Dementia and Memory Evaluation
Noticing changes in memory or thinking is unsettling, whether you are experiencing them yourself or watching someone you love struggle. A neuropsychological evaluation is the most thorough way to understand what is happening, why it is happening, and what to do next.
At Clary Clinic, memory and dementia evaluation is a core specialty. We see older adults, their families, and patients referred by physicians who need objective cognitive data to guide diagnosis and care planning.
Who This Evaluation Is For
Older adults who have noticed changes in their memory, word-finding, attention, or ability to manage everyday tasks, and want a clear picture of what is happening.
Adult children and family members who are concerned about a parent or loved one and need objective information to guide next steps, whether that means care planning, legal and financial decisions, or conversations with a physician.
Physicians and care providers who need comprehensive neuropsychological data to support a dementia diagnosis, differentiate between conditions, or establish a cognitive baseline for monitoring over time.
No referral is required. Families and individuals can contact us directly to schedule.
What the Evaluation Includes
A memory and dementia evaluation at Clary Clinic is comprehensive. Cognitive functioning is assessed across multiple domains so that the full picture is clear:
Memory and learning: how well new information is retained and recalled over time
Attention and processing speed: the ability to focus, track information, and respond efficiently
Language: word-finding, comprehension, and verbal expression
Executive functioning: planning, organization, judgment, and cognitive flexibility
Visuospatial skills: perception and spatial reasoning, which can be affected in certain types of dementia
Mood and behavioral assessment: depression and anxiety can significantly affect cognitive performance and are assessed alongside cognitive testing
Collateral input from a family member or caregiver is an important part of the evaluation and is always welcome.
A comprehensive written report follows, including diagnostic impressions, a profile of cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations for care, treatment, and follow-up.
Initial Evaluation and Ongoing Monitoring
For some patients, a single evaluation provides the diagnostic clarity needed to move forward. For others, monitoring cognitive status over time is valuable, particularly when tracking the progression of a condition, measuring the impact of treatment, or establishing a baseline for future comparison.
Clary Clinic offers both initial diagnostic evaluations and follow-up monitoring evaluations. If ongoing monitoring is appropriate for your situation, Dr. Lee will discuss that recommendation as part of the evaluation process.
A Note on Insurance
Clary Clinic accepts Medicare Part B, which covers neuropsychological evaluation services for eligible patients. For other insurers, we are out-of-network. Please call us to discuss your coverage before scheduling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a neuropsychological evaluation different from the memory screening my doctor did? Brief memory screenings, such as the MoCA or Mini-Mental State Exam, are useful tools but are designed to flag concerns rather than provide a detailed picture of cognitive functioning. A neuropsychological evaluation takes several hours and assesses memory, attention, language, and other cognitive domains in depth. The result is a much more precise understanding of what is and isn't affected, which matters for diagnosis and care planning.
Can you tell me whether my loved one has Alzheimer's disease? Neuropsychological evaluation can identify patterns of cognitive impairment that are consistent with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, and can differentiate between conditions that present similarly. A definitive Alzheimer's diagnosis involves medical workup beyond neuropsychological testing, and Dr. Lee will be clear about what the evaluation can and cannot determine.
What if the evaluation shows mild impairment rather than dementia? Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a real and important finding. The evaluation will characterize the nature and extent of any impairment, and the report will include recommendations for monitoring, lifestyle factors, and follow-up care.
My loved one is resistant to being evaluated. Any advice? This is common. Framing the evaluation as a routine checkup rather than a test they can fail sometimes helps. We are glad to talk with family members before scheduling to discuss how to approach the conversation.
Can the evaluation results be used for legal or financial planning purposes? Yes. Cognitive evaluation findings are frequently used to inform decisions regarding power of attorney, guardianship proceedings, and care planning. If legal documentation is a primary goal, please mention that when you call so we can make sure the evaluation and report address what is needed.
How long does the evaluation take? A full memory and dementia evaluation typically takes most of a day. We schedule one patient per day, so the process is unhurried. Reports are delivered within 4 weeks.
Ready to take the next step? Call us at [phone number] to speak with our clinic director. We are glad to answer questions before you schedule and to help you determine whether an evaluation is the right fit for your situation.
