A few weeks ago, I wrote about a TV ad that asked if President Biden’s claims on the economy were true. dishonesty or insanity,
I wrote, You can’t diagnose dementia from a distance.
came again last week’s debateAnd I started getting trolled.
“You can’t lie about it now. We’ve all seen it,” said a reader named Bob.
What I saw was a man walking stiffly, struggling to keep up and seemed upset At times it seemed as if he was suffering from some sort of disability.
An aging wave is coming to California, and Steve Lopez is riding it. His column focuses on the benefits and burdens of aging — and how some people are challenging the stigma associated with older adults.
Was it dementia?
Maybe, but as I said before, we don’t know for sure. By the way, I’ve heard from other readers who believe Biden has Parkinson’s disease.
I can understand the argument that, regardless of his position, Biden’s fitness to serve another four years is a legitimate concern. But a specific diagnosis can be difficult, in the same way it’s difficult to know whether we’re looking at a pathological, antisocial, delusional or obsessive-compulsive condition in relation to former President Trump’s habitual lying.
Nurse practitioner and dementia specialist Anne Ellett, who runs a consulting company, said the label of an “armchair diagnostician” is unhelpful and insulting. memory care aidShe believes Biden looked frail in the debate and suspects he may have some sort of neurological disorder, but even after decades of experience, she couldn’t remotely detect it.
“I hate when people use the word dementia,” Ellett said. “It’s a complex medical diagnosis.”
Actually, dementia is not just one thing. Alzheimer’s Association. According to the , dementia is “a broad term for loss of memory and other thinking abilities that is severe enough to interfere with daily life.” Different types include Alzheimer’s, vascular, Lewy body, and frontotemporal. Doctors make a diagnosis based on a “careful medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and the typical changes in thinking, day-to-day function, and behavior associated with each type.”
And yet the word dementia is used by the general public as a blanket term for anything an elderly person does wrong. It has also become a convenient political weapon, and even Amazon is selling “Dementia Joe” yard signs.
“If someone loses weight or is tired, it would be unkind and irresponsible to say they have cancer,” Ellett said. “There are many reasons other than cancer for slurred speech and misspeaking other than dementia.”
The crowd to watch the debate at Patrick Molloy’s restaurant at Pier Plaza in Hermosa Beach was small.
(J.L. Clendenin/Getty Images)
During the debate, we watched Biden for a good 90 minutes, and it was clear he struggled with words and ideas at times.
But if you’ve witnessed a decline in a loved one, as I have with both parents, you know that changes can be subtle and non-linear, and even doctors can vary in their diagnoses. You also know that temporary changes have specific causes, such as when my mom appeared completely lost in a cognitive fog, only to return to normal once she healed a urinary tract infection.
“Several years ago my mother was concerned about her memory,” he said. Dr. Michael WassermanRecently retired geriatrician Dr. …
Wasserman said that after decades of observing patients with memory loss, and seeing evidence of cognitive decline in former President Reagan while he was in office, he does not think Biden or Trump have dementia.
“One of the normal changes is that the speed at which our brain cells process things slows down. I generally think this is a good thing, preventing us from reacting to others too quickly,” Wasserman said.
Dr. Jean DorioDr. Dorio, a geriatrician in Santa Clarita, has many older patients, and as a house-call specialist, he gets to see patients in an environment that further improves his diagnostic abilities. “I am able to recognize subtle declines in my patients’ physical and cognitive abilities. The key word is ‘subtle,’ because most of the time, the changes associated with memory loss are slow … we have an idea in advance of what the person may face next,” Dorio said.
“When we watch a public figure like the president … we only get a small glimpse into their nervous system … We don’t see how they interact behind the scenes with their family members, friends and people in government.”
For anyone concerned about a loved one’s health, Dorio offers a list of changes to keep an eye out for, ranging from the dramatic (falls, decreased mobility, confusion, balance issues) to signs of gradual decline (forgetting to take medication, poor eating habits, weight loss, lapses in personal hygiene, disruptions in daily routines, decreased driving skills).
“The elderly are most at risk of depression and loneliness,” Dorio said. “Many people experience loneliness as they age and become depressed due to physical and mental challenges.” He added that it may be difficult even for a trained and experienced physician to immediately distinguish between depression and dementia.
There’s no proven cure for the different types of dementia. But early detection, evaluation, and treatment are key. So if you’re noticing the kinds of changes Dorio describes, see a doctor as soon as possible.
You can provide your loved one with the necessary support, but let only a qualified professional make the diagnosis.
steve.lopez@latimes.com
