Early Signs of Alzheimer's in a Parent: What Brentwood and Franklin Families Can Do Now

By Dr. Justin Dearing, DC, DACNB, FIAMA, FAARM | The Dearing Clinic, Brentwood, TN

November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month. For many families in Brentwood, Franklin and the rest of Williamson County, awareness is not the problem. They already see the changes in a parent. What they need is a plan.

More adult children are bringing a parent to our clinic for this reason. They do not want to wait until memory loss is impossible to ignore. They want to protect their parent's good years while there is still time.

Key Points

• Early signs of Alzheimer's are easy to miss. Losing interest in hobbies, repeating stories and getting lost on familiar roads often show up years before a diagnosis.
• Each sign points to a part of the brain. Together, the signs form a pattern that can be measured.
• A diagnosis tells you what is wrong. A brain map shows what still works. qEEG brain mapping measures how each brain region is working right now.
• Memory loss is rarely caused by one thing. We look at four drivers: inflammation, low cellular energy, poor oxygen flow and brain rhythm.
• Our care works alongside your parent's neurologist. It does not replace their doctor or their medications.
• Starting early matters. Brain changes build for years before symptoms show. If dementia runs in your family, your 40s and 50s are the time to get a baseline.

Case One: A Father Who Slowly Stopped Being Himself

This case is a composite drawn from several patients we have seen over the last few years. Details have been blended and changed so no one can be identified. If parts of it sound like your mom or dad, that is the point. These patterns are far more common than most families realize.

He is a retired father in his late 70s. He still bowls on Monday nights and still works a couple of days a week. But over the past few years, his family has watched him slowly stop being himself.

The painting he loved sits unfinished. He stopped working on his cars. He does not cook anymore. Then smaller changes started to show up. Each one was easy to explain away on its own.

Early Signs of Alzheimer's: What the Family Noticed

Each change points to a specific part of the brain. Families often explain them away one at a time. Together, they form a pattern.

He lost interest in his hobbies. This is often the earliest sign. It is easy to mistake for grief, boredom or "just getting older." It often means the brain's planning and motivation networks are working less well.

He repeats stories and forgets recent talks. Short-term memory depends on the temporal lobes, the brain's filing system. When they slow down, new information stops sticking.

He got lost on roads he had driven for decades and mixed up left and right. Finding your way and knowing where your body is in space depend on the parietal lobe. Trouble here is one of the clearest early warning signs, and one families often miss.

He hesitates on stairs and had a fall he could not remember. Judging depth and planning each step use the same spatial skills. When they weaken, the risk of falling goes up.

What His Doctors Found

His family did exactly what they should have done. His primary care doctor sent him to a neurologist. The neurologist ran a full workup: brain imaging, spinal fluid testing and memory scoring. The diagnosis was mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease. That is an early stage, before full dementia.

The neurologist started a memory medication, told him to stop driving and set a follow-up visit six months out.

This workup mattered. It put a name and a number on what the family had watched for years. It also ruled out other causes that needed to be ruled out.

The medication raises acetylcholine, a chemical messenger the brain uses for memory. For some people it eases symptoms a little. It is a reasonable tool, but it does not change the course of the disease. On its own, the plan becomes managing decline and waiting to see how fast it moves.

A diagnosis and a score describe where someone is today. They do not tell you how to change where he is headed. That question is what brought this family to The Dearing Clinic.

What qEEG Brain Mapping Showed

At The Dearing Clinic, we start where the diagnosis leaves off. We ask how the brain is working right now. Which areas are struggling? Which are still strong?

We used qEEG brain mapping. It records the brain's electrical activity through sensors on the scalp. Then it compares the results to healthy adults the same age. We recorded him twice: once resting with his eyes closed, and once with his eyes open and alert.

His MRI had shown shrinking on the left side of his brain, in areas that handle direction and space. His brain map showed the same problem, but in how those areas were working.

His memory area was slow. The left temporal lobe holds names, conversations and what was just said. It was slow in both recordings. That fits his repeating stories.

