The world’s population is aging. The number of adults aged 65 and over is increasing, as is the proportion of the population they represent. However, there is a number of myths associated with what happens to our brain and bodies as we age.
1. Dementia Is an Inevitable Part of Aging
Dementia prevalence increases with age. That is, your chance of having a diagnosis of dementia is greater the older you are. But if you are lucky enough to reach old age, you won’t necessarily have dementia. Dementia is a clinical diagnosis that is characterized by impairments in cognition (the way we think) and functional abilities (that enable us to live independently).The major type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, although there are many other types, such as vascular dementia (caused by vascular changes in the brain, such as strokes), frontotemporal dementia (brain atrophy most pronounced in temporal and frontal cortical regions of the brain), Lewy body dementia (related to a particular protein deposit called a Lewy body), and mixed, in which different types occur at the same time.
