January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. There has been some good news to start the month! A new drug treatment for dementia has been given fast approval by the USFDA.
U.S. health officials recently approved #Leqembi, a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug that modestly slows the disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it for patients with Alzheimer’s, specifically those with mild or early-stage disease.
The key point here is that the drug #Leqembi is administered when there is a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, which is the precursor to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The drug reportedly delays the severe effects of dementia but does not cure it.
Early detection and early intervention are essential. Let’s focus more attention on prevention, screening, and EARLY detection of dementia.
There is a growing body of research that provides hope. There are specific actions that can be taken to more effectively delay and possibly prevent dementia. There are 12 potentially modifiable risk factors. If all of these risk factors could be modified, up to 40% of cases of dementia could be delayed or prevented.
Know and manage the 12 modifiable risks, listed below.
- High blood pressure
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Lack of physical activity
- Lack of cognitive stimulation
- Obesity
- Depression
- Alcoholism
- Social isolation
- Hearing loss
- Traumatic brain injury
- Air pollution
Know and observe 10 early signs and discuss with your health professional.
- Memory loss that affects daily activities
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks
- Problems with language
- Disorientation in time and place
- Impaired judgement
- Problems with abstract thinking
- Misplacing things
- Changes in mood and behavior
- Changes in personality
- Loss of initiative
#alzheimers #dementia #dementiacare
For more information and resources on dementia prevention visit www.hopefordementia.org
See the BIG picture. Focus on what’s important.
theBIGpicture Camille 