DEAR MARY: At one of your seminars you mentioned a test for Alzheimer's disease that can be done when all other tests have been exhausted. I am in need of that information for my mother. She lives in Charles County and is being released from a nursing and rehabilitation facility very soon. It is obvious she has dementia and I need to know how to have her evaluated. What tests should I request for her?

DEAR READER: The test I mentioned was the PET scan. It is the most precise diagnostic tool available, but still not 100 percent accurate.

Your mother should be evaluated by a neurologist skilled in diagnosing dementia

She needs a thorough neurological work-up that includes personal and family history, cognitive testing, a CAT scan of the brain and blood work to rule out any medical cause of her symptoms.