Dementia Myth Busters – The Most Common Myths Explained Part 2

Hi everyone. Welcome back to the truth, lies

and Alzheimer's show. I'm Lisa Skinner, your host, and today I

am presenting part two of my myth busting segment. We did

part one went over a lot of the myths that are have been

circulating for decades around Alzheimer's disease and

dementia, and today I'm presenting part two, and I've

got quite a few more to to go over with you. So let's go all

right. Number one myth for part two, dementia is an emotional or

psychological problem, not a brain disease. I've been hearing

this for decades. A lot of people actually think this is a

mental health condition. It's not. This is an actual disease.

So the truth is that dementia is primarily a brain disease with

neurological changes through mood and behavior. Though mood

and behavior are closely linked and can be affected. So it's

misleading, because it does confuse neurological and

psychological aspects. Take away from this is to treat both brain

health and mental health as part of the care plan. So let me just

elaborate on that for a second. It's very, very common for

people who live with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia,

like one of the other 100 known brain diseases that causes

dementia, and a huge majority of people who live with Alzheimer's

disease suffer from depression. Well, depression falls under

psychological mental health, but it's being caused. It's it's one

of the results of the damage being done to the brain from the

brain disease. So that just kind of clarifies that another myth,

children and teenagers don't need to worry about dementia.

It's an older person issue. The truth is that there is a rarer

form of Alzheimer's disease known as early onset dementia,

and can affect younger family members, and genetic counseling

or family planning decisions may arise for some families. I

recently, probably in the last three or four months, heard of a

person as young as 19 years old, the youngest person ever to be

diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease 19 years

old. So it really can impact anybody at any age. Why that's

misleading? Because it minimizes family impact and genetic

considerations. So what can we take away from this? Awareness

and planning may be relevant for some families another one.

Dementia is untreatable. Nothing can slow it down. That's not

true. Some interventions can slow progression or improve

symptoms temporarily, especially with early diagnosis and

comprehensive care, medical management, cognitive strategies

and or physical activity. That's misleading, because it implies

that it's inevitable that if somebody develops Alzheimer's

disease or one of the other brain diseases that causes

dementia, that there's nothing anybody can do. Takeaway with

for that one is to implement early and proactive care

matters. Another one only doctors can help. Nurses and

therapists aren't essential in a care plan. But the truth of the

matter is that a multidisciplinary team that

includes nurse practitioners, social workers, occupational or

physical therapists, dementia specialists, psychologists are

all often crucial for a comprehensive care plan that's

misleading, because it really understates a team based

approach to care. There's so many factors that are involved

in day to day living, and it takes a village to cover. Every

aspect of it. So the takeaway try to build a care network that

includes diverse professionals. That stands for reason. Dementia

is a single disease. There aren't different types. False.

Dementia is a broad category. It's not even a disease. It's an

umbrella term used to describe and refer to the sign symptoms

and behaviors that result from the damage being done to the

brain. There are many causes. Alzheimer's disease, vascular

dementia, Lewy body dementia, Frontotemporal dementia, those

are just some of the more common ones we hear about. But each of

them has a distinct has its own distinct features and care

needs. The other thing that's contrary to this statement. Myth

is that people can actually live with more than one brain disease

simultaneously. Maybe they have Alzheimer's disease and vascular

dementia happening exactly at the same time, and each one is

damaging different parts of the brain that's actually more

common than people realize. So it's misleading because it over

simplifies the diagnosis and the management of these conditions.

So what can we do have accurate subtype awareness guides to

treatment and planning, another myth that hearing loss has no

impact on dementia risk, and the truth is, unfortunately, that

hearing loss is associated with a very high risk of developing

dementia, but if it's addressed and treated and managed like

with hearing aids, that the impairment may support cognitive

health and communication and that's misleading, because It

overlooks completely dismisses that it's a modifiable factor,

meaning that it can be managed and treated, and would negate

that from being a really, really, really high risk. It's

one of the highest risks. Takeaway to that is that regular

hearing checkups and hearing aids will be extremely

beneficial for people with hearing loss. Next one dementia

always starts with obvious memory problems. Well, the early

symptoms can be subtle and vary. You'd notice changes in

behavior, language difficulties, confusion, top down planning

issues, some people first notice changes in executive function or

in their personality. That's misleading because it

misattributed tributes, the earliest signs to memory alone,

a takeaway for that is be attentive to a broad range of

cognitive changes. It's said right there in the different

types of brain diseases that cause dementia, that each one

comes with distinct features and care needs. That's very true. So

if you've had a head injury, you will definitely get dementia.

That is a myth that's been circulating around for a long,

long time, especially pertaining to professional football

players. But the truth is that head injuries can and do

increase risk of developing dementia, especially with

repeated injuries or severe trauma, but they do not

guarantee that a person will develop Alzheimer's disease or

related dementia again, that's misleading, because this one

also implies inevitability. So what you can do is make sure

that you protect your head health, seek prompt care for

injuries and manage vascular risk factors. Another one,

dementia is a punishment or a consequence of a person's

personal failings. I've heard this one for

years. The truth is

plain and simple. Well, dementia is a medical

condition with biological roots, stigma and blame just end up

harming families and patients, because it's absolutely not

true, and the obvious misleading statement there is it

stigmatizes and blames victims. The takeaway is to promote

empathy for the person, educate others and use respectful

language. Next one. You can diagnose dementia accurately

with a single online test. No, that doesn't happen. Online

quizzes and self assessments are not diagnostic tools everybody.

