Recognizing Cognitive Decline
Tuesday May 12, 2015 - Jennifer Prell
During the 1980s, then-President Ronald Reagan faced a
barrage of political backlash due to his age. As the oldest sitting president,
Reagan was scrutinized for his absent-mindedness and tendency to forget
names--behaviors often attributed to an older adult, but not one many wanted in
the man running the United States of America. His opponents said he was not of
sound mind, but recent research out of Arizona State University says something
different. Findings published in The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
put to bed the rumors that Reagan’s condition, diagnosed in 1994, had affected
his ability to make decisions while he was in office, but also uncovered
information which can provide insight in recognizing cognitive decline today.
After digging through eight years of tapes from Reagan’s
presidency, researchers found changes in his speech patterns that were linked
to the development of dementia years before he was ever diagnosed. These tapes
revealed that as President Reagan grew older, he used more non-descript nouns.
The word “thing” became more prevalent in his vocabulary and he repeated
himself more often than in the years before.
Because doctors have yet to develop a 100 percent reliable
test for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, it’s important for
older adults and their loved ones to be diligent about watching for early
indicators. Earlier detection means more opportunity to fend off the
debilitating effects of diseases that cause significant cognitive impairment.
From this research, we’ve learned that we may be able to use speech as a tool
to detect dementia as it begins to develop in our older family, friends and loved
ones years before other symptoms are noticeable.
So what should you watch for? Crutch words like “thing,” one
that Reagan used often, tend to take the place of specific names and ideas,
which may be an indicator someone is losing their ability to recall those
words. Relying heavily on memory aids (notes, electronic reminders), forgetting
important dates and asking the same questions repeatedly show signs of
significant memory loss as well. While watching for signs like these isn’t a
failsafe way to detect dementia, if a loved one is experiencing noticeable
changes in speech patterns, it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible.
For a disease that has no known cure, it’s especially
important to educate yourself on the warning signs. Early detection and
management can help individuals retain cognitive abilities for months or years
longer than they otherwise would have. Why not add speech patterns to our
arsenal of tools for detecting memory issues early on?