The Memory Center, in Englewood, is a medical clinic that utilizes state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic modalities to give our patients the best chance at maximizing their quality of life. However, what sets us apart from all other medical practices is our commitment and dedication to our patients. The Memory Center was born out of the founder’s personal family connection to an individual with memory impairment, so our aim is to treat each patient like family, and do everything in our power to help each individual we see. What follows are the stories of two patients who came to the Memory Center for care and guidance.
The first patient, a 74-year-old woman, presented to the Memory Center at the encouragement of a friend due to memory concerns. She had been misplacing things, forgetting names, dates and appointments, and had noted increasing anxiety. Her symptoms had progressed in the months before she came to our clinic. Our extensive workup revealed a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s dementia. Long discussions were held with the patient and her close friends, and eventually, we decided to pursue novel intravenous therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. The patient was started on Leqembi, a new treatment that directly targets amyloid plaque in the brain. Amyloid plaques build up in individuals with dementia, primarily affecting the parts of the brain that are involved with memory and cognitive processing. Regular follow-ups with the patient showed incredible improvements. Her mood, memory, sleep and appetite dramatically improved. Her anxiety essentially disappeared. Objective cognitive assessment tools showed astounding improvement from baseline testing.
The second patient, also a 74-year-old woman, initially presented to the Memory Center for memory and speech difficulties. Our comprehensive workup revealed a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s dementia. Unfortunately, her dementia was too far advanced for infusion therapy. After extensive discussions with the patient and her family, the decision was made to initiate Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). TMS utilizes electromagnetic pulses to “wake up” or “activate” specific areas of the brain that have been affected by dementia. After undergoing a fully customized treatment regimen of TMS, this patient showed remarkable clinical and quantifiable improvement. Both the patient and her husband felt that a proverbial cloud had been lifted from her. She felt more clear, more awake, more present and found a renewed vigor for life. Objective clinical assessments of cognitive function showed significant improvement from her baseline levels.
At the Memory Center, we disagree with the notion that dementia is a disease that has no hope. We do everything in our power to give our patients hopeful optimism. We utilize novel treatment modalities that we have seen firsthand show excellent results. Given that the Memory Center was cultivated from personal motivations, the staff truly empathize with patients, their families, friends and loved ones. TMS and infusion therapy are two of many potential options for those suffering from memory impairment. If you, a friend or a family member are suffering from some memory, speech or thought-processing problem, we urge you to visit MemoryCenter.Org, or call us at 201-947-477 for more information. Our sole goal is to help you and give you light when all else seems dark.
Dr. Jeff Shenfeld is the director of the Memory Center of Englewood.
