The Center for Memory & Behavioral Disorders at LifeBridge Health opens its doors on the campus of Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital on Tuesday, October 2 to provide comprehensive initial evaluation services to people with dementia and behavioral disorders.
The most unique aspect of the center is that during a single visit in a single location it will offer comprehensive evaluation services provided by four specialists that would normally require numerous doctors' appointments on different days at different offices.
"At the end of the half-day evaluation, the staff at the Center for Memory & Behavioral Disorders will provide patients and their family with a report that includes a probable diagnosis, a plan for additional testing, if necessary, and a recommendation for initial treatment and follow-up," explains Michael A. Williams, M.D., medical director of The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute and a specialist in dementia.
To make this coordinated effort successful, the health care team of neurologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric clinical nurse specialists and certified registered nurse practitioners will assess each person's neurologic condition, cognitive functions and behavior so that they can recommend any appropriate testing or therapies.
"Family members are a big part of our process because their observations, input and care are invaluable to the well-being of their loved ones," notes Jeffrey Lafferman, M.D., director of Psychiatry at Levindale. "They are often the ones who first notice that something is wrong and want to know whether an elder is just having a bad day or showing signs of behavioral health issues."
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