MRI etc testing: Is testing for dementia necessary?

Posted by salli4 @salli4, Nov 23 11:40pm

My husband has not had a MRI but has been diagnosed with dementia. He is 87 years old and has had this for approx 8-10 years. Diagnosed in the past 3 years. I am beside myself whether or not to have this done. I have more people than not tell me there’s no need to go thru the testing at his age. Any input would be appreciated 🙂

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Caregivers: Dementia Support Group.

royce | @royce | Nov 24 6:09am

It all depends on your husband's attitude and overall health in my opinion.

labrown | @labrown | Nov 24 6:28am

If you don’t know what you should do, talk it over with his doctor. He will tell you if he feels it would be helpful or not at this point.

longboat1 | @longboat1 | Nov 25 11:41am

There are various kinds of dementia. Some are more "treatable" than others. An MRI is not a risky procedure. There are "open" MRI's where the person is not in a restricted environment during the procedure.

salli4 | @salli4 | Nov 25 12:22pm

Yes for sure! Thank you for input🙂

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | 1 day ago

In reply to @salli4 "Yes for sure! Thank you for input🙂" + (show)

@salli4, hi. I moved your question to the Caregivers: Dementia group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/caregivers-dementia/
You may wish to follow the group to connect with other people caring for someone living with dementia

You may find this discussion helpful

- Discussion
What is the benefit of a Neuropsychological testing?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-is-the-benefit-of-a-neuropsychological-testing/

ocdogmom | @ocdogmom | 20 hours ago

When considering any kind of testing, I try to always consider the risks and benefits of the knowledge gained from the test. The next question for me would be what, if anything, would be done with the information gained? Would it change the patient's course of treatment? If not, then I would pass as a person with dementia might not be able to grasp the purpose of the MRI and the requirements for staying still during the exam.