Are you a caregiver with a story to share? Please call Barbara at 310-362-8232.
Today Barbara is joined by Kimberly Cruelle, whose husband was diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer’s six years ago at the age of 47. She tells Barbara about the early signs, starting with memory loss that quickly became severe. They discuss the challenges of young onset Alzheimer’s – when the patient’s age makes it difficult to get the right tests approved, and how often it’s misdiagnosed as anything from sleep apnea to personality disorder to, in Kimberly’s husband’s case, untreated childhood ADHD. For a caregiver, advocating for certain tests and dealing with the repercussions of misdiagnoses and treatments takes up valuable time and energy – two things they can’t afford to waste.