Living to 100 Club
by Joseph M. Casciani, PhD In the midst of the doctor’s appointments, forgetfulness, medications, and other setbacks, it’s easy to lose sight of the benefits of getting older. Here’s a short list of the many…
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Neuroplasticity challenges the old belief that the brain is fixed and unchangeable after a certain age. But research evidence now strongly supports the existence of the brain’s ability to restructure or rewire itself. For example,…
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Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis Neurogenesis refers to the process by which new neurons are generated in the brain. This can happen both during development and in adulthood. Neuroplasticity, on the other hand, is the brain’s ability…
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The Story of Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for female education, exemplifies remarkable behavior change in the face of adversity. At just 15 years old, Malala was targeted by the Taliban for her…
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Good intentions are rarely enough to help us reach our goals, whether to improve relationships, lose weight, exercise more, eliminate a bad habit, or finish that project that keeps getting postponed. Behavior change is difficult…
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The following terms may be useful when describing the speech, behavior, or appearance of an older adult as they relate to possible mental disorders. These may be observed in a senior living setting. Correctly communicating…
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Dementia is caused by various diseases and conditions, many with no cure. The table below shows the early symptoms, pathology, and prevalence of four main dementia subtypes, all progressive and irreversible. Type of DementiaEarly SymptomsPathologyPrevalenceAlzheimer’s…
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Problems with memory, particularly for recent events, is not uncommon during the aging process. Many people worry about how serious a case of “forgetfulness” may be. However, in contrast to the types of memory problems…
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Delirium is a state of mental confusion and disorganization. Delirium and dementia are different. This state of mental confusion and disorganization is found in older adults when they are experiencing a sudden or acute physical…
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Depression, dementia, and delirium are colloquially referred to as the “3 D’s”. First, what depression looks like: a) sad mood, feeling worthless, hopeless, and helpless; b) loss of interest, decreased energy, and loss of initiative;…
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Seven Recommended Approaches when Interacting with a Resident Who May be Depressed Recognize symptoms – The older adult population typically does not admit to feelings of depression. Importantly, many are from an era when people…
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These factors should be kept top of mind when assessing for evaluating depression in older adults: Older adults have higher rates of transient, recurring and atypical symptoms of depression (e.g., apathy, multiple physical symptoms and…
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