PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Have you ever lost your car in a parking lot? That actually happens to a lot of us, but if you’ve ever forgotten how you got to the place you parked, that’s a red flag.
“It is really important to know what are the early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s,” said APRN gerontology nurse Amabelle Florendo.
Geriatric physicians and nurses like Florendo can help explain the difference between what is normal aging and what is not.
“So this is not to be confused with forgetfulness, as that is a normal stage of aging,” she said, “… but once it already interferes with the lifestyle, that’s where we know the problem is already starting to arise.”
By interfering with your lifestyle, it means such things as forgetting the date and time, and forgetting regular tasks such as paying bills, cleaning the house or not tending to your personal hygiene.
At Center Well in Hampton, where Florendo works, they offer cognitive screening during wellness visits to determine where a patient is and what they can do about it.
“We can help the senior, or senior citizens, to maintain their cognitive health,” she said, “[so] they can engage in physical activities.”
Socialization plays a huge role in mental health, so playing games like chess or puzzles can also help preserve cognitive function.
Those things, along with maintaining a healthy diet, will also help with prevention if you’re younger, and she said it’s really important to take good care of yourself.
If you are living with or caring for a person with dementia or Alzheimer’s, Florendo emphasizes the importance of patience and understanding, to remember that it’s the disease, not the person, that’s causing the behavior. The Alzheimer’s Association offers a lot of support for caregivers. You can access it 24/7 at alz.org.
