June is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, the most common cause of dementia.
Today, it’s estimated that nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, with this number expected to rise to 13 million by 2050.
Chances are, you know about dementia, because you’ve seen it in a loved one.
What Are The Signs & Symptoms of Dementia?
The hallmark early sign of dementia is memory impairment. Now it’s important to distinguish here. Everyone forgets a person’s name here and there. Everyone gets a little mental fog here and there. But there’s a big difference between forgetting where you put your keys, and forgetting you need keys to start a car.
Typically, it is VERY unusual for these symptoms to begin before the age of 60.
The big thing about Alzheimer’s Disease is that as of now, it is irreversible, and the best medications we have only slow the progression. It’s important to have the tough conversations with our family members about goals and how they want things handled while they still can make those decisions.
There are some risk factors we can improve to reduce our risk. Control our blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar levels. Keeping active is also shown to reduce our risks. Even some of our medications greatly increase the risk of dementia, particularly the benzodiazepine medications (Xanax, Ativan, Valium, Klonopin, etc).
At Family Tree Primary Care we’d love to take care of your whole family. Please feel free to come to us with any questions or concerns you may have.
