Anxious about getting dementia when I’m older

[Stumpedasatree]

Does anyone else feel like this? I am currently fit and healthy, nearing 50, but feel a massive dread of developing dementia when I’m older. I don't know how to minimise my risk either, apart from trying to keep healthy and active.

There are 2 new drugs that should be approved next year in uk which could slow the early stages of cognitive decline. So that’s really positive! Medicine is improving all the time.
https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/17/new-alzheimers-drugs-bring-hope-of-slowing-disease-for-uk-patients

I'm petrified. I've been there with family when they've developed it, it's horrifying what happens. The whole being in a nursing home, forgetting who you are, nope. I'm not doing it. I'm setting an age limit for myself and then I'm going for a walk off a tall cliff.

I already have brain atrophy on MRI and am late 40s

I am doomed

I try not to think about it all

Diet and exercise must help. Also trying to avoid blood sugar/insulin issues and keep inflammation down.

Lions mane mushroom looks like it could be helpful. I don't lose words nearly as often since I started on that.

@Stumpedasatree
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/reduce-your-risk-of-dementia/hearing-loss#:~:text=People%20who%20develop%20hearing%20problems,not%20notice%20it%20at%20first.

The up-to-date research into treatments is promising.

Nonsense

The latest Zoe podcast has some interesting information about the protective effects of weightlifting.

There's a brilliant online course you can take which helps
https://www.utas.edu.au/wicking/preventing-dementia

They also do a course on understanding dementia, I took it years ago and was able to help my dad on his journey.

@ICouldEat Is your advance directive on your medical records? I have no reason to do this as yet but would definitely want one in place if my quality of life gets very poor

@Stumpedasatree hearing loss was explained to us as being detrimental as not being able to hear means part of the brain is not being used. It has a big impact on memory loss/dementia. Unfortunately one of our relatives refused to wear a prescribed hearing aid for years, when we talked them into returning to audiology last year, the aids stopped working and they had to go back!

A few thoughts after living with this with 2 very close relatives for the last 3 years.

Forums can be useful. But beware. Much of then are people (understandably) venting in worst case scenarios. Read too much and caused myself a massive amount of distress. It's not been easy, but it's not that hard. Yet. I regret the time wasted on being so upset.

Medications. There are many different types of dementia. One of my relatives has 2 types. They have done really well on medication for the one that can be treated (Alzheimer' s) the other one (Vascular) can't be.
Last year's media reports of new medicines jumped the gun, in that they're not licensed in the UK yet. Also Memory Clinic Services will have to radically restructure, because patients will be receiving medicines intravenously.
Not all dementia can be treated with medicines, some patients react badly to the medicines that can.

As a middle aged woman who's let exercise slide in the last few years, lifestyle could be better, I'm just trying to eat plenty of veg, keep the junk down.And restart exercise!

Respectfully, these annual cognitive tests-is there a marker on them as to if/when you should see a GP? (Of course if you have any concerns you should...)

I'm just not worrying about it and as a previous PP has said, I will ensure I have an advance directive drawn up so that when it's time, it's time (as it could be for many illnesses.)

I'm sure I read coffee can help prevent dementia

@Boomboom22 that is true of one of my family members half or more of the time, but they can get upset at.Their memory loss and reduced independence. Theyare also able to retain some short term information, funnily enough it's the long term stuff they forget or get a bit muddled. They are able to follow books and board games .
The other relatives short term memory is very gradually getting worse. Again, can enjoy various activities and not repetitive (much.) Amongst early warning signs were odd ways of doing things. Fairy Liquid in the dishwasher at Christmas...Ibiza style Bubble Party in the kitchen 😂

🤣

@TeylaEmmagan I'm so sorry to hear of what you're going through. Don't really know what else to say except I hope you are receiving the best treatment and care, and you have good support. Wishing you all the best ❤️

There’s evidence that being vegetarian can lower your risk but honestly think that it can happen to anyone.

Father in law eats well, red meat, vegetables, he does sudoku, cross words, reads daily, very intelligent man, good social life, had a good career, he’s active, he has dementia. Nobody in his family had it, all lived into their nineties.

