Health Matters: Memory Care

Aging and memory loss often go hand in hand.

Close to 50 million people suffer from dementia worldwide.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form and sadly many Americans aren’t diagnosed with the disease until six years after their first symptom is present.

I spoke with a geriatric nurse at Essentia and she says recognizing those symptoms are the first step to getting the help you need.
 
Forgetting the little things is a natural part of getting older, right?
 
“Often patients will tell me that they think memory loss or cognitive impairment is expected with aging and that’s not necessarily true,” says Essentia Geriatric Nurse, Leah Hochstein.
 
Symptoms including repetition of words, losing track in conversation and inattention to one’s appearance many indicate a form of dementia.
 
“The short term memory, the here and now is what is difficult for them to remember but they’ll remember about past times and they’ll often reminisce of events that occurred in the past,” says Hochstein.
 
Hochstein says getting care is critical because in some cases these symptoms can be related to a different disease and can even be reversed.
 
“Vitamin deficiencies, untreated thyroid disease, electrolyte imbalances and those things when we treat them it may reverse the cognition impairment,” says Hochstein.
 
But if a patient is suffering from dementia Hochstein says it needs to be taken care of like any other disease.
 
“Maybe it’s having a medication reminder to help them to remember to take their medication,” says Hochstein.
 
And just like many other diseases there are ways to reduce your risk, from exercise to the way you eat.
 
“If hypertension is not treated the vessels in the body become impaired and the brain as well and that may form more of a vascular type dementia,” says Hochstein.

Hochstein says there is still no definite test for dementia.

Make sure to tune into next week’s health matters where we will hear what it’s like to have a family member suffer from memory loss.