Memory and thinking can change for all kinds of reasons.
Let's figure out what's actually going on.
Whether it's you or someone you love, noticing changes in memory or thinking can be frightening. A neuropsychological evaluation can tell you what's happening and what comes next.
Memory Changes and Dementia
Memory changes are among the most frightening things a person can experience, whether you're the one noticing them in yourself or the family member watching someone you love struggle with something that used to come easily. The questions that come with memory concerns are often the hardest kind: Is this normal aging? Is this something serious? How do we know?
A neuropsychological evaluation doesn't just detect a problem. It measures precisely what's happening, distinguishes between causes that look similar from the outside, and gives you and your care team a clear, evidence-based foundation for what comes next.
Not all memory changes mean dementia
This is one of the most important things we can tell you: many of the conditions that cause memory difficulties are not dementia, and even among those that are, early and accurate identification changes the options available to you.
Memory and cognitive concerns can arise from many sources, including:
Normal aging, which affects processing speed and recall but not overall functioning
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) — a meaningful but not disabling change in cognition that may or may not progress
Depression and anxiety, which are among the most common and treatable causes of memory complaints in older adults
Sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, which significantly impair cognitive functioning and are frequently overlooked
Medication side effects — particularly in older adults managing multiple medications
Thyroid dysfunction and other metabolic conditions
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, including vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia
A neuropsychological evaluation is uniquely equipped to distinguish between these possibilities in ways that a brief cognitive screening, such as that done in a primary care office, simply cannot. Screening tools are valuable for detecting obvious impairment, but they miss subtle changes and provide no information about what type of impairment is present or what's causing it.
What a neuropsychological memory evaluation examines
We assess the full landscape of cognitive functioning, not just memory in isolation. This includes:
Multiple dimensions of memory, immediate recall, delayed recall, recognition, and how information is lost over time
Attention and concentration
Processing speed
Executive functioning, planning, reasoning, mental flexibility, and judgment
Language, word finding, comprehension, verbal fluency
Visuospatial skills
Mood and behavioral changes that accompany or mimic cognitive decline
The pattern of results across these domains, what's affected, what's preserved, and how they relate to each other, is what allows us to distinguish between conditions that can look similar on the surface. Alzheimer's disease, for example, produces a very different neuropsychological profile than frontotemporal dementia, vascular cognitive impairment, or depression with cognitive features. That distinction matters enormously for treatment, planning, and prognosis.
The value of baseline testing
One of the most underutilized tools in cognitive health is baseline neuropsychological testing, an evaluation conducted before any significant concerns are present, so that future testing can be compared against your own prior performance rather than population norms.
If you have a family history of dementia, have experienced a head injury or neurological event, or simply want to establish a cognitive baseline as you age, an evaluation at Clary Clinic can provide that foundation. Many patients tell us they wish they had done it sooner.
Serial evaluation: tracking change over time
When cognitive concerns are already present, repeated neuropsychological testing over time is one of the most powerful tools available for understanding what's happening. A single evaluation provides a snapshot. Serial evaluations, conducted at intervals of one to two years, reveal the trajectory: Is this stable? Is it progressing? Is treatment making a difference?
This longitudinal perspective is invaluable for families navigating decisions about care, safety, and planning, and for physicians making treatment decisions.
Supporting families, not just patients
Cognitive decline doesn't happen in isolation. It affects partners, adult children, and entire families who are trying to understand what they're seeing, what it means, and what to do about it. At Clary Clinic, our feedback sessions are designed to include family members when appropriate. We explain the evaluation's findings in plain language, answer questions honestly, and help families understand what the results mean for daily functioning, safety, and future planning.
We can also provide documentation to support care coordination, care planning, legal decision-making, or access to community services.
For referring providers
Neuropsychological evaluation is a critical component of dementia workup and differential diagnosis. We accept referrals from primary care physicians, neurologists, geriatricians, psychiatrists, and other providers, and provide comprehensive reports that integrate directly into your patients' care. We typically see patients within 30 days of referral, and our reports are written to be clinically useful, specific, actionable, and accessible to the full care team.
Medicare Part B is accepted. We are otherwise an out-of-network provider; patients with supplemental insurance may have partial coverage for out-of-network neuropsychological services.