Aging and Geriatric Issues

What is dementia? Dementia is an umbrella term that encompasses other cognitive declining disorders. These include Alzheimer’s Disease, Vascular Dementia, Lewy Body Dementia, Frontotemporal dementia, and mixed dementia. These different cognitive declines exhibit multiple overlapping symptoms and progression, but there are some variations. According to Webster, dementia is “usually a progressive condition marked by the development of multiple cognitive deficits (as memory impairment, aphasia, and inability to plan and initiate complex behavior).” The Early Signs It is easy to dismiss it as stress or age-related. It is critical to begin addressing it when you see the signs. Your loved one may say things like “I think I am losing it.” Or “Why can’t I remember things like I used to?” You can start the conversation by discussing their concerns and what you’ve observed, and then get a professional evaluation. It could be stress, physiological causes, or purely age-related, but you won’t know until there is an official evaluation by a professional. Whether the person with signs realizes it consciously or not, a natural tendency to cover up occurs when others are around, so it can take some time for others to notice it. It requires spending more time with them and watching their behavior. Research shows that untreated hearing loss is connected to dementia and other cognitive decline. It includes cognitive overload, neural atrophy, and social isolation. As we age, hearing decreases, which in turn affects what our brain processes and how it is stimulated. When our brain is not being used in a certain way, it loses the capacity to function in that way. AARP lists fifteen warning signs of dementia. Short-term memory loss Word loss Difficulty multitasking Repetition Personality Changes New Sleep Behaviors Worsening Sense of Direction Depression Confusion about time and place Difficulty with visual perceptual tasks [...]

In early adulthood (ages 18-40), we are focused on finding a mate, establishing a career, starting a family, and building our social circle. In middle age (ages 40-65), we are raising teenagers, establishing and maintaining our economic standard of living, and adjusting to the changes that come with aging.In older adulthood (age 65+), we enter retirement, experience deaths of family and friends, slow down physically and cognitively, and possibly need to depend on others.One in seven, or 15%, of middle-aged adults will provide financial support for both their parents and children – the older the parent (80+), the more emotional support that is needed. Two-thirds of older adults live with family members, while one-third live alone. 80% of older adults have living children, and daughters are three times more likely to assist aging parents than sons.Our society is experiencing an increasing number of people who are caring for their parents and dependent children simultaneously, which is referred to as the sandwich generation. Many Americans find themselves juggling a job, their parents, and children, including bounce-back kids who return home after a divorce or college. Also, many parents care for or raise grandchildren.Factors contributing to the rise in the sandwich generation include longer life expectancy, having children later in life, the baby boomer generation now being 60-79 years old, and increased support for children over the age of eighteen.Dual caregiving is emotionally and physically demanding, as I found myself in this role several years ago, and I was unprepared for what this season of life would encompass. My journey began on a regular day with my mother’s fall and her broken hip, then, a week later, my dad’s diagnosis of liver cancer, coupled with homeschooling our youngest, and graduate school for me.Although I was fortunate to share the responsibility with a [...]