![]() Late adulthood begins in the 60s, when life begins to come to its natural conclusion. Some older adults suffer from biologically based cognitive impairments that it becomes difficult for the person to continue to function effectively. Dementia, a progressive neurological disease that includes loss of cognitive abilities significant enough to interfere with everyday behaviors, is an example of a cognitive impairment. More specifically, the Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that leads to a loss of emotions, cognitions, and physical functioning. The disease can be seen in individuals who are 65 and older, and the likelihood develops rapidly after age 65. One in 10 people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease, and according to the figure, the percentage of people with Alzheimer’s disease increases with age. Here, we can see that people who are 75 or older contain 82 percent of the whole. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are in part heritable, but the environment also plays a significant role. Although Alzheimer’s has no current cure, treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Older adults who continue to keep their minds active by engaging in cognitive activities, such as reading, playing musical instruments, attending lectures, or doing crossword puzzles, have a lower risk of developing a loss of cognitive ability and have a greater chance of maintaining a healthier mental capacity.
1 Comment
Interested in psychology
11/7/2017 01:38:31 pm
This is really cool, I am glad you wrote about this. I have heard of people developing apps to help people with this; do you think people with demential or Alzheimer’s could relearn what they forgot?
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