I agreed……..bad move…..
The first time I went in there was a problem finding it and then only one months supply – oh yes, I now have to go in every month. Then each month since there’s been so much hassle. It’s never there. I have to explain each time that it was their suggestion. I tell them where they can find it under the counter but they’ve never believed me and they go through the whole search process each time before finding it where I said in the first place……..very stressful.

So last time when it happened again, I decided I’d had enough of the stress and I’ll change practices.

I’m convinced some GPs have a problem with diagnosis and recognising dementia especially when they havn’t known the person for long and especially if their special interests lie elsewhere. Since moving, my new Gp never met me as I use to be. We often meet clinicians once things have started to change and sometimes later so my Gp has only met the person I am now. It’s very frustrating for us when clinicians don’t understand, especially Gps that may not have known us before dementia. I think this is why its such a problem with my Gp.
I think that’s why there’s so little understand of all the variety of dementias

We’re nowhere near having discovered all the different types of dementia. When you’re diagnosed with cancer you very clearly have a specific type. With dementia, diagnosis is often guess work and you’re slotted in where you fit in most with current findings. I was told Alzheimers then saw my notes saying Mixed dementia.
I think in 10 years time we will have many more diverse and accurate ways of picking up the subtleties of dementia. But to do this clinicians will have to keep up with the fast pace of discovery if they’re not to lag behind, which will throw up more challenges for people such as Gps unless they have a special interest.