When my father’s memory first started to slip, and those who knew him well noticed the changes in his personal and work life, his doctors were faced with an array of possible causes. Memory related and neurological symptoms can easily run the gamut from a variety of types of dementia to stroke or pathological brain disease such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

One doctor even diagnosed my father with depression. As it turned out he had developed and ultimately died from a pathological brain disease called Pick’s Disease – a combination of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Professionals in many areas of health care have the opportunity every day to care for individuals like my father and the millions of others living with often heartbreaking memory related disorders. Therefore preventing the onset of these diseases can be a powerful motivation for anyone to embark on a career in health care. Those aspiring to work in  imaging, especially as a CT scan technician, may not realize their valuable role in prevention.

Medical imaging is being used to detect certain changes in the brain and arteries that can lead to diseases like Alzheimer’s.  For the estimated 5.3 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s*, it may be too late to do much more than slow the disease’s progression. However, for those at risk for or already in the process of developing these diseases, there is still hope for pinpointing the disease and stopping it in its path.

Medical imaging can play an important role in seeing changes in a patient’s brain before any changes are seen in their behavior. Whether the purpose of the CT Scan is to diagnose by process of elimination or look for those pathological brain changes, medical imaging technology is moving forward faster than the speed of light. This health care job is an ideal blend of technology, prevention and patient care.

*Alzheimer’s Association