You’ve packed up the house and moved with as little disturbance to your loved one with Alzheimer’s as possible. You’re settling into your new home and all is well. Then, you realize that you will need a new doctor for the Alzheimer’s patient. Now what?

Ideally, you should prepare for the first visit to the new geriatric doctor well before you move. Begin by visiting the current doctor and getting a final checkup. Explain that you are moving and ask for your loved one’s medical records. Be sure that you have enough of all medications for several weeks.

You may want to check to see if the current doctor can recommend a doctor that specializes in geriatric medicine in your new neighborhood. However, chances are he or she will have no idea who to recommend. In this case, you may need to do a little research. A few places to start are
- Geriatric Mental Health Foundation - Members of this foundation are psychiatrists who specialize in geriatric mental issues, such as dementia.
- Administration on Aging - This is a list of state agencies that help with elder care. Most of these agencies have a list of doctors who specialize in geriatric medicine in their states.

Now, make an appointment with the doctor the Alzheimer’s patient will be seeing to be sure you both like his or her bedside manner and treatment methods. This also helps your loved one begin to be familiar with the new doctor and the new office. If the doctor just doesn’t seem to be right, you’ll have time to find another doctor before actual medical attention is needed.

Posted by on 10.09.2007 • Caregiver Support