For families facing Alzheimer's disease, getting answers early can make a real difference. New tests can help doctors find the disease sooner. And new treatments can slow it down for some patients in the early stages.

How Do Doctors Diagnose Alzheimer's Earlier Now?

Changes in the brain from Alzheimer's disease can start years before someone notices memory loss. Doctors now have tools that can catch these changes early:

• Blood tests can check for proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease.
• Spinal fluid tests look for the same warning signs.
• Amyloid PET scans take pictures of the brain to spot a protein called amyloid, along with another protein called tau. Both build up in the brain years before memory loss becomes serious.

These tests are especially useful for people with mild memory changes because they can help doctors tell Alzheimer's apart from other conditions that cause similar symptoms. They also help doctors find out which patients may benefit from new treatments.

An early checkup can also find other causes of memory problems so they can be treated, like sleep apnea, depression, medication side effects, thyroid problems, and low vitamin levels.

Ultimately, an early diagnosis gives families more time to plan, make healthy changes, and prepare for the future.

What Are the Early Signs of Alzheimer's Disease?

It's normal to forget things once in a while as you get older. But memory changes that get in the way of everyday life are not something to ignore.

Signs that you may need a doctor's evaluation include:

• Repeatedly asking the same questions
• Getting lost in places you know well
• Trouble managing medications or money
• Difficulty following conversations
• Changes in judgment, behavior or personality

"Family members are often the first to notice these changes," says Dr. Ruiz. "An early evaluation helps us figure out what's causing them and find the right care."

Can New Treatments Slow Alzheimer's Disease?

For some people with early Alzheimer's disease, the answer is yes.

Anti-amyloid infusion therapies are medicines given through an IV that remove amyloid (the abnormal protein that builds up in the brain early in the disease). These medicines are not a cure. But in carefully chosen patients, they can slow the disease down and help people stay independent longer.

What is the Memory Disorders Program at Memorial Healthcare System?

Memorial Healthcare System's Memory Disorders Program cares for patients from the very first signs of memory change through advanced dementia. A full evaluation may include:

• Cognitive testing
• Brain MRI
• Blood biomarker testing
• Amyloid PET imaging, when needed

Patients who qualify can also receive anti-amyloid infusion therapy, with close MRI monitoring to keep them safe.

Care doesn't stop with the patient. Memorial also connects caregivers with education, support groups, social services, and other resources across Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

What's Next for Alzheimer's Treatment?

Researchers are studying new treatments that target amyloid, tau, and brain inflammation, along with other processes involved in Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Ruiz believes the future may bring personalized treatment plans built around each patient's own biomarkers and stage of disease.

"The future gives me tremendous hope because today's treatments are only the beginning."