The modern focus on dementia has made it easier to recognize dementia symptoms. This helps people to get diagnosed earlier and find additional support.
Yet, with such a focus on dementia, it is easy to become concerned about any cognitive changes. For caregivers, this may mean that they become overprotective of their family members. Individuals experiencing cognitive changes may spend considerable time worrying, a practice that can decrease quality of life.
While the rates of dementia are increasing globally, it is far from a guaranteed part of aging. Many seniors will not develop dementia.
This makes it critical to recognize the difference between dementia-related changes to cognition and ones that can occur for other reasons. The distinction isn’t always definitive, but such information can help prevent people from living in fear.
Age-Related Changes
Here’s the thing – cognition changes don’t necessarily have anything to do with Alzheimer’s disease.
Most people do experience gradual memory changes as they age. This is a natural process – and it simply becomes necessary to look for workarounds, like taking notes.
Some research suggests that there are differences in the type of intelligence and a person’s age.
- Older adults tend to have more crystalized intelligence
- Some aspects of cognition tend to be resilient to the aging of the brain and improve with age. This includes areas like vocabulary.
- Younger adults often have more fluid intelligence instead
- One study suggested that, on average, older adults are better able to use the context of a sentence to memorize words.
Crystalized versus Fluid Intelligence
Intelligence is often broken down into crystalized and fluid intelligence. These are two very different types of intelligence and individuals will vary in their levels of each.
Fluid intelligence includes the ability to think flexibly and to reason. This can include thinking on your feet, solving complex problems and understanding new concepts.
Generally speaking, fluid intelligence peaks in adolescence and many aspects begin to decline at around 30 or 40 years of age. However, some aspects of fluid intelligence do peak later, as late as 40 years of age.
Not only does fluid intelligence decline with age, but so too does some of the skills that are linked to fluid intelligence. This is particularly evident in late adulthood and may be one reason why people feel that they become less intelligent as they age.
In contrast, crystallized intelligence is based on accumulation. This includes the skills, knowledge and facts that are gained throughout life. As such, it continues to increase as people age.
Some studies do suggest that fluid intelligence can be increased, even in seniors. Brain training may be one mechanism for doing so, although the research in this area is not definitive.
Be Realistic
As the patterns above show, cognition does naturally change with age. Someone in their late 70s will not be able to solve problems as well as someone in their 30s, on average.
It’s also important to remember that no one has perfect cognition or perfect memory. We all make mistakes sometimes. The following areas are just some examples of why it is so important to be realistic.
- Poor short-term memory is an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. Yet, there are many variations in short-term memory. For that matter, few people remember everything there is to know about recent events – there’s simply too much information.
- Caregivers are often told to look for signs of poor memory, like expired food. Having expired food in the cupboard isn’t that uncommon.
- Most of us periodically forget what we’re doing or where we’re going.
- Your own biases can affect the patterns that you see. For example, people worried about Alzheimer’s disease may be more likely to notice cognitive challenges or memory problems, even if such problems have been present for years or are common for everyone.
Why Too Much Fear Is Damaging
Talking about dementia symptoms isn’t just a theoretical topic. The way that a person views themselves and their capabilities can actually influence their health and well-being.
For example, negative stereotypes on aging often promote the idea that people are less capable as they age. If seniors take these concepts on board they can end up being less active and engaged as a consequence. They may be less willing to try new things and may ask for help when they don’t need it.
This pattern can then have negative impacts on physical and/or mental health.
At the same time, people who don’t ‘act their age’ may experience significant health benefits. Research suggests that the age a person feels can have a stronger impact than how old they actually are.
These concepts don’t just apply to physical health either.
People who think poorly of their cognitive health may avoid some activities, as they feel that their abilities are limited. They may also miss out on chances to stretch and challenge themselves mentally.
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