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Alzheimer's Disease & Memory Disorders
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder and the most common cause of dementia. Changes in the brain interfere with communication between nerve cells, gradually affecting memory, thinking, and behavior.
Memory changes are not always Alzheimer's, and a diagnosis is not something to face alone. MUSC Health provides evaluation, treatment, and support for adults with Alzheimer's disease and other memory disorders through the South Carolina Alzheimer's Network (SCAN).
Understanding Alzheimer's & Dementia
Dementia describes a decline in memory and thinking severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause, but it is not the only one.
Not all memory problems are caused by Alzheimer's. Medications, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid conditions, strokes, and other medical issues can also affect memory and thinking. Some of these causes are treatable, which is why a thorough evaluation matters. An early and accurate diagnosis gives patients and families the clearest picture of what is happening and the widest range of treatment options.
Conditions We Diagnose & Treat
Our experts diagnose and treat adults with a variety of memory disorders, including:
- Alzheimer’s Disease: A disorder that slowly changes how the brain works, leading to memory loss and challenges with everyday life.
- Vascular Dementia: A decline in thinking skills triggered by stroke or inadequate blood flow to the brain.
- Cognitive Impairment without Dementia: Slight decline in thinking skills that do not interfere with the ability to complete everyday tasks.
- Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB): Related to Parkinson’s disease, this form of dementia occurs when abnormal protein deposits, known as Lewy bodies, damage brain cells.
- Frontotemporal Dementia: A group of disorders caused by nerve cell loss in the front parts of the brain.
- Mixed Dementia: Having more than one type of memory disorder, such as Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
- Parkinson’s Disease Dementia: Changes in thinking brought on by Parkinson’s disease, a movement disorder.
- Huntington’s Disease: Changes to areas of the brain that control thinking, movement, and mood caused by an altered, inherited gene.
- Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A rare brain disorder that affects movement, thinking, vision, and speech.
Treatment Options
While there is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease, treatments can help manage symptoms and, in some cases, slow disease progression.
MUSC Health offers the latest anti-amyloid infusion therapies, including donanemab (Kisunla) and lecanemab (Leqembi). These medications are designed to target amyloid proteins in the brain and may slow cognitive decline in people diagnosed in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's.
Treatment plans may also include medications to support memory and thinking, lifestyle recommendations to promote brain health, and counseling and support resources for patients and caregivers. Patients and their families receive a personalized care plan with clear information about their diagnosis and available treatment options.
How MUSC Health Can Help
MUSC Health diagnoses and treats Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders through its neurology memory specialists. The South Carolina Alzheimer's Network (SCAN) connects doctors across the state to those specialists.
For most patients, care starts with their own primary care provider. Through SCAN, that provider submits an eConsult and receives specialist guidance on diagnosis and treatment within days, so patients get expert-informed care from the doctor they already know. Patients who need an in-person evaluation are scheduled with MUSC Health neurology in a SCAN Memory Treatment Center for a comprehensive workup, then most return to their referring provider for ongoing care, with SCAN co-managing alongside them.
For Healthcare Providers
An eConsult to SCAN is designed for rapid expert support, giving clinicians specialist-level input without waiting months for an appointment.
Resources & Support Groups
Resources
Alzheimer’s Association
843-571-2641
800-272-3900 (Helpline)
www.alz.org/sc
Hilarity for Charity (HFC)
www.wearehfc.org
Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD)
www.theaftd.org
Lewy Body Dementia Association
www.lbda.org
Family Caregiver Alliance
www.caregiver.org
Support Groups
Respite Care Charleston: This program offers adult day care, caregiver educational classes, early memory loss skills groups, and caregiver support groups in James Island, Johns Island, North Charleston, West Ashley, and Mount Pleasant.
843-647-7405
www.respitecarecharleston.org
The Ark of Summerville: This program offers adult day care, caregiver educational classes,
early memory loss skills groups, and caregiver support groups in Summerville.
843-471-1360
www.thearkofsc.org
Trident Area Agency on Aging: Provides referrals to local resources such as home care, meal delivery programs, adult day care, legal services, etc. This agency also offers
assessment for programs that provide grants and other financial assistance.
843-554-2275
www.tridentaaa.org
SC Department of Aging:
1-800-868-9095
https://aging.sc.gov/
Dementia Toolkit 2025
