Cognitive Impairments

Expert Care for Problems With Brain Function

Cognitive impairments involve trouble with processes relating to thinking, reasoning or remembering. These processes affect a wide range of your brain’s functions, such as:

• Concentration and attention span
• Decision-making
• Emotions
• Information processing
• Intelligence
• Judgment
• Language
• Learning
• Memory
• Spatial perception (recognizing the physical location of yourself and objects around you)

We understand how challenging it can be to live with a cognitive impairment. Our team of experts at Baystate Health is here for you. We can help treat your symptoms and manage your condition so you can live as actively and independently as possible.

Common Causes of Cognitive Impairments

Cognitive impairments can result from several neurological conditions (disorders of the brain, spinal cord or nerves), including:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Diagnosis of Cognitive Impairments

Your primary care doctor or other healthcare provider may perform basic tests to determine whether you or your loved one could have a cognitive impairment. You may need a referral to us if you need more advanced testing, such as neurodiagnostic or neuropsychological.

Treating and Managing Cognitive Impairments

We’ll work with you or your loved one to create a customized treatment plan. If your cognitive impairment is the result of a brain injury, you’ll work with our physical medicine (physiatry) team for treatment and rehabilitation. If your cognitive impairment is due to a memory or movement disorder, you may work with the care team at the Baystate Memory Assessment and Care Clinic.

Your treatment plan may include medication therapy to help control symptoms. You may also benefit from rehabilitation, which may include:

• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Speech and language therapy