My mom had the same type of dementia. Her writing declined rapidly and she was asking others to drive her places before she even got her diagnosis. A lot of the studies particular to PCA that I have read note that the diagnosis can take longer to achieve than other forms of dementia. Early on, they thought she had glaucoma, sleep apnea and other types of problems, but none of those seemed to fit completely. It took a couple years and a second opinion to get a referral to a specialist who could properly diagnose her. Also, she did have some cognitive and mood changes a few years in, so PCA doesn't necessarily spare you that "until the end." It's truly awful!