Any advice on find a geriatric physician to evaluate dementia?

Talk to the MD privately. He's going to be more detailed with you, if you are level-headed and won't go to pieces on him.

What medications is she on? Some meds can cause the kind of behavior you're reporting. Are you up late with the TV on? Just thinking of alternate things that could be happening, other than dementia...

I found that the best place to get mom a neuropsych workup was a major rehab hospital. We found a geriatrics doctor who practised at mom's independent living/assisted living complex.

The regular doc told my mom she was fine for a couple decades when she was progressing through the stages of early to moderate dementia. Geriatric specialist and a neurology consult are probably necessary at this point. My mom was seeing animals with red eyes outside, men smoking outside her bedroom window, squirrels on the mantle, hearing guns and motors at night. Classic sundowning and dementia complaints. The brain can't process stimulation correctly anymore and turns it into "noise" or hallucinations.

Do whatever will work to get mom in the car. Do not tell her what for. At that point, it's no longer up to her to go or not go. You are now taking her. Just don't be obvious about where. When you get there, park, get out, and take her inside.

If she asks what's going on or where are we, just say you have to go inside and do some paperwork for insurance. (Well, you will.) Mom, have a seat right here for a minute. Now I need to wait to talk to someone about these papers I just did.

You will need to have given the office some concerns ahead of time, one of which is "mom is declining but can excuse away and cover it up." List the phatom noises and conversational difficulties. She may have had a stroke and not know it. Without a proper evaluation, nobody will know.

The way I found a wonderful geriatrician to be my husband's PCP was to ask one of his other doctors. His sleep psychiatrist did not personally know a geriatrician on our side of the river, but asked his colleagues. He got several recommendations for the same woman -- a doctor who had done an internship at their facility and was now practicing in our city. Perhaps your own doctor or another of Mom's doctors could provide you with a name.

The geriatrician became my husband's PCP, but his dementia was monitored and treated by a behavioral neurologist. The PCP was knowledgeable about the kind of dementia my husband had, and very willing and able to go along with the numerologist's treatment plan.

The right doctor can make the world of difference. Once you locate a doctor and make an appointment, follow sandwich42plus's suggestions and do whatever it takes to get Mom there. Also inform the doctor ahead of time about your specific concerns.

Personally I would find a neurologist first. After you go to that appointment then I would start working on a geriatric primary care doc. From my experience, the neurogist was the one that called all the shots with the dementia diagnosis and Meds were prescribed and stopped as the disease progressed and changed. Good luck on your journey.

One more suggestion: before going to the doctors appointment sit down and write out all of your concerns and moms behavior/seeing people in the house. After i had all my thoughts and concerns down make your list into a #1, #2 etc type of notes. I would take this to the primary you have now and to your neurologist appointment. Could add that mom sees no problems and primary thinks all ok and didn't want to discuss this in front of her. Make sure any doctor you go to that your mom gives them permission to speak to you on her behalf.