Dr. Tariot introduces himself and shares what Alzheimer's disease is.
Dr. Tariot:
I am Dr. Pierre Tariot; it’s a French name, pronounced a little bit like Lake Ontario. I am board-certified in internal medicine and geriatric psychiatry, and I am one of a smallish group of professionals across the country who specialize in the care and study of illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease, and believe it or not, I enjoy it because we feel that we can offer so much in every case. I feel that there’s always help, and there’s almost always hope.
I am the Director of the Memory Disorder Center at the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and a Research Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of what we call dementia. Dementia is a term describing progressive loss of memory and thinking ability resulting in the loss of ability to care for oneself on a daily basis, usually also resulting in eventually change in emotions of personality and then later on change in neurological status.
So, everybody with Alzheimer’s disease has dementia, but not everybody with dementia has Alzheimer’s disease. Saying dementia is kind of like saying cancer; it doesn’t tell you which one. So this would be dementia of the Alzheimer type is how we would phrase it.
About Dr. Tariot:
Dr. Pierre Tariot is board-certified in internal medicine and geriatric psychiatry at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute. He has devoted his career to helping thousands of patients and families cope with dementia. He is also a world leader in the development of new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of memory loss.
View Dr. Tariot Videos:
https://www.empowher.com/users/dr-pierre-tariot
Visit Dr. Tariot at the Banner Alzheimer's Institute