Dementia awareness can empower us

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month. Almost seven million Americans are living today with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. This number is expected to grow to 14 million by 2060. Increasing our dementia awareness provides opportunities to better understand dementias, get screened, and develop realistic expectations for patients and caregivers. We can also learn strategies to preserve and maintain quality of life, connect with support, plan in ways that honor our values, and empower us with knowledge to address risk factors.

Dementias are not part of normal aging. Dementias are progressive brain diseases causing losses in functioning including memory, learning, attention, reasoning, perception, movement, and communicating. These losses impair and interfere with our activities of daily living.  If you have questions or notice changes in function or daily abilities and want screening for dementia, please contact your VA primary care provider. Referrals may be placed to neurology or neuropsychology for further assessment and recommendations for patients and their support systems. Early assessment may provide comfort when indicating healthy aging or allow for early detection and diagnosis to help us explore treatment options for disease management. It will also help to  maximize quality of life and prepare for the future.

The Sioux Falls VA Health Care System offers additional help for Veterans impacted by dementia. Outpatient Mental Health Service providers may assist with medication management, counseling, and related services. Caregiver Support Program personnel help Caregivers support their Veteran and care for themselves. This team may provide education, groups, listen to struggles, match Veterans and Caregivers with services and benefits. They also help connect to local resources and programs and provide assistance and referrals with progressive needs planning in managing conditions. Caregiver Support can be reached at 605-336-3230, ext. 5080. The Behavioral Recovery Outreach (BRO) Team assists with managing chronic disruptive and distress behaviors related to dementia through non-pharmacological behaviors interventions. Please ask your provider for details about these resources if needed.

Although there is no proven prevention yet, we can address risk factors linked to dementias. Lifestyle strategies that are recommended include the following:  

• Maintain a health weight
• Manage blood pressure and blood sugar
• Eat a health diet
• Keep physically and mentally active
• Manage mental and physical health
• Sleep well
• Engage in social activities and connect with others
• Treat hearing problems
• Stop tobacco use
• Limit alcohol
   

Your VA provider may provide additional recommendations.

While there are no cures yet for dementias, Sioux Falls VA care teams are here and ready to walk this journey with Veterans and their loved ones.

This article includes abstracted information from the CDC, National Institutes of Health, and Alzheimers.gov websites.

About Dementia-U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Alzheimer's and dementia-National Institute on Aging
Alzheimers.gov