Incorrect diagnoses can also cost elders their civil rights and lead to the misuse of Powers of Attorney, Guardianships and the financial exploitation of elders.
Misdiagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease Costs Man 3 Years – Boston.com
It can take a team to facilitate accurate diagnoses – Boston.com
Care providers, policy makers must work to fix system’s ills – Boston.com
In these two related letters, Boston experts explain that more than 60 illnesses mimic Alzheimer’s and some, when correctly diagnosed, are reversible. These experts emphasize the importance of an interdisciplinary team approach of experts from areas of neurology, psychiatry, neurophsychology, neuroradioloogy medicine and social work, to limit the possibility of incorrect diagnosis. Yet, courts in some states appoint guardianships and approve administration of antipsychotic drugs based on dementia diagnoses by such individuals as speech pathologists, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners or PCPs lacking special training in Geriatrics.