Cross Train Your Brain

For the last few years, the most popular choice when I hit the speaking circuit is my “Cross Train Your Brain” talk. As the world gets older, and more of us are exposed to a loved one or acquaintance touched by dementia, fear of developing the dreaded condition is on the rise.

In 2014, a company in the United Kingdom (www.saga.co.uk) polled individuals to determine which diseases they feared developing the most. Dementia topped the list, followed by cancer and then lastly heart disease.1

But wait a minute … Are you thinking what I am thinking? Patients aren’t afraid of the right thing!

The current leading cause of death in men and women 65 years and up is heart disease, claiming the lives of almost 25% of those who die each year (if you add stroke it’s closer to 33%). Cancer of all types is next claiming about 20% to 25%, and dementia is the fifth leading cause of death.2,3 I know developing dementia is a frightening thought for anyone, but of the three conditions surveyed, heart disease is the most common, has the greatest potential for risk management and effective treatment, and when treated has been shown to decrease the risk of dementia.4

Fear is a strong motivator. We’ve all see fear lead patients to make positive lifestyle changes, but let’s be sure our patients understand correctly what they should be afraid of. Encourage all of your patients to learn about their risk for heart disease. For those who adjust any risk factors they have, remind them that decreasing their chance of having a heart attack or stroke will pay dividends in many other ways. In addition to keeping their heart healthy and staying physically able, they will be keeping their brain healthy and decreasing their risk of dementia.

In honor of February and the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” month, let’s also educate patients about the unique symptoms women can have when suffering a heart attack. For anyone with these symptoms, getting help quickly is vital.

Men
Chest pain/pressure that comes and goes and may be associated with nausea, lightheadedness and is brought on by physical exertion.

Women
Women may have the typical symptoms of chest pain/pressure that comes and goes, but may also have these atypical symptoms: flulike syndrome, shortness of breath, nausea, pain in back or jaw, dizziness, feeling of anxiety or fatigue, and heart palpitations. Symptoms may be brought on by emotional situations.

— Rosemary Laird, MD, MHSA, AGSF, is a geriatrician, executive medical director of senior services for Florida Hospital at Winter Park, and past president of the Florida Geriatrics Society. She is a coauthor of Take Your Oxygen First: Protecting Your Health and Happiness While Caring for a Loved One With Memory Loss.

References
1. Older people are more scared of dementia than cancer, poll finds. The Telegraph. August 4, 2014. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/elder/11008905/Older-people-are-more-scared-of-dementia-than-cancer-poll-finds.html

2. Leading causes of death by age group, white females — United States, 2013. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. http://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod/2013/womenwhite_2013.pdf

3. Leading causes of death by age group, white males — United States, 2013. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. http://www.cdc.gov/men/lcod/2013/whitemen2013.pdf

4. Kennelly SP, Lawlor BA, Kenny RA. Blood pressure and dementia — a comprehensive review. Ther Adv Neurol Disord. 2009;2(4):241-260.