Dementia

Monday, December 15th, 2014

Dementia is a permanent loss of brain function that affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior. Dementia is not a disease, but rather, it is a group of symptoms that are caused by various diseases or conditions.

When dementia is caused by a series of small strokes it is known as multi-infarct dementia or vascular dementia. The symptoms of vascular dementia include: confusion; difficulty with attention and concentration; diminished ability to organize thoughts or actions, and to analyze a situation, develop an effective plan and communicate that plan to others; memory loss; unsteady gait; incontinence; and depression.

I represent a 54 year old financial operations consultant with progressive dementia, paresthesias, decreased strength and memory, antalgic gait, headaches and some orthopedic and vision problem as well. The treating cardiologist diagnosed the claimant with vascular dementia from cerebrovascular disease, which was verified by a brain MRI, CT scan, and EP study.

The Social Security Administration found the claimant was disabled today, and therefore, entitled to disability benefits. No hearing was required. A hearing was avoided because the hearing office staff had specified additional evidence that they felt was needed to make a decision, which was promptly supplied. It is vital that the hearing office personnel know that they can rely on your representative whenever it comes to any request for information.

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