Mental Changes in Aging

Mental Changes in Aging
As people age, it is common for some brain functions to slow down i.e. recall of names or events. Memory loss that disrupts everyday life is not part of the normal aging process. It is a symptom of dementia. Dementia is a general term for the loss of an individuals cognitive capabilities, i.e. memory, judgment, though process and reasoning abilities. Not too long ago, people called dementia senilty and thought it was a natural part of growing old. We now know that dementia happ ens because of a disease process. An estimated 10% of people over the age of 65 and 47% of people over the age of 85 suffer from dementia. Forty to sixty percent of people with dementia develop psychiatric complications. Although irreversible forms of deme ntia, such as Alzheimers Disease (the most common cause of irreversible dementia), do occur with greater frequency in old age, many other cases of dementia are brought on by medical conditions that can be arrested or reveres. There are over 70 different i llness that can cause or mimic dementia including depression, thyroid disorders, infections, nutritional deficiencies and drug reactions. Some dementia -like symptoms might be caused by delirium, which is a physical response to illness or medications that r esults in more confusion, disorientation, psychosis and bizarre behavior. Delirium must be treated immediately.
Other conditions that may cause memory loss or dementia include: medication side effects chronic alcoholism tumors or infections in the brain blood clots in the brain vitamin B12 deficiency some thyroid, kidney, or liver disorders
Many of these conditions are temporary and reversible, but they can be serious and should be treated by a doctor as soon as possible. Emotional problems, such as s tress, anxiety, or depression, can make a person more forgetful and can be mistaken for dementia. For instance, someone who has recently retired or who is coping with the death of a spouse may feel sad, lonely, worried, or bored. Trying to deal with these life changes leaves some people confused or forgetful. The emotional problems can be eased by supportive friends and family, but if these feelings last for a long time, it is important to get help from a doctor or counselor. Symptoms of dementia include: Difficulty performing familiar tasks: forgetting steps to everyday routines, i.e. how to use common items or how to participate in a favorite hobby. Problems with native language: forgetting simple words, inability to put together a sentence, substituting unusual words Disorientation to time and place: getting lost in familiar places, disorientation to general time of day i.e. thinking it is morning when it is night Changes in personalilty: usually marked by fear, suspicion and blaming of others withdrawal from people, social situations and/or activites that they use to enjoy. Changes in mood and behavior: more rapid and pronounced mood swings, depression, impulsive or abrupt behavior.
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 50 percent to 70 percent of dementia cases in people ages 65 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As many as 5.3 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease, and it's the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to the CDC. However, Alzheimer's can be diagnosed with complete accurac y only after death, when the brain is thoroughly examined during an autopsy, according to the National Institutes of Health. A microscopic analysis of the deceased's brain tissue can reveal the plaques and tangles, which are masses of abnormal proteins , linked to Alzheimer's. These proteins hinder brain function, affecting and limiting the parts of the brain that control memory, abstract thinking, judgment, behavior, movement and language. Alzheimer's causes worsening dementia s ymptoms as a result of its progressive destruction of a person's brain cells. Because Alzheimer's usually progresses slowly, a person with the disease may experience a gradual decline in cognitive abilities over a period of seven to 10 years, according to the
Mayo Clinic. Though s ymptoms generally appear after age 60, early-onset forms of the disease can occur, usually as the result of a gene, according to the National Institute on Aging. Alzheimer's s ymptoms include getting lost, asking repetitive questions, experiencing difficulty handling money and paying bills, having poor decision-making skills, frequently misplacing items and undergoing personality changes. Those with Alzheimer's also tend to take longer than before to complete normal daily tasks. As Alzheimer's progresses and becomes severe, people may lose the abili ty to communicate and recognize oneself or family members.
Factors Affecting Memory

Memory is affected by numerous things including how alert you are when information is presented, how relevant or interesting the information is to you, whether the information is novel or is related to things you already know, how organized or detailed the information is, and the physical and mental context in which information is learned and later remembered. Memory and other mental abilities are also very sensitiv e to your physical state. For example, lack of sleep will undermine your memory, as will factors like fatigue, anxiety, and stress. Illness can also adversely affect your memory and attention, from relatively minor illnesses such as colds, the flu, and infections, to more major illness such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, liver and kidney problems, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis.
How to Maintain a Heathy Brain and a Fit Mind

There are a number of things you can do to keep your brain healthy and your memory operating at its best. First, Eat a Well-Balanced Diet. Food provides the energy and nutrition not only for your body but for your brain as well. They say you are what you eat and they're right. But this goes for your brain and mind as well as for your stomach and thighs. Poor nutrition makes it difficult for the brain to operate properly, to pay attention when necessary, and to store and retrieve information. Good nutrition provides your brain with the necessary building blocks to function a t its peak.
Second, Stay Physically Fit. We don't believe that people should 'rest' when they get older. On the contrary, you should exercise as much as possible. Physical activity keeps the brain healthy by supplying it with oxygen, glucose, and nutrients. And there is emerging evidence that aerobic exercise alone, even just brisk walking, can help your brain grow new blood vessels, new dendrites, and even new neurons. Living a sedentary life will hasten your mental decline and, eventually, your physical decline as well. Living a physically active life will enhance your body and mind, thereby allowing you to live life to the fullest. Third, Use Your Brain! Exercise your mental abilities as much as possible. This is especially true for the cognitive-control processes mentioned above, the processes that are called upon when we must solve a new problem or learn new information. So learn new things, try new activities, gain new experiences, and stay socially active. Above all, challenge yourself. If y ou've been solving cross-word puzzles for years, try Sudoku. Instead of watching TV, play video games. If you're a pro at Bridge, try Hearts. Learn a new hobby or, better yet, a new language. And don't look at retirement as a time to rest but rather as an opportunity to get out of old habits in order to discover new possibilities.
Think of it as a pyramid with three layers. The bottom, most important layer is nutrition. The second, middle layer is physical exercise. The third, top layer is mental activity . The top of the pyramid is the most grand but it cannot exist without the layers beneath it. And the above is more than just an inspirational analogy because all three factors --diet, exercise, and mental stimulation --have been shown to increase cognitiv e performance in older adults and decrease their risk of dementia.
How to Improve Your Ability to Remember Things

The key is attention. Attention is the gateway to memory. Memory is not automatic; if it were, our heads would be filled with all kinds of useless information. Rather, good memory takes effort and that effort is best applied by paying attention to what you want to remember. Paying attention is difficult in noisy, distracting environments and so, if these give you trouble, stay out of them. But you should strive to be able to focus on your goals (like remembering someone's name or what task you are trying to accomplish) even under conditions of distraction. Indeed, this is probably one of the easiest ways to exercise your attention and memor y skills because there is certainly no lack of noisy environments in our modern world.

Mental Changes in Aging

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mental Changes in Aging

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mental Changes in Aging

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mental Changes in Aging

Factors Affecting Memory

How to Maintain a Heathy Brain and a Fit Mind

How to Improve Your Ability to Remember Things

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.