Watching your parents grow older can be a difficult process. As elderly loved ones age, changes in cognition are likely to occur. However, these changes are often part of the normal aging process , and it’s important to know the difference between normal and abnormal changes in cognition.
Maintaining
Brain Health
For normal aging, it’s typical to see some changes in memory and other mild impairments to cognition. You might notice that it will take longer for your parents to learn a new skill, remember a story, or that they get easily distracted while doing so. So long as these symptoms aren’t frequent and severe enough to disrupt everyday life, they can be considered normal for an older adult. To keep the brain healthy, it’s important to make sure that our parents are taken care of mentally and physically. Here are some good habits that will help anybody maintain regular brain health:
how to spot
red flags
While changes to cognitive function can be normal for older adults, there are some red flags to watch out for that might tell you your loved one is suffering from a more serious condition. Specifically, it’s important to watch out for drastic changes that greatly affect their ability to complete daily tasks or do the things they love. Your parents might present red flags like:
What to do
when you are concerned
While these red flags can be helpful in identifying early problems and significant changes in cognition, it’s important to recognize that each person’s brain is going to react differently to aging. What you can do is look for inconsistencies in your parent’s behavior. If your mom is regularly losing her house key, but has done that for as long as you can remember, this is likely not a red flag. However, if she has always been a great storyteller and good speaker, but suddenly begins to tell the same story multiple times without knowing she is repeating herself, this might be a sign of more serious brain health issues. If you begin to notice any of these red flags, you should encourage your parent to:
identifying
issues
While these red flags can be helpful in identifying early problems and significant changes in cognition, it’s important to recognize that each person’s brain is going to react differently to aging. What you can do is look for inconsistencies in your parent’s behavior. If your mom is regularly losing her house key, but has done that for as long as you can remember, this is likely not a red flag. However, if she has always been a great storyteller and good speaker, but suddenly begins to tell the same story multiple times without knowing she is repeating herself, this might be a sign of more serious brain health issues. If you begin to notice any of these red flags, you should encourage your parent to:
Success
is just as likely as it is with younger adults
By following these steps and looking out for red flags, you can help your loved one identify early changes in cognition, find the root cause of these changes, and treat them accordingly. It’s important to identify issues with brain health early, as underlying conditions such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s can be managed effectively if identified early on.
Candace Williams is the Director of Clinician Development for WellQor, the nation's leading provider of behavioral health services for Seniors. Candace received her MSW from Columbia University, and has spent over 20 years in the field developing unique interventions to better the lives of her clients. Throughout her time in the field, Candace has worked as a certified geriatric social worker, certified mediator, crisis management specialist, and family development specialist.
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