Improving quality of life for individuals with mild cognitive impairment throughout Northern New Jersey including Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Somerset and Union Counties .
Memory slips – they seem like a common part of aging, but what’s normal and when should you be concerned? Smaller slips are often called Mild Cognitive Impairment, or MCI.
This condition causes cognitive changes. However, these changes are not serious enough to interfere with daily life and therefore, these changes do not meet the diagnostic requirements for dementia. Symptoms typically include misplacing items, having trouble remembering the names of those recently met individuals and being unable to follow a normal conversation. The more extreme the symptoms, though, the more likely it is to be MCI.
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a problem that faces many aging adults, yet is often overlooked as just another part of getting old. This is largely due to the fact that the effects of MCI are less noticeable than Alzheimer’s or dementia. However, MCI can still have an impact on the quality of life of your loved one and puts them at a higher risk of developing a more serious cognitive disorder down the road.
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is defined by the Alzheimer’s Association as a condition which “causes a slight but noticeable and measurable decline in cognitive abilities, including memory and thinking skills.” MCI is one of the stages toward Alzheimer’s, but MCI doesn’t always result in Alzheimer’s. However, MCI does increase the risk of getting the disease.
It is important to note that a person with MCI is at an increased risk for developing some form of dementia. In fact, 20% of older adults suffer from MCI and increasing age is the most well-known factor. However, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, some with MCI do not get worse and could even improve their condition.
If we view dementia as a 7 stage process with stage 1 having no cognitive problems and 7 having severe, this would be considered stage 3. It is typically the initial stage of forgetfulness, by and large noticeable only to loved ones.
There are two types of MCI: