Among the diseases of the elderly, dementias represent one of the major health problems.
The most common dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for 50% to 80% of dementia cases.
The incidence of the disease is similar worldwide and is estimated to be 3 new cases per 100000 population in the population under 60 years of age; 125 cases per 100000 population in the over-60 age group.
In addition to dementia, there are clinical conditions characterized by the presence of mild difficulties in several cognitive domains that may or may not evolve into degenerative forms. It is of paramount importance to monitor and intercept these conditions early in order to access the best course of prevention and/or treatment.
Such difficulties may arise in the following cognitive domains:
- Memory: it is possible to experience difficulty in remembering where one has stored personal items; in remembering accurately what happened in the previous days/weeks; in remembering what one was planning to do/buy; in remembering appointments, or new roads and routes.
- Working memory: it may happen that you lose your train of thought, have difficulty with mental calculations or giving change.
- Language: it is possible to experience difficulty remembering proper names of known people and/or streets; difficulty finding "the right word"; latency in finding exact terms during a conversation; difficulty understanding long and complex speeches.
- Attention: it is possible to experience increased fatigue in concentration, maintaining attention for a long time in complex tasks; increased distractibility and difficulty in performing two or more tasks at the same time (risking not completing any of the tasks performed correctly).
- Executive functions: difficulties in solving complex problems and planning daily activities can be noted.
- Praxic-constructive skills: difficulty copying drawings and/or drawing objects from memory.
The Lancet Commission of Dementia in 2020 identified some factors that leave room for prevention and treatment of cognitive issues in general and launched a prevention program, saying that acting on the risk factors could prevent or delay the development of 40 percent of dementias.
The factors that most influence the development of cognitive disorders are age and genetics, but these are clearly uncorrectable factors for the at-risk population.
Modifiable, however, are other factors such as excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, social isolation, depression, hearing loss, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and obesity.
Life Clinic proposes, for those who observe these initial problems, the opportunity to undertake a course of both cognitive and motor stimulation, starting with a neurological evaluation to frame the problem and a Level II neuropsychological evaluation in which all cognitive functions (attention, memory, language, perceptual, visuospatial, and executive functions) will be assessed and any initial cognitive and/or emotional-behavioral difficulties identified.
In line with the evidence demonstrating the validity of cognitive stimulation, the following will be proposed
the opportunity to benefit from an individualized pathway aimed at the enhancement of cognitive skills and the introduction of possible strategies and/or functional aids to the activities of daily living.
Cognitive stimulation is useful alongside physical activity because it has been shown that keeping active also contributes to improved cognitive performance by contributing to the reduction of certain risk factors such as being overweight and by promoting the production of BDNF (neuronal trophic factor).
At Life Clinic, a specialized team of physicians and physical therapists will be ready to accompany the patient throughout this journey to control, moderate, and teach the daily difficulties associated with living with cognitive issues.
