A 74-year-old woman was dragged by her children to the hospital reluctantly. Her children said her mother’s memory wasn’t what it used to be, and she was on the way to an early screening for dementia. She said that she was okay with women, and she was angry that she had only recently become more forgetful and that her children were stupid. The children recently said that her mother mightn’t remember her promise well, and even when she explained that she had a promise, she was rather angry, and her tone and personality had also changed from before. As a result of the examination, the woman was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the early stages.
◎ About, dementia
Dementia is a gradual loss of brain function. As brain function is impaired, cognitive and behavioral disorders appear. Cognitive functions include ▲memory, attention, concentration, language, calculation, ability to use tools, and ability to handle tasks coherently. Therefore, dementia presents problems in several different areas at the same time. However, even if there are problems in several areas, dementia is not diagnosed ‘yet’ unless it becomes a major problem in daily life. If you can’t remember frequently used words in real conversation, you are forgetful, but if you use the wrong word and say something you don’t understand, you should suspect dementia.
◎ About, dementia symptoms
Although several cognitive functions deteriorate at the same time, the order is slightly different for each type of dementia. In the case of frontal lobe dementia or vascular dementia, where dysfunction occurs first in the frontal lobe, the front part of the brain, the personality changes, and depression or language disorders appear first. In the case of Alzheimer’s type dementia, which is the most common type of dementia, memory deteriorates first.
In order to reduce anxiety and psychological resistance to dementia, there is a lot of talk regarding the difference between simple memory disorder and dementia, but it is important to note that there may be only simple memory disorder in the early stages of dementia. To be precise, it is necessary to distinguish between ‘simple memory impairment’ and ‘mild memory impairment in the early stages of dementia’. If there is only memory impairment without other cognitive impairment, it is called mild cognitive impairment, and regarding 1 in 10 people develop dementia per year. After 5 years, regarding 50% will progress to dementia. In the end, it means that when there is memory impairment in the elderly, the transition to dementia is half and half. Unfortunately, there is still no way to accurately predict who will develop dementia from mild cognitive impairment.
◎ About, dementia self-diagnosis method
1. I can’t remember the name of an object or person.
2. I can’t remember the facts.
3. Starts sleeping too much.
4. It becomes difficult to find. I can’t remember the way to get home.
5. Shows a different appearance from his personality.
6. Changes in emotions such as anxiety become severe.
7. It also becomes difficult to calculate.
◎ About, dementia prevention method
In order to prevent dementia, it is necessary to adopt a lifestyle that is good for cognitive health. Smoking cessation, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and high blood pressure or diabetes should be treated well. But the most important thing is the attitude towards life.
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1. Don’t rush, exercise every day
Exercising regularly reduces your risk of Alzheimer’s by 31 percent. If you do it every day, it goes down to 80%. Also, remember that the more you walk, the more you prevent dementia.
2. If you want a beautiful later life, let’s boldly quit smoking!
After 30 years of smoking, your risk of Alzheimer’s increases by 250 percent. It turned out to be worse for women. Six years following quitting smoking, the risk of cognitive impairment decreases by 41 percent.
3. Be active in social activities even if your legs hurt and your knees hurt Make a lot of friends.
The more you see family, relatives, and friends, the lower your risk of dementia. If you see it once a month, it will drop by 15%, and if you see it every day, it will drop by 43%. It is also good to increase social and leisure activities. People who travel frequently or regularly attend movies, plays, and exhibitions have a 40 percent lower risk of dementia. People who engage in social or religious activities are 15 percent less likely to develop dementia.
4. Maintain cognitive function through active brain activity!
Passive mental activity, i.e. watching television, increases the risk of cognitive impairment by 10 percent. If you like to read or learn new things, your cognitive function is more likely to be maintained.
5. Stop drinking and live with a clear mind
If you declare abstinence, you will naturally refrain from drinking. It is true that ‘moderate drinking’ is difficult to practice. It is common that drinking only 1-2 cups becomes one or two bottles every day. In addition, there are studies showing that even 1-2 cups of coffee is toxic to the brain. Quitting alcohol is the best way to prevent dementia!
6. Eat foods that are good for brain health
Eating fish frequently reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 70 percent. Vegetables, fruits, and milk are also good for hair health. Adequate fluid intake is a very easy thing to practice in daily life, but it is very beneficial. It is more important to have a nutritionally balanced diet than some foods are good and some foods are bad.
