MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — Tucked in the heart of the United Community Center is the Memory Clinic, the first of its kind in the state of Wisconsin to offer diagnostic services in both English and Spanish.
Lina Maria Lopez Posada noticed her mother Amparo's personality started to change last year.
"She would sleep all day, she would be sad or cry at the drop of a hat. After a while, I knew we had to do something,” said Lopez Posada. "I told her, 'You could have a problem and it could get worse.' If we need to get you medication, we will and I'll support you, no matter what. But let's explore every option and that's when we learned about the memory clinic."
Ana Bernal knows how important it is to have the right advocate.
"The earlier you diagnose, the earlier you can treat and the earlier you can better their quality of life,” said Bernal.
As a registered nurse, Ana has seen countless people try to navigate the difficulty of realizing someone's memory is beginning to change.
"There's really no emphasis on what Alzheimer's is, memory impairment, things like that. We just say, 'Oh, they forget things,' and as Latinos we're like, 'It's just a normal part of aging,” said Bernal.
The process at the Memory Clinic is simple.
Each client is given a free screening, with Ana taking them through a series of memory tests, gauging where they are on a cognitive level.
At the same time, their caretaker is meeting with a social worker who is working to learn as much as they can about the clients including their family, social and medical history.
"We're trying to get a full picture of a patient, not only from what we're observing, from what the caregiver is saying, but it's also what the caregiver feels and things like that, because everything is putting the pieces of the puzzle together,” said Bernal.
After her screening, Amparo was soon diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment due to depression and anxiety.
“When I took the test, I felt better that same day because I felt important. I knew I wasn't crazy. I felt like I mattered and I finally had the help I had been looking for," said Amparo.
Now, Amparo is doing better than ever.
Lina says she's back to her old self, running around the house with her grandkids and even performing on stage at last year's Mexican Fiesta.
While the road through aging with a loved one can be difficult, Ana says they hope anyone who may be struggling knows they can always find support.
"We don't care where you come from, what you do what you did, or do you have insurance, no insurance if you're undocumented, we have open doors. We serve anybody that needs that help,” said Bernal.
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