He is very hard of hearing and refuses a hearing aid. So he’s entering his own little world.
My uncle has been diagnosed with the early stages and he’s 87, he is receiving treatment for his and responding well.

My grandmother could thrash me at chess or draughts even when she was losing her logic in lots of conversation, struggled to order from a menu and we'd had to disconnect the gas for her own safety.

Yes I’m terrified. My mum did everything you should do no smoking or drinking, ate healthily, exercised, kept learning things through life, kept up her social life etc etc and she still had dementia.
I think sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw irrespective of what you do. Xx

I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. My mum had Alzheimer's and, even though she would forget what she was distressed about 10 minutes earlier, she knew it was something and it caused terrible anxiety and an overarching fear of something not being quite right. She was doubly incontinent and very much aware of having her personal care done by strangers. She was scared and paranoid about someone accessing her home. She was lonely. Eventually she was unable to walk more than a few steps, except that didn't stop her trying. So it wasn't just a case of forgetting the name of the nice woman who lived two doors down and occasionally finding her purse in the fridge. It was an undignified, frightening and relentless decline to certain death and absolutely bloody awful. For her and for me.

Walk and talk. Apparently that’s really good for you. To walk with someone and talk to them.

No one in my family has been diagnosed with it, but it really scares me especially as I have hereditary high bp at 39. I think that puts me at higher risk but it's been being well controlled. I think that will kill me first anyway. If you keep up with hearing checks, keep your mind active and try and maintain a social life and healthy diet and some exercise that's all you can do. Plus hope for the best!

Very similar experience with my mum. The fear and panic at the gradual loss of 'who they are'. People say "you won't know what's happening" but actually lots of people do know because the beginning is a very slow long slide of small things.

Like mum stopped popping to the shops for small items and got the grandkids to do it for her. She said it was because she couldn't be bothered with the walk and at first we believed her. It wasn't till much later we realised she'd got lost on her way home a few times and frightened herself, so her world just got smaller and smaller as she did less and less.

Mum had it for at least 10 years before she had really incapacitating symptoms. By then she'd gone through stages - massive anger, physical and verbal aggression, sulking, losing things, leaving herself notes to remind herself of things, constant forgetting of people, places, dates, appointments, days of the week or 'remembering' but it was all muddled and wrong and then refusing to be corrected, giving her belongings away then claiming it had been stolen, getting massive health anxieties, constantly at the doctor, forgetting to eat or drink for hours, even days. That's all before she went in a home. It's awful and she did know what was happening a lot of the time.

Though for some it can be very fast as well. I know someone who went from busy, intelligent, well educated, travelling the world businessman to in a home not recognising his wife in 6 months.

I genuinely think all this talk of diet, exercise, mental stimulation etc is an exercise in hope over experience. It may stave it off a bit and will help with quality of life as we age, but it won't stop you getting it, if that's what you are destined for. Some will be lucky and some won't. It's a lottery. We are all living so much longer for a start, so more if us will get it. I'm really worried about it but just there isn't much you can do to stop it getting you in the end - or you might not. It's just luck of the draw.

I have a 50% risk of getting a rather nasty genetic linked early onset dementia. Contrary to every one on here I try not to worry about it. My diet is not great and I'm over weight and very stressed. However I have seen horrific deaths of young people and it's just as likely something else will get me first. (My lovely cancer gene instead). Instead I try to be grateful, compassionate and make sure that the time I have is spent positively influencing and being kind. Which sounds sanctimonious but what I'm trying to say is we all have to die. Hopefully not today. But one day. Even those demented show love if you know how to look for it.

I feel the same. My mum died with dementia despite doing daily crosswords, keeping busy, being social - her only marker for decline was losing my dad about eight years before she developed dementia and she started to socialise a lot more after his death (he had been a bit of a recluse).

I'm early 60s and every failure of memory causes me discombobulation. But I do think it will be worse for my kids dealing with me than it will be for me. I need to make sure that all my wishes are written down somewhere, because I don't want my kids to have to care for me should I become as bad as my mum (and her mother before her) became.