Dementia. A condition everyone hopes will never apply to him or her. If, at times, you forget where you placed your car keys or your wallet you may
think, “this is the beginning of dementia!!”, but that is not necessarily so. For a Dementia diagnosis, loss of memory must be clustered with a progressive reduction of another function such as, cognitive reasoning or language. Dementia is not a disease – it is the result of a collection of symptoms that can be caused from many different sources. Dementia can change your personality, cause you to become more easily agitated and can adversely interfere with the relationships you have with your family, neighbors amd co-workers.
Alzheimers Disease is one source of dementia but there are others. Vascular dementia can occur when the blood vessels are compromised and there is a reduction in blood flow to the brain. Alzheimers Disease (AD) involves the loss of neurons (brain cells) and a progressive loss of memory and reasoning. Gene markers have been identified for AD but not all individuals who have test positive for the gene will present with the disease. The mystery associated with AD is – why does risk increase with age? More research is needed and currently there is no cure for AD. However, there are a number of medical and non-medical therapies available to help alleviate the associated behavioral and cognitive changes.
According to Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org), factors that can contribute to dementia are:
Age – after the age of 85 your risk for dementia increases to 50%.
Family History – you are more likely to suffer from dementia if you mother , father, sister or brother have/had it.
Alcoholism
Artherosclerotic disease (hardening of the arteries) – over 80% of alzheimers patients presented with coronary disease upon autopsy.
Obesity
Diabetes
Smoking
High cholesterol (high LDL/lowdensity) levels
High Blood Pressure
Also, keep watch for other changes in your health not generally associated with dementia – drastic vision changes, hearing changes – teeth/gum issues, according to an article in the Neurology Journal (Rockwood/Dalhousie Univ.) – addressing issues like these can reduce your susceptibility to dementia as well.
Become aware and informed of your current physical condition and work with your physician to establish a strategy for keeping a close watch on these indicators. High cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure ,and yes, even smoking and alcoholism can be controlled with a combination of medical intervention and lifestyle changes.
How does one prevent dementia? According to Medical News Today, you can reduce your risk by :
Staying active with aerobic activity
A balanced diet rich in Omega 3
Eating fish at least once a week
Good heart health
Staying at a healthy weight
Maintaining normal blood pressure
Controlling Diabetes
Brain Exercises
How does one exercises his/her brain??? – With brain stimulaitng activities such as: Chess, Bridge, (Poker too!) crossword puzzles, math puzzles, playing a musical instrument, building furniture, writing, reading – anything that involves thinking and brain cognition.
If you notice a siginificant change in the behavior of a friend or a loved one they may be suffering from the onset of dementia and should seek medical intervention immediately. The insidious and progressive nature of dementia is that you may notice nothing different in your own behavior – but those around you will – if someone you care about approaches you and has concerns about your reasoning abilities or memory – it is best to see a doctor to rule out dementia. There are medications available to help control memory loss and confusion such as Aricept and Exelon, however, the first and best line of defense is you.