I’ve talked a lot about going to the right Dr. if you suspect your loved one has Alzheimer’s but what’s that Dr. going to do?  Before we go any further the 100% sure way to know if you’re dealing with Alzheimer’s is by an examination of brain tissue which is usually done by an autopsy. So barring that from the process you can expect your loved ones specialist to do a comprehensive evaluation which would include information from you about their behaviors and that’s why I would recommend that you keep an actual written log throughout your entire care giving process. They’ll need their complete medical history, perform a physical, neurological and mental status exam. They’ll check blood, urine, do an EKG and even do chest X-Rays. They may also do a cat scan, an EEG and more than likely do a psych workup and some neuropsychological testing. It’s a pretty comprehensive process and it should be. Dementia is a symptom of something else that takes away their ability to think, remember and reason. It’s in everyones best interest to try and understand the cause.