Understanding Dementia: a primer of diagnosis Diagnosis
The process by which a physician determines what disease a patient has by studying the patient’s symptoms and medical history and by analyzing any tests performed (blood, urine, brain scans, etc.). and management (2001- Pottersfield Press Ltd. ISBN1-895900-15-8) provides a step by step approach to those presenting with a complaint of impaired memory Memory
The ability to process information that requires attention, storage, and retrieval.. Anchored around five questions (is the memory complaint a memory problem? If so what type of memory problem? What is the cause? How can it be treated? How do we follow up?), the book's text, figures and cases provide a pragmatic guide for patient interactions that can be structured over one to five visits.

The authors, Kenneth Rockwood, MD, MPA, FRCPC and Chris MacKnight, MD, MSc, FRCPC, are members of the Department of Medicine at Dalhousie University, and practicing geriatricians at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. They have lectured and published extensively on various aspects of the diagnosis and management of dementia.

Although the initial audience targeted for this text was physicians, excerpts from this primer are included in our website as much of the information is useful for persons interested in dementia whether they are a caregiver, a person with dementia or other health and support service providers.