There are many lifestyle choices that hurt our cognitive reserve, or brain health. Most Alzheimer's dementia cases normally start showing up in people's 60s and 70s.
by Matt SheehanOSF Healthcare
Signs to look out for
Most Alzheimer's dementia cases normally start showing up in people's 60s and 70s. But have risk factors and lifestyle choices been hurting your vascular and brain health for years before that? That's the worry, Dr. Nair says.
Most dementias progress very slowly, Dr. Nair says. So, this could make it difficult to catch something day to day in a loved one. Think back to a year ago and think through how they were functioning then.
When talking with families, does the person have to hand off responsibilities like financial accounts? Did they shrink how far they will drive? Who manages the household? These are all questions to consider if you have concerns about a loved one’s brain health.
Paraphasic errors
Dr. Nair says paraphasic errors, or when someone means to say one thing but says another, could be an early sign of a major cognitive disorder.
"You might mean to say the word 'clock.' But you substitute it with something that rhymes like 'tock' or 'lock.' Or something that means the same thing, like watch," Dr. Nair says. "You have an intention to refer to a specific word, but you can't find that right word, so you substitute something that's similar."
Less speech overall is also a possible early sign of Alzheimer’s.
Masking symptoms with schedules
"When people experience impairments, it's very common that they're already building in regular habits and routines to mask their impairments," Dr. Nair says. "It's things like that we pay attention to."
Physical exercise and social connection
"Physical exercise, both aerobic and anaerobic, have the highest correlation with better cognitive function in later life," Dr. Nair says. "So, we try to promote that as much as we can. Mental activity, specifically social connection and activity, seems to also play a major role."
On the flip side, there are many lifestyle choices that hurt our cognitive reserve, or brain health, Dr. Nair says. Excessive alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes are common cardiovascular risk factors. Not only that, but as we get older, socialization normally decreases.
Alzheimer’s is the most common of the dementias. “Dementia” is no longer the actual diagnostic term neurologists are using, Dr. Nair says. Dementia is defined as a clinical syndrome where patients experience impairments in at least two different cognitive domains, enough to hurt their ability to do everyday tasks (balancing your checkbook, driving a car, cooking, etc.).
Memory is one cognitive domain. Language is another. Dr. Nair says the brain has special centers and pathways that help our ability to communicate. They take time to develop, which is why it takes a while for babies to start talking.
The second most common form of dementia is vascular dementia. The better we do at maintaining overall vascular health, the less likely it is that you'll have vascular disease of the brain, which leads to later cognitive impairment.
For loved ones, Dr. Nair says you're not alone. Communicate with your care team, and they can get you connected with the right resources.
