As a person gets older, changes occur in all parts of the body, including the brain.
Certain parts of the brain shrink, including those important to learning and other complex mental activities.
In certain brain regions, communication between neurons may be less effective.
Blood flow in the brain may decrease.
Inflammation, which occurs when the body responds to an injury or disease, may increase.
These changes in the brain can affect mental function, even in healthy older people. For example, some older adults may find that they don’t do as well as younger individuals on complex memory or learning tests. However, if given enough time to learn a new task, they usually perform just as well. Needing that extra time is normal as people age. There is growing evidence that the brain maintains the ability to change and adapt so that people can manage new challenges and tasks as they age.
At age 80, about 50% of the population suffers from dementia; the rest are still just a bit slower when it comes to learning new things. Memory loss is NOT a normal part of aging. However, since the first signs of dementia involve losing the ability to make good decisions and almost NO ONE recognizes their own decline, I recommend that as we age, we all plan for the worst and hope for the best.
So, if you are heading into your 60s, 70s, 80s, or beyond, give me a call to talk about making sure you are protected in case you are one of the 50% who end up living with dementia.
