"Outpatient assessment at the Bennion centre."

Approaching 65, my wife asked me to visit my GP to see if I had memory problems as in some cases early treatment can prevent further damage. An MRI scan revealed nothing unusual and my GP’s tests –what city are we in -etc. were too simplistic so he arranged an appointment at the Bennion centre -one of several I attended. My psychiatrist arranged a PET scan -designed to show blood flow through the brain –and supplemented this some weeks later with very comprehensive psychology tests of what I could do, the purpose being to provide a diagnosis and to assess future progress of any disease. Brain damage at birth has left me likely to get lost wherever I go –easily remedied with a satnav –so some aspects of spatial-visual testing were minimal –as I really can’t get any worse! A lot of thought went into the testing which attempted to differentiate between birth damage and disease –and carefully avoided humiliation! The combined results unfortunately did show a problem and I will be reassessed in a year to see how if at all it progresses, but I can now take an informed decision on pensions, moving house etc. and may be able to contribute to clinical trials. In the mean time, I have declared myself incapable of washing up or cooking! Thanks to the assessment staff.