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Dementia is not inevitable as we age.
If we look at everybody over age of 65,
about 10% of people have some form of dementia.
And while it becomes more common as we get older, even at age 90,
50 - 70% of people still have normal thinking and cognition.
>> Well, it wasn't a memory loss, and yet it was kind of memory loss,
but it wasn't memory loss that the average person would consider to be a memory loss.
It was problem solving.
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>> There are some things that people shouldn't worry about.
Misplacing your glasses, your keys occasionally, having trouble coming up
with a name even though you know that somebody's familiar.
Those seem to be accompaniments of normal aging.
And in fact, usually you do remember that name.
It just takes a lot longer.
On the other hand, there are things that
are concerning and should make one look further.
Particularly if you're having trouble doing something that you've always done.
Driving somewhere, doing your taxes, filling out a checkbook, cooking.
If those are things you've done without any trouble and
now they're becoming harder, then it's time to go to a
professional and look into whether there might be something that
can be fixed or to at least get a proper diagnosis.
>> I, I knew that she was getting more forgetful.
>> Mm-hm.
>> I didn't really, I didn't think too much about it.
>> Uh-huh.
>> I just thought well, you know.
>> Yeah.
You must have been concerned because you were calling her every day.
>> Well, I mean, I, I was concerned,
but maybe I was more concerned than I realized.
>> Yeah.
>> She would seem to be having difficulty, and
I thought she just doesn't wanna set the table.
This isn't good.
I have to push her.
So, I would push her.
And all of a sudden she broke down,
and just said, I'm so sorry, I've just forgotten.
>> I took her to Florida, and that was the first time that
I had, had been with her on a continual basis, 24 hour basis.
And I noticed like late in the afternoon periods of confusion, where are we?
She thought she was back in Catonsville where she lived at.
And, I mean and it happened every day we were there.
>> There are some memory problems that should also trigger concern.
If you forgot an important event 10 minutes
or 30 minutes after it happened, that's serious.
If someone tells you, you asked the same
question three or four times in an hour, that
may well indicate that there's some serious problem going
on, and that you should have it professionally evaluated.
>> I had asked him why he seemed to be
selling and, buying and selling so much of our stocks.
And what was he doing?
And what did we oh, and he couldn't tell me.
That was probably, that was the one that made me know that we really had a problem.
>> I was keeping much more of a watchful eye on things that she was doing
and I noticed she was starting to have
problems with being able to, to write a check.
>> Mm-hm.
>> Just con, just being able to understand bills.
>> Yeah.
>> She couldn't, she was getting so she couldn't take care of her finances.
>> And then very slowly what started to happen was, if I was on
the phone with her, she would say, she would turn around and ask my father.
Where do we go?
What do we do?
And I thought that was very strange.
So that was my first inclination that, that something.
>> The majority of people with Alzheimer's
disease never know that they have a problem.
I actually believe that it's the disease itself that blocks awareness.
But that presents a real challenge to the family or
the caregiver, because that often leads the person to say
things like, well, I'm just like all my other friends
who can't remember a name every once in a while.
One of the things that I suggest that might
get the person to the doctor, just to say well,
I just feel better if you got it evaluated, and
if I'm wrong, I'll be happy just as you are.
That, that can sometimes help the sick person accept
an assessment even though they don't think they need it.
>> And my family doctor did not tell me that until a couple years later
when Jim was really getting worse and I
wanted him re-evaluated, and he said what for?
I said, so I know what I'm dealing with.
Well, Jim and I were both relieved.
>> Mm-hm.
>> Because Jim felt like he was going crazy.
He used to walk around the house like this, holding his head.
Something going wrong up there, I don't know what's happening
>> Hm.
>> And I don't like it.
>> So getting the diagnosis actually made him feel a little better.
>> Yes it did.
>> I think it's important to have a thorough professional assessment whenever
there's a question about somebody having a serious memory or cognitive problem.
Sometimes you find out that there's not a problem, and that can be reassuring.
But even when you find out that there is a
condition, it's important that a person be thoroughly evaluated to
make sure that there's not a treatable disease, or that
there aren't medical or psychiatric
problems contributing to the memory problems.
And finally, even if the diagnosis is Alzheimer's disease, to find
out in a positive way, what can be done to help
the person live a better life and to help you as
a caregiver do a better job in helping them care for themselves.
>> I mean, we all knew that it, by, by this time his memory was, was going and he
wanted me to go with him to the doctors and
actually sit in on what the doctor would tell him.
>> It's important to realize that sometimes there are
treatable medical or psychiatric problems that are inducing memory trouble.
When those are fixed, the person can recover.
But even if the diagnosis is Alzheimer's disease or some other cause
of dementia, you can get information that can help things go much better.
And from my point of view, that's one of the
reasons, one of the important reasons to get a thorough assessment.
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