A push for family input to detect dementia earlier (AP)

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Alexis McKenzie, executive director of The Methodist Home of the District of Columbia Forest Side, an Alzheimer's assisted-living facility, right, shares a light moment with resident Catherine Peake, in Washington, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. Dementia can sneak up on families because its sufferers are pretty adept at covering lapses early on, longer if their spouses are there to compensate. Doctors too frequently are fooled as well. Now specialists are pushing for the first National Alzheimer's Plan to help overcome this barrier to detection — urging what's called dementia-capable primary care, more screenings for warning signs, and regular checks of caregivers' own physical and mental health. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)AP – Alexis McKenzie’s mother had mild dementia, but things sounded OK when she phoned home: Dad was with her, finishing his wife’s sentences as they talked about puttering through the day and a drive to the store.

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