Emergency signs first. Call 911 now for sudden changes (signs of stroke):
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or trouble understanding speech
- Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side
- Sudden trouble seeing, or sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
- Note the time the signs started.
988 is the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: confidential, any hour, by call, text or chat, including when you are worried about someone else. This page cannot see or answer an emergency.
Bring this to the memory visit
The doctor sees a few minutes of a person. You have seen months. Turn what you noticed into one page the doctor can use.
Call the doctor’s office soon, rather than waiting for a routine visit, if
- Memory or confusion got clearly worse over days, not months
- The change started after a new medicine or a dose change
- Someone is unsafe now: getting lost, leaving the stove on, not eating
How this works, and what it cannot do
- It stays on this device. What you tick or type is kept in this browser only. Nothing is sent to us or anyone. Clear it with one button at the bottom.
- It is a list to talk from, not a diagnosis. No one reviews it. Your clinician decides what it means.
- About five minutes. Tick what fits, fill a few lines, pick three or four questions, then print it or save it as a text file.
Next stops
Practice the talk firstRehearse raising memory with Mom, or asking the doctor about testing. Scripted, on this device.Take the memory screenerEight questions on the homepage to sort normal forgetting from warning signs.Becoming the helper? familycaregive.comThe worried-child door: feel less alone, then a plan for tonight.Write down what matters: caregoals.comTap cards for care wishes, while the person can still say them.
Sources
- National Institute on Aging: Memory Problems, Forgetfulness, and Aging (checked 2026-09-29)
- Alzheimer’s Association: 10 Early Signs and Symptoms (checked 2026-09-29)
- CDC: Signs and Symptoms of Stroke (checked 2026-09-29)
- National Institute on Aging: How To Prepare for a Doctor’s Appointment (checked 2026-09-29)
- National Institute on Aging: Taking Someone to a Doctor’s Appointment (checked 2026-09-29)
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (checked 2026-09-29)