His landmark area slowed more when it had work to do. The right temporal lobe recognizes faces, places and landmarks. It was a little slow at rest, then much slower once his eyes opened. That fits getting lost on the drive home.

His navigation hub was the quietest area in his brain. This area, in the back middle of the brain, turns landmarks into a route home. It ranked lowest of every area we measured. That fits getting lost on familiar roads.

His movement planning area lagged when he needed it. This area, near the top of the brain, plans steps and movements in order. It slowed right when he had to use it. That fits his hesitation on stairs.

His left parietal lobe barely switched on. This area tracks left, right and where the body is in space. It responded less than any other area when his eyes opened. That fits his trouble telling left from right.

One finding stands out. His landmark area got worse when it had work to do. That explains how a parent can seem fine in the doctor's office and still get lost on the way home. The problem grows under load.

What Was Still Working

There was good news too. His brain's main resting rhythm was still at a normal speed for his age. The right back side of his brain still switched on fully when his eyes opened. His family had also noticed he was sharper and more talkative when he was active and around people.

A diagnosis tells you what is wrong. A brain map shows you what still works. A brain that still responds can still learn. That ability is called neuroplasticity, and it is the window we work in.

Case Two: Can Cognitive Decline Improve, and Do the Gains Last?

Our second patient is younger, and his memory loss had a different cause. He is a former NFL lineman who took repeated hits to the head for more than 15 years. By his late 40s, his memory and thinking had slipped. He had been told he had early-onset dementia. He relied on pain medication to get through the day. His case is the subject of our published, peer-reviewed case reports.

Head injuries are not the same as Alzheimer's disease. But in both men, the brain was slowing down in ways we could measure. That is why we share his results here.

We took a step-by-step approach:

1. 2023: We treated his chronic neck and joint pain until he no longer needed pain medication.
2. 2024: We worked on his immune system, gut and brain together.
3. After treatment ended: We kept retesting to see if his gains would hold.

His care included functional neurology, regenerative injections and infusions, ozone IV therapy, NAD+ and other nutrient IVs, hyperbaric oxygen, exercise with oxygen (EWOT) and our gut-brain program. Every part was based on his test results. He did not receive neurofeedback.

His first brain map, in spring 2024, showed too much slow, sleep-like activity (called delta waves) in all 19 areas we measure.

Spring 2024 (before treatment): Slow, sleep-like activity was too high in all 19 areas. His overall brain map was outside the normal range. His resting rhythm was about 10 cycles per second.

Early 2025: Slow, sleep-like activity was down about 85%. His overall brain map was back in the normal range. His resting rhythm had risen to 10.6 to 10.7 cycles per second.

Late 2026 (about 2 years after treatment ended): Slow, sleep-like activity was still in the normal range. His overall brain map was still in the normal range. His resting rhythm had kept rising, to 11.1 to 11.7 cycles per second.

The biggest change was the drop in slow, sleep-like activity. His resting rhythm started in the normal range and kept getting faster, even after treatment stopped. A faster resting rhythm is linked with quicker thinking in adults [cite].

A few small areas are still worth watching. He is not cured. But his brain is working much closer to normal, and it has stayed there.

The Four Drivers of Cognitive Decline

Memory loss is rarely caused by one thing. In our experience, four drivers show up again and again:

1. Inflammation, much of it coming from an unhealthy gut
2. Low cellular energy, when brain cells cannot make fuel well
3. Poor oxygen and blood flow to brain tissue
4. Brain rhythm problems, when brain networks stop working in sync

The lineman's care worked on the first three. Nothing in his plan trained his brain rhythm directly. Yet his resting rhythm still improved and kept improving after treatment ended. When we helped the body around his brain, his brain rhythm followed.

This is what we saw in one patient. It is not a proven rule. But it shapes how we build every plan.

For the father in Case One, we start with the same foundation. Then we add direct training of brain rhythm, aimed at the areas his brain map flagged.

Treatment Options for Memory Loss, Driver by Driver

No single therapy is the answer. A plan for a parent like the father in Case One draws from the options below, based on what testing shows.

