My Thoughts on How This New Alzheimer's Blood Test Will Help Caregivers
hy I Am So Happy About This New Blood Test
I know firsthand that people wait, live in denial, and are afraid. I see adult children who are concerned, seeing all the signs of dementia, but their parent refuses to go to the doctor. Or when they do finally see their primary care physician, they're getting medications for dementia symptoms without proper diagnosis.
I see too many clients who are over-medicated—commonly prescribed trazodone to sleep at night, anti-anxiety medications, and antidepressants. They're treating symptoms without knowing what's really wrong.
Currently, this blood test requires seeing a neurologist, but in the future, primary care physicians will have access to this test. When that happens, it will help caregivers and family members find out what's happening with a simple visit to their primary care physician and a blood test. No more fighting to get someone to a specialist initially. Just routine blood work that can provide crucial answers.
I was in pharmaceutical sales years ago specializing in urology. When someone gets a PSA test at their primary care and there is a change, you go to a urologist. Simple. The Alzheimer's blood test will work exactly the same way once it becomes available to primary care doctors.
But Wait—Here's What Happens When You Get a Positive Test
Right now, you need to see a neurologist to get this blood test. If the blood test is positive, you'll continue working with that neurologist for clinical trials, new medications like Leqembi, and proper follow-up care including additional testing if needed.
Understanding that your loved one has Alzheimer's is critically important, and I could write a book about crisis situations that happen when families don't get proper diagnosis.
Let Me Share Three Stories About Clients Who Refused to See a Neurologist Until Something Happened:
I worked with a woman in her 70s living alone. Her family had been trying to get her to see a neurologist for months, but she refused. Her son took her keys away, but little did he know she had hidden a spare key. She took her Porsche out and was missing for 14 hours, found at 1 AM in a parking lot, lost and confused. Only then would she agree to see a specialist.
Another client's family had been begging him to see a neurologist, but he refused and was just being treated by his primary care doctor who prescribed Haldol. When his son was helping him shave, the father attacked him with the razor. That's when the family finally insisted on specialist care.
I had a 74-year-old client whose family couldn't get him to see a neurologist despite obvious memory issues. He was hospitalized for confusion, told he had Alzheimer's by the hospital, and discharged directly to memory care assisted living while on multiple medications. After two weeks, the nurse noticed he was lucid and suggested the family take him to a neurologist. The neurologist evaluated him, took him off many medications, and discovered his memory loss was actually a side effect of new medications his primary care doctor had prescribed. He moved back home.
Understanding This Blood Test in Simple Terms
The new FDA-approved blood test looks for specific proteins in your blood that are associated with Alzheimer's disease. Think of it like a cholesterol test or diabetes screening—it's checking for biological markers that indicate what's happening in your brain.
The test measures amyloid plaques and tau proteins, which are the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. When these proteins build up in the brain, they can be detected in the blood. It's like checking your blood sugar to see if you have diabetes, except this test is checking for signs of Alzheimer's.
What About Clinical Trials?
Clinical trials are research studies that test new treatments for diseases. If someone has early-stage Alzheimer's (confirmed by the blood test and neurologist evaluation), they may be eligible to participate in studies testing new medications or treatments.
These trials give people access to cutting-edge treatments that aren't yet available to the general public. They also contribute to research that will help future patients. Many of my clients who have participated in clinical trials have had positive experiences and felt hopeful about contributing to finding better treatments.
The Bottom Line for Caregivers
Currently, this blood test requires seeing a neurologist, which still means overcoming the resistance many families face. However, once this test becomes available to primary care physicians in the future, it will give caregivers what they've desperately needed: a simple way to get answers without the initial fight.
When that day comes, there will be no more begging someone to see a specialist for initial testing. No more months of uncertainty. Just a routine blood draw that can provide crucial information.
But remember—whether you get the test now through a neurologist or in the future through primary care, if the test is positive, you absolutely need ongoing neurologist care. The blood test is the doorway to proper care, not the end of the journey. Neurologists are the specialists who can provide comprehensive evaluation, access to new treatments, and proper ongoing care.
This breakthrough means fewer crisis situations, earlier intervention, and more time for families to plan and prepare. That's why I'm so excited about what this means for the families I work with every day.
What I Do
I am the owner of Family Choices for Dementia and help families understand care options and costs as the disease progresses, along with setting up home care and assisted living. I also provide consulting services on difficult decisions like how to take the keys away and when it's time for memory care.
My service for finding assisted living is no cost to the family, as I work with over 300 senior living communities that provide a referral fee, allowing me to offer this service at no cost for the family. But finding a community that is in good standing with proper culture, trained staff, and understanding of level of care is crucial—avoiding costly nursing home placement or requiring private aides on top of the monthly fee.
When it's time for assisted living, I help take the stress off families by researching communities and accompanying them on tours, then helping transition their loved ones. Having worked in the industry, I know people need to understand the levels of care and reputation of communities. I have helped hundreds of families throughout Massachusetts.
