[georgia_1234567890]

I think an elderly client of mine might have dementia, but she may just be depressed.Is there a medical test I could administer to give me a likely diagnosis?

[Marie]

With all due respect to the previous poster, I would not take Wikipedia as an authoritative source for anything.Dementia is a symptom of a number of disorders, one of which is depression. So the distinction you are trying to make is whether her (potential) dementia is due to depression or to another cause.Your client would need to see a doctor, because there are a number of medical and potentially reversible causes of dementia apart from depression, including certain types of anemia and hypothyroidism, which are sometimes very insidious in the elderly. Other causes might include occult (subclinical) UTI, renal or liver failure, occult cancers, or polypharmacy (too many prescribed medications). (The fact that I've had to take too many shelf exams induces me to include syphilis on this list, but don't mind me, it's just the Step 2 talking.)There are also numerous neurological disorders that cause dementia, of course, but again, the client would need to be seen by a doctor in order to diagnose them. That's the bottom line, anyway--there is no way that anyone except a trained medical professional should in any way attempt to diagnose or treat such a patient. It's not a simple process. There are some basic tests that we would give her, but I would not suggest that you try and use them--they need to be taken in conjunction with the rest of the medical picture. In any event, the important point is that dementia is the symptom and the real issue will be figuring out WHY she has it, if she does, and there's no simple lay test for that.You don't say what kind of client she is, but if you are concerned about her, suggesting that she see her physician would be a very good idea. If you are in contact with anyone else who is responsible for her (a child or guardian), I would let them know your concerns.Good luck, and I hope things improve for your client!

[Naughty]

These answers are about right, however the reversible form of dementia is delirium...it can last from 1hour to 30 days....dementia is irreversible...

[kim b]

Dont forget they are not mutually exclusive, she may have both dementia and depression. Both are very common in the geriatric population. It is good you are noticing the symptoms and are hopefully in a position to get her some help.