Ask the Doctor 

Dr. Sherril Marie Rieux, MD, is a LA-based internal medicine specialist with over 36 years of experience in the medical field. Dr. Rieux is a 1988 graduate of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine and is affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center12, and with Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center34, but provides care and raises awareness about dementia at a variety of locations and through different programs.

Recently, Dr. Rieux took some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions for Alzheimer’s Digest about what she loves most about being in the medical profession, how to spot dementia at home and what she does to stay sharp at the workplace.

Q. What would you say is the most fulfilling part of working in the medical profession?

“I’d say the most fulfilling part is educating people on disease; whether it is acute or chronic, what type of disease is it, what is it NOT; what will be its progression, what lifestyle changes should occur? I enjoy all of it, really, but I especially enjoy speaking to groups where people can ask questions!”

Q. I know dementia and Alzheimer’s awareness is important to you, what are some of those first indicators that a patient may be presenting with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s?

“The first indicators I tend to look for and notice are those particular small changes in their environment or appearance. For instance, has the patient gone from well-dressed to not-so-well-dressed? Or on a home call, has their home gone from clean and tidy to not so organized? That may be the beginning of forgetting where things go. Another symptom that family members may perceive as “non interest” in doing the things that they’ve always loved, is actually the patient forgetting how to do that very thing.”

Q. If and when dementia is detected, what are some of the ways medical professionals can begin to test for dementia and/or Alzheimer’s? 

“We do something called a “mini-mental-exam”, which is a series of questions and mental exercises given to the patient.  A patient can score up to 25 points on the exam, but must score above 15 to be “normal”. Some of the exercises included are; spell the word “world” backwards, draw a clock or trace two rectangles. Each exercise illustrates varying parts of one’s cognitive function.”

Q. What is your advice to a patient and their family if dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is detected?

“I always ask my patients what they are doing to maintain their ‘circle of life’. As the newly diagnosed Alzheimer’s patient, are you doing what needs to be done to turn things over to your child/children? And adversely, what are your children doing to ensure that they know where things are and what needs to be done when the parent’s health begins to further wane? Those handovers between generations are a very important part of making sure the flipped process of the child taking care of the parent, is more streamlined.

Q. What do you do to self care to ensure you are not experiencing the common burnout experienced by many in the medical profession?

“I make sure I take off at least two days a week. I make sure I am taking a Sabbath for myself, which can actually be any day of the week, it doesn’t have to be on a Sunday. You have to take that time off for yourself in the medical profession. It’s not just going to open up for you, either, you have to put it on the calendar and really take it for yourself. It’s so important for your sanity, your emotional well-being, your heart health and your family relationships. You have to make setting aside that time a priority.”