Overview
Bring these items with you. Anything you can prepare in advance gives the clinician more time for evaluation and explanation.
Documents
- Photo ID and insurance cards
- Complete medication list, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements
- Prior cognitive testing results
- Imaging reports and CDs
- Recent laboratory results
- Names and contact information for other physicians
Written information
- Timeline of changes with specific examples
- Description of a typical day
- List of daily tasks that now need help
- Sleep, mood, and appetite changes
- Falls, hospitalizations, or head injuries
- Alcohol use
People and logistics
- A family member who can describe daily function
- Hearing aids and eyeglasses
- A notebook or someone to take notes
- Advance directives or power of attorney documents if they exist
Questions to ask
- What is the diagnosis, and how certain is it?
- What testing comes next?
- What treatment options apply?
- What should we plan for this year?
- What changes should prompt a call?
Medically reviewed. Last reviewed August 2026. This page is educational information, not individualized medical advice.