Alzheimer's and Dementia Care (Memory Care)

Memory Care at Lee Health

Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior, interfering with daily tasks over time.

If you or someone you love have been diagnosed with dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease, you'll be in good hands with Lee Health's Memory Care Program.

We interact with patients very early in the disease progression, when impairment is typically mild. Working together with a patient’s primary care physician, our Memory Care program ensures proper diagnosis and provides evaluations, treatment and family counseling.

We support both you and your family in managing Alzheimer's disease to help delay the onset of debilitating conditions that could lessen your independence.

Complete Memory & Cognition Evaluation

When assessing memory loss, it is critical to have a complete evaluation to rule out any treatable conditions. A variety of manageable conditions—including stroke, vascular disease, toxins, nutritional deficiencies, infections and depression—can affect memory and cognition.

These conditions vary from Alzheimer’s disease, which has symptoms that can be managed, but has no cure. A thorough evaluation by the Memory Care team of specialists—which includes geriatric providers and a neuropsychologist—can determine if dementia is a factor in behavioral issues

Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed locally through our Memory Care program—a state of Florida-funded Memory Disorder Clinic. Memory Care utilizes a team approach to diagnosing memory impairment in the geriatric population of Southwest Florida.

The recommended standard evaluation includes:

Medical, social and family history
Physical examination
Blood tests
Neurological diagnosis (may require MRI, CT or PET scan)
Neuropsychological testing
Psychosocial assessment and planning
Possible medication treatments

Understanding Alzheimer’s

It’s increasingly common as we age. “By the time someone reaches 85 or older, the rate of Alzheimer’s is probably about 33%,” said Lee Health Clinical Neuropsychologist Michael Shain.

Memory loss is probably the earliest sign that something isn’t right. “They may repeat information that they shared moments earlier. They might ask questions about something that was told them recently. They may have problems finding their way around places that they’re normally familiar with,” said Shain.

Alzheimer’s slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. If it progresses to severe levels, “As the dementia or Alzheimer’s progresses, you start to have increased difficulty with other areas of functioning, such as motor skills, such as being able to do very basic activities of daily living,” said Shain.

While dementia is a general term for cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s is a specific disease. “All Alzheimer’s disease is dementia, but not all dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.” Shain said there are things you can do to help with your cognitive functioning. “Increasing their physical activity, paying attention to their diet, especially with eating a whole food plant-based diet and thirdly, to increase their challenging mental activity.”

Lee health Memory Care offers a neuropsychological exam that can help diagnose cognitive issues. Depending on the nature of the problem, some treatment is available.

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Alzheimer's Treatment

After diagnosis, treatment also involves a team approach. Once a plan of care is established and discussed with the patient and his or her caregiver, the Memory Care team sends results to the patient’s primary care physician and any other specialists on the patient’s care team. This ensures coordinated, efficient and effective care.

Our Memory Care team also provides patients and caregivers appropriate community resources and assists in aligning services specific to each patient’s situation.

CT Scan

A series of X-rays that can be used to visualize nearly all parts of the body in 3-D is known as a CT scan.

Electroencephalogram

The procedure is performed by a specially trained EEG technologist to measure brain activity, and neurologists utilize the results to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of a possible neurological disorder.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Radiologists and oncologists often use advanced MRI technology to obtain visual detail of your body to help detect many conditions.

Neuropsychological Tests

These tests can acquire information about a patient's cognitive, motor, behavioral, linguistic and executive functioning and lead to the diagnosis of a cognitive deficit.

Call us today to find out more information about your treatment options, to schedule a consultation or to make an appointment. Our phone number is 239-343-9220.

Contact Alzheimer's & Memory Care Specialists Today

LPG Memory Care

12600 Creekside Ln, Suite 7 Fort Myers, FL 33919

Fax: (239) 343-9231

Get Directions

Phone number (239) 343-9220

ALZ STARS Program

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Alzheimer's Association have partnered to create the ALZ STARS program in partnership with LPG Memory Care, Lee County DCCI, and the Area Agency on Aging for SWFL.

The 45-minute video is a collaborative initiative to bring increased awareness of dementia and the resources available to support Floridians. Successful completion of this video will provide you with the following:

Discover the 10 warning signs.
Learn the steps to receive an accurate diagnosis.
Learn tips to connect with someone you suspect may have cognitive impairment.
Learn about the Area Agencies on Aging and their Aging Disability Resource Centers.
Learn about the Dementia Care and Cure Initiative.
Learn about the Memory Disorder Clinics in Florida.

To become an ALZ Star, please follow this link and select your local region: https://alzprogramsanytime.org/alz-stars/