Inflammation: Gut-Brain Restoration

The brain changes behind Alzheimer's do not start in a person's 70s. Research shows the protein buildup linked to Alzheimer's can begin 20 years or more before the first symptoms. Long-term, low-level inflammation is one of the forces thought to speed it up. The gut is one of the body's biggest sources of that inflammation.

When the gut lining is damaged and its bacteria are out of balance, inflammation signals can reach the brain. That is why we test the gut directly. Then we restore it in phases: rebalance the bacteria, repair the lining and bring back helpful bacteria.

Cellular Energy: Ozone IV Therapy With Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Aging brain cells often have trouble making energy. We believe ozone therapy gives cells a brief, controlled signal that prompts them to build up their own energy and defenses. This is a proposed explanation. Research on ozone for memory loss is still limited.

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is given in the same visit. ALA reaches the brain and helps recycle other antioxidants, such as glutathione and vitamins C and E. The brain's support cells need these antioxidants to protect and repair nerve tissue.

Oxygen: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and EWOT

Breathing oxygen inside a pressurized chamber puts much more oxygen into the blood than normal breathing does. That oxygen can reach tissue where blood flow is poor. Research suggests a series of sessions may support new blood vessel growth and brain repair [cite]. Exercise with oxygen (EWOT) pairs movement with extra oxygen.

Brain Rhythm: Neurofeedback and 40 Hz Light

Neurofeedback uses real-time readings of the brain's own activity to guide it toward steadier patterns. We use a type called infra-slow fluctuation (ISF) neurofeedback. For the father in Case One, training starts with the memory areas, then moves to the navigation areas as they respond.

Light that flickers 40 times per second matches gamma rhythm, a brain wave tied to memory. Early research, mostly in animals, suggests it may help the brain's natural cleanup system. Human studies are still early. Near-infrared light therapy is a separate tool that may support energy in the tissue it reaches.

Daily Function: Functional Neurology and Balance Training

Targeted exercises retrain the skills that are slipping, such as finding your way, telling left from right, balance and confidence on stairs. The brain strengthens the pathways it uses. This work turns lab results into changes the family can see at home.

Hidden Stressors: Blood Sugar and Metabolism

High blood sugar, poor hydration and other body stressors quietly add to the brain's burden and raise fall risk. These are some of the easiest problems to fix. Fixing them early helps every other therapy work better.

Is Your Parent a Good Fit? Meet Our Team

Not every brain therapy is right for every person. A parent's exam, medications, heart rhythm and overall health all shape what is safe and what will help most. Our clinical team meets on every case like this one. We build a starting plan from the person's own test results. We add more as they respond, and we retest along the way so each decision follows real, measured change.

• Dr. Justin Dearing, DC, DACNB, FIAMA, FAARM, a board-certified functional neurologist, reads each brain map alongside blood and immune testing to build the plan.
• Lauren Dearing, NP brings a heart care background to blood flow and metabolism in the aging brain.
• Dr. Cortney Blake, DC, DACNB, a board-certified functional neurologist, leads balance, eye movement and coordination work.
• Karina Anderson, NP brings deep experience in ear, nose and throat care, including dizziness and inner ear problems that affect balance.
• Landry, Exercise physiologist leads strength, balance and fall prevention training.

All of our care works alongside your parent's neurologist and current medications. It does not replace them.

The Honest Outlook

Without treatment, memory loss usually leads to a slow loss of independence over several years. That means more confusion, more falls, needing help with daily tasks and, in time, care around the clock.

With treatment, the goal is more than slowing things down. By working on inflammation, energy, oxygen and brain rhythm together, we aim to steady the brain and rebuild skills that are struggling but not lost. Some changes families see, such as pulling away, confusion and unsteadiness, come from brain networks that are struggling. Struggling networks can be retrained.

We are honest about the limits. No therapy today reverses Alzheimer's disease, and every person responds differently. That is why we remeasure brain function along the way. Families do not have to guess whether it is working. They can see it in the data.

What Families Often Notice First

In our experience, people who start early, while they still have skills to build on, often show three changes:

1. They engage again. We call this the "clean windshield effect." People start showing up in their own lives again.
2. Familiar routes feel familiar again.
3. They move more steadily, with more confidence on stairs.

