Nearly 7 million Americans over age 65 are living with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. Intermountain Health geriatrician Dr. Angel Lybbert explains how to understand the disease, when to worry, and what we know about delaying its effects.
“The question that I often get is what’s the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s?” Dr. Lybbert said. “So I like to explain it like dementia is an umbrella term. It’s describing what we see, which is changes in memory or thinking that are severe enough to start affecting your day-to-day life.”
What’s normal — and what’s cause for concern
Aging brings expected physical changes — slower reflexes, graying hair — but changes to mental function can be harder to gauge.
Dr. Lybbert said to look for signs that someone is losing the ability to handle tasks that require complex reasoning.
“So things would be losing your abilities to do things that take higher complex reasoning ability like managing finances or remembering if you took your medications — things that rely on short-term memory,” she said.
Struggling to find the right word or name is normal, especially in a fast-paced world. Lab tests can identify proteins associated with Alzheimer’s, but Dr. Lybbert emphasized that results only matter when paired with symptoms.
“Some people have those proteins and will never have symptoms,” she said. “And so if we tested everyone, there would be some people that have a positive test, but they will never have Alzheimer’s disease.”
How to protect brain health
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but research shows several proactive ways to support long-term brain health.
“Acting earlier, there are things you can actually do to protect your brain health as you get older, as you start to age,” Dr. Lybbert said. “And the foundations are basically… we call them the six pillars of brain health, and that includes physical activity, good diet nutrition, mental exercise or keeping your brain active, social engagement, good sleep practices, and then keeping your health — like your chronic conditions — under good control.”
Some of those pillars remind us the brain is part of the body and influenced by overall health. Others encourage us to keep learning, playing, and connecting with others as we age.