One very normal concern we have as we age is the question of whether we will gradually slip into dementia, or Alzheimer’s (there is a bit of a difference between the two, by the way). The basic definition of dementia is a decline in mental function. Don’t worry: Misplacing your keys or cellphone, which I seem to do a lot, isn’t a sign. What is, says AARP, is “a loss of functioning that interferes with daily life,” which “can diminish focus, attention, language skills, problem-solving and visual perception.”
Is this an inevitable part of aging? Not necessarily, says Dr. Stacy L. Andersen, an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University, who studies centenarians (people aged 100 or more). This segment of our population is growing rapidly. The Census Bureau says there are about 101,000 Americans 100 or older now; this is projected to more than quadruple to 422,000 by 2054. “Many people believe that dementia is a normal part of aging and although it is an age-related disease, meaning that it is more common among older people than younger people, it is actually related to underlying neurodegenerative diseases that are not a normal part of aging,” Andersen tells me. Obviously, no two people are alike, and the rate of cognitive decline can vary considerably, she adds, Three things you can do This is wher …
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Is this an inevitable part of aging? Not necessarily, says Dr. Stacy L. Andersen, an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University, who studies centenarians (people aged 100 or more). This segment of our population is growing rapidly. The Census Bureau says there are about 101,000 Americans 100 or older now; this is projected to more than quadruple to 422,000 by 2054. “Many people believe that dementia is a normal part of aging and although it is an age-related disease, meaning that it is more common among older people than younger people, it is actually related to underlying neurodegenerative diseases that are not a normal part of aging,” Andersen tells me. Obviously, no two people are alike, and the rate of cognitive decline can vary considerably, she adds, Three things you can do This is wher …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]