These are patterns we have seen in our clinic. Results vary.

The Cost of Waiting

The money at stake is real. In Tennessee, memory care costs about $6,000 a month, according to A Place for Mom. Every year of independence protects a parent's retirement savings and the family's finances.

Just as important, it gives grown children something money cannot buy. They get to stay their parent's children, instead of becoming full-time caregivers while raising families of their own.

When to Bring a Parent In: A Checklist

Consider a brain health evaluation if your parent:

• Has lost interest in hobbies they enjoyed for years
• Repeats stories or questions in the same day
• Gets lost on roads they have driven for years
• Mixes up left and right or misjudges distances
• Hesitates on stairs, curbs or uneven ground, or has had a fall
• Seems sharper at the doctor's office than at home
• Has a diagnosis and a follow-up months away, with no plan in between

You do not need a diagnosis to get a measurement.

If Dementia Runs in Your Family

The changes in both men's brains did not start the year anyone noticed them. Brain changes like these build quietly for years before symptoms appear.

There is hopeful news. A major 2024 report estimated that nearly half of dementia cases worldwide may be linked to risk factors that can be changed [Lancet Commission, 2024]. These include things like high blood pressure, hearing loss, inactivity and high blood sugar.

If memory loss runs in your family, your 40s and 50s are the time to get a baseline. That means measuring brain function along with blood and immune markers before symptoms ever appear. Then you have a clear starting point to track over time.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the early signs of Alzheimer's in a parent?

Common early signs include losing interest in hobbies, repeating stories, forgetting recent conversations, getting lost on familiar roads and mixing up left and right. New trouble on stairs or an unexplained fall can also be a sign.

2. Is my parent's forgetfulness normal aging?

Forgetting a name now and then is common. Repeating the same story in one day, getting lost on familiar roads or new trouble on stairs is worth checking. A brain map can show whether specific areas are falling behind.

3. What is the difference between Alzheimer's and dementia?

Dementia is a general term for memory and thinking loss that gets in the way of daily life. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.

4. What is mild cognitive impairment?

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a stage between normal aging and dementia. Memory or thinking problems are noticeable, but the person can still manage most daily tasks. MCI does not always lead to dementia, which is why early action matters.

5. What is qEEG brain mapping?

qEEG records the brain's electrical activity through sensors on the scalp. It compares the results to healthy adults the same age. It is painless and shows how brain areas are working, not just how they look.

6. How is a brain map different from an MRI?

An MRI shows the brain's structure, such as shrinking in certain areas. A qEEG brain map shows function, or how well each area is working right now. Used together, they give a fuller picture.

7. Can you reverse Alzheimer's or dementia?

We do not make that claim. No therapy today reverses Alzheimer's disease. What we do is measure function, target the areas that are falling behind and track whether they improve. Results vary from person to person.

8. Does my parent have to stop seeing their neurologist?

No. Our care works alongside your parent's neurologist and current medications.

9. How do you decide which therapies are right?

Our clinical team reviews every case together. Test results, medications, heart rhythm and overall health all shape a custom starting plan.

10. Can I lower my own risk of dementia?

Research suggests that nearly half of dementia cases may be tied to risk factors that can be changed [cite: Lancet Commission, 2024]. Managing blood pressure, blood sugar, hearing, exercise and sleep all play a role.

I do not have symptoms. Can I still be tested? Yes. Many people with a family history of dementia come in for a baseline in their 40s and 50s.

Do you see patients from Franklin and Nashville? Yes. Our clinic is in Brentwood, TN. We see families from Franklin, Cool Springs, Nashville and across Williamson County.

Take a Look Under the Hood

Our Neuro Consultation measures brain function along with blood and immune markers. It does not commit you to a full treatment program. Adult children are welcome to bring a parent. Many people also come in to get a memory baseline for themselves.

Contact The Dearing Clinic in Brentwood, TN to schedule. We serve Franklin, Cool Springs and the greater Nashville area. 615-721-5141

This case example is for educational purposes and is not a guarantee of results. Every treatment plan at The Dearing Clinic is based on a full clinical evaluation.

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