The biggest risk factor for dementia is ageing. This means as a person gets older, their risk of developing dementia increases a lot. For people aged between 65 and 69, around 2 in every 100 people have dementia. A person's risk then increases as they age, roughly doubling every five years.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia among older adults. An estimated 6.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease. It is the fifth leading cause of death for adults aged 65 and older, and the seventh leading cause of death for all adults.
Alzheimer disease is the most common form and may contribute to 60–70% of cases.
The main CVD risk factors that are known to increase a person's risk of getting dementia are: ∎high blood pressure ∎increasingly stiff and blocked arteries (known as 'atherosclerosis') ∎high blood cholesterol levels ∎being overweight and physically unfit ∎type 2 diabetes.
Many people affected by dementia are concerned that they may inherit or pass on dementia. The majority of dementia is not inherited by children and grandchildren. In rarer types of dementia there may be a strong genetic link, but these are only a tiny proportion of overall cases of dementia.
Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
Being active, eating a better diet, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, keeping normal blood pressure, controlling cholesterol and having low blood sugar in middle age may all lower the chances of developing conditions such as Alzheimer's disease later in life, research suggests.
While there is no conclusive evidence that we can prevent the development of dementia, there is a general acknowledgement that there are some areas where poor lifestyle choices may increase the risk of developing dementia (that is, a poor diet, smoking, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, lack of exercise, and not ...
The five-minute cognitive test (FCT) was designed to capture deficits in five domains of cognitive abilities, including episodic memory, language fluency, time orientation, visuospatial function, and executive function.
The main sign of mild cognitive impairment is a slight decline in mental abilities. Examples include: Memory loss: You may forget recent events or repeat the same questions and stories. You may occasionally forget the names of friends and family members or forget appointments or planned events.
The Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam, known as SAGE, is a brief, pen-and-paper cognitive assessment tool designed to detect the early signs of cognitive, memory, or thinking impairments. The test evaluates your thinking abilities. This can help your doctors understand how well your brain is functioning.
For most people with Alzheimer's — those who have the late-onset variety — symptoms first appear in their mid-60s or later. When the disease develops before age 65, it's considered early-onset Alzheimer's, which can begin as early as a person's 30s, although this is rare.
The Mini-Mental State Exam is a 30-point test used to measure your loved ones thinking ability, also known as their cognitive impairment. If you suspect that you or a loved one might be developing Alzheimer's disease or another dementia, the Mini-Mental State Exam is a step toward making a diagnosis.
While certain medications can help slow the progression for a time, there is no cure for Alzheimer's or dementia. Alzheimer's disease leads to cell death and tissue loss in the brain which ultimately affects memory, behavior, bodily functions or other systems.
Doctors also use brain scans to find evidence of other sources of damage, such as tumors or stroke, that may aid in diagnosis. Brain scans used to help diagnose dementia include CT, MRI, and PET scans.
Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE)
This test is usually conducted by your doctor or specialist in their office and takes around 5 minutes to complete. The MMSE is the most common test for the screening of dementia. It assesses skills such as reading, writing, orientation and short-term memory.
Memory problems
Difficulties with memory are the most well-known first signs of dementia. For example, a person may not recall recent events or may keep losing items (such as keys and glasses) around the house. Memory loss is often the first and main symptom in early Alzheimer's disease.
The current evidence indicates that while chronic stress may play a role in the development or progression of dementia, it does not necessarily cause dementia. Hopefully, further research can begin to uncover what role stress plays in a person's risk of developing dementia.
The Six Item Cognitive Impairment Test (6CIT) is a brief cognitive function test which takes less than five minutes and is widely used in primary care settings. It involves three orientation items – counting backwards from 20, stating the months of the year in reverse and learning an address.