What is dementia?

Dementia "refers to symptoms of impairment of memory, thinking and reasoning, which eventually render people unable to engage in daily tasks," Cimons writes. There are several types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and mixed dementia.

According to the National Institute on Aging, dementia occurs when brain neurons or nerve cells lose their connection to other brain cells and eventually die. Although some neuron loss over time is expected, the loss is much greater with dementia.

"People lose previously attained function in cognition, like memory, judgment, spatial awareness," said Gill Livingston, a professor of psychiatry of older people at University College London. "It has to be severe enough to affect activities of daily living, like looking after money or shopping or cooking to previous standard, or social functioning."

"Dementia is not normal aging," said Christine Kistler, an associate professor of geriatric and family medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. "Dementia is a disease."

According to Cimons, there are several risk factors for dementia, including:

• Brain proteins and inflammation: In Alzheimer's disease, abnormal amounts of amyloid plaques and tau build up in the brain and disrupt cell function
• Age: Older adults, especially those over the age of 65, are at a higher risk of dementia
• Family history: Having a parent or sibling with dementia increases your risk of also developing the disease
• Genetics: So far, researchers have identified around 30 gene variants associated with dementia
• Environmental factors: Some research suggests that air pollution, toxic metals, pesticides, and vitamin D deficiencies may increase dementia risk
• Injuries: Traumatic brain injuries and strokes may increase the risk of developing dementia
• Hearing loss: Some researchers believe that since hearing loss can lead to social isolation, it may raise the risk of dementia
• Down syndrome: Many people with Down syndrome will develop early-onset Alzheimer's by middle age

Currently, over 6 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, including around 200,000 people under the age of 65 who have early-onset Alzheimer's. According to CDC, the number of people with Alzheimer's in the United States is expected to grow to 14 million by 2060.

How to reduce your risk of dementia

There is no way to prevent dementia, and as dementia rates continue to increase, health experts recommend that people take steps to reduce their risk of developing the disease early on.

In a 2020  article  published in The Lancet, researchers made several recommendations to help people reduce their risk of dementia, including:

• Be physically active throughout life
• Keep blood pressure and diabetes under control
• Quit smoking
• Reduce obesity
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Avoid air pollution
• Be socially engaged with others

In addition, some health experts point to a growing body of compelling  evidence  that suggests certain diets may benefit an aging brain. Some key elements of a "brain-boosting" diet include leafy green vegetables, colorful fruits and vegetables, fish, and nuts, whole grains, legumes, and olive oil.

"I don't think there are miracle foods, but, of course, it's really good to eat the fruits and vegetables," said Allison Reiss, a member of the medical, scientific, and memory screening advisory board at the Alzheimer's Foundation of America.

Separately, some research suggests that being vaccinated against certain viruses, including influenza, may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. In one study, researchers found that three annual flu vaccinations reduced the risk of Alzheimer's by 20% over the next four to eight years, and six vaccinations reduced the risk by 40%.

"Although behavior change is difficult and some associations might not be purely causal, individuals have a huge potential to reduce their dementia risk," the authors of The Lancet  article wrote. (Cimons, Washington Post, 6/2)

Memory care costs the healthcare industry billions of dollars each year, and costs will only rise as the population of older adults grows. But it will take large-scale changes to our healthcare system and reimbursement modes to manage those patients and lower costs. Read on to learn the hard truths that make this space difficult to change — and opportunities in the memory care patient journey that increase collaboration amongst stakeholders to improve outcomes and sustainably care for these patients.