Column: Memory loss concerns? Don t be scared of getting tested like I did chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Does forgetting a name or word mean that I have dementia?
The number of cases of dementia in the U.S. is rising as baby boomers age, raising questions for boomers themselves and also for their families, caregivers and society. Dementia, which is not technically a disease but a term for impaired ability to think, remember or make decisions, is one of the most feared impairments of old age.
Incidence increases dramatically as people move into their 90s. About 5% of those age 71 to 79 have dementia, and about 37% of those about 90 years old live with it.
Older people may worry about their own loss of function as well as the cost and toll of caregiving for someone with dementia. A 2018 study estimated that the lifetime cost of care for a person with Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, to be US$329,360. That figure, too, will no doubt rise, putting even more burdens on family, Medicare and Medicaid.
Bannon believed Trump was suffering from early-stage dementia: Book washingtonexaminer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonexaminer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A recent study found that afternoon napping has cognitive benefits in persons older than 60
It improved functions such as working memory, language and orientation
Several studies have had opposing results regarding afternoon napping – some indicate that it promotes cognitive function, whereas others have contradicting results.
This led a group of medical researchers to further examine the impact napping has on cognition. Their study, published in
BMJ s General Psychiatry division, has shown that a brief afternoon nap can benefit cognitive function in the elderly.
Nappers versus non-nappers
The researchers recruited 2 214 elderly (over the age of 60) Chinese people for the purpose of the study and divided them into two groups: napping (1 534) and non-napping (680).
Short afternoon naps may aid cognitive function as we age
Written by Robby Berman on February 3, 2021 Fact checked by Alexandra Sanfins, Ph.D.
Eva-Katalin/Getty Images
A study of older adults in China finds a clear association between brief afternoon naps and stronger cognitive function.
Short, less frequent naps lasting less than 30 minutes, four times a week may be the most helpful.
Sleep patterns often change as we age, with many older people adding an afternoon snooze to their daily schedule. The meaning of such naps has been unclear: Do they help keep the mind agile, or do they signify incipient dementia? A new study may have the answer.