They may indicate concern, but it definitely requires clinical

evaluation, and that's misleading, because it creates

false certainty. So what do you want to do about that? See,

you're a clinician for a thorough assessment. This is not

the Reader's Digest version of diagnosing dementia. There is no

Reader's Digest version. Another myth that I want to bust is that

all dementia symptoms are the same across people and again, so

many people in the 30 years that I've been working with families

have fallen prey to the false belief that it only causes short

term memory problems and confusion. No, no. The symptom

profiles do vary widely with different people, so person to

person. Some could have prominent language issues.

Others, they can have Visio spatial problems. They can have

fluctuations in alertness and or personality and behavioral

changes. That's misleading, because it promotes a uniform

symptom picture, that's been my argument for decades. So what

can we do about that, to improve that situation, assess and

tailor care to the individual's unique presentation, aka person

centered approach to dementia care. Dementia cannot be

discussed openly. It's got to be kept private. Well, the truth is

that open conversations reduce fear, encourage planning and

improve access to support and care. Enough said about that

one, and it's misleading because it perpetuates stigma and

secrecy. So what can we do? Just keep encouraging Honest dialog

and love with loved ones and clinicians, and that's been

absent from the dementia world for way, way, way too long. Next

one exercise is only good for physical health, not for

cognitive health. And the truth to that is that regular physical

activity does support brain health, can slow cognitive

decline and improves mood, sleep and overall functioning. As a

matter of fact, I read something recently that said implementing

3000 steps per day can increase our cognitive health seven times

than not doing 3000 steps per day. That's pretty significant.

So it's misleading, because it underplays the cognitive

benefits of exercise. So the takeaway is, include aerobic and

strength training activities as part of a care plan. Next myth

Dementia Care is only about medications. The truth is that

non pharmacological strategies, including environmental

modifications, regular routines, communication strategies and

techniques and increase social engagement are central to

quality of life and safety. It's misleading because it minimizes

the value. Of holistic care, and the takeaway is to prioritize

care planning that combines medications with supports next

one, once a dementia diagnosis is made, the prognosis is

identical for everyone? Well, I guess it depends how you look at

that one, but the truth is that prognosis is highly

individualized while they're going through the progression of

the disease and influenced by comorbidities. So in other

words, other medical conditions, the support systems that they

have and their access to care. And that is misleading for

obvious reasons. It assumes uniform outcomes for each

individual person, which is not the case. Takeaway to that is to

use personalized planning and regular reevaluation next

dietary changes alone can prevent dementia. Well, the

truth to that, and this is factual, that diet is a factor

among many to reducing a person's risk of developing

Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, but no single diet

guarantees prevention. Healthy Eating supports overall brain

and body health. That's misleading, because there is no

single diet that's a cure. Again, there is no cure, but a

proper diet has been found to reduce risk of developing

Alzheimer's disease. So the takeaway try to focus on overall

healthy lifestyle patterns, rather than a single superfood.

I will remind everybody, because I have discussed this in

previous episodes, the two worst foods we can eat that can raise

our risk of developing Alzheimer's disease are ultra

processed foods and processed foods. But does that mean that

if you eat a fast food hamburger every day of your life, you're

going to get Alzheimer's disease? No, it does not, and I

wouldn't want anybody to believe that. So I'm busting that myth

right here and now, but it does increase a person's risk.

Another myth people with dementia should not engage with

digital technology. That's kind of a new one for me, but the

truth is, many can use and benefit from simple, accessible

technologies like video calls to help with isolation, loneliness,

depression, reminder apps and safety devices to stay connected

and independent, and that's misleading, because it assumes

blanket limitations. So the takeaway to that is, yeah, go

ahead and introduce user friendly technology with

supports and training depending on the needs of your person,

couple more here. Dementia only affects memory in the elderly.

Other cognitive domains are unaffected. Gone over this one

before, but I'm going to reiterate it because it's

important. It's been a long held Miss belief other domains,

including language, attention, executive function and Visio,

spatial skills are also affected. Not everybody. Depends

what the brain disease is, but they are all very common

symptoms, and it's misleading, because it understates the

breadth of the symptoms that are related and associated and

accompany dementia. So a comprehensive cognitive

assessment is important, isn't it for that very reason, there

isn't anything special to consider for cultural or

language differences in dementia care.

Well, the truth of that statement is that the cultural

background. Language and beliefs influence a person's

preferences, care decisions that are made on their behalf and in

what communication strategies, tips and techniques you might

use, culturally competent care improves engagement and

outcomes. I've seen that happen. I really like that one, and it's

misleading again, because it assumes a one size fits all

approach, so respect cultural and linguistic needs, identify

them in your person involve interpreters or cultural

liaisons as needed. And that's it for part two of busting myths

about living with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. I know

there's a lot, but my gosh, that's a lot of false

information out there. We've just covered probably close to

50 of them, and it just blows my mind at how long these things

have been around, and that people believe, actually

believe, a lot of this information, and it impacts

everybody as a result, especially the people who were

caring for and that we love. So I hope this has been really

valuable for you and very helpful and that you'll take

away a lot of the disinformation that exists out there and focus

on what we know to be fact. So that concludes today's episode

of the truth lies and Alzheimer's show. I'm Lisa

Skinner, your host. Gentle reminder for everybody, if you

have a minute, please check out our website at minding

dementia.com, we're always updating information, adding

resources to help you through the dementia world, to navigate

it a little easier with less stress. So we'll be back next

week with another new episode, and in the meantime, please try

to have a happy and healthy week ahead. See you next time bye,

bye.