Aging and The Mind

I recently watched the movie Still Alice with my beautiful young adult daughter.  The movie is based on a novel by Lisa Genova. The main character Alice Howland, is happily married with three grown children and a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a diagnosis of Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease, Alice and her family find their bonds thoroughly tested. Her struggle to stay connected to who she once was is frightening, heartbreaking, and inspiring.

Being in the third stage of my own life journey and having parents in their mid-eighties, this movie resonated with me.  This woman had a life style that would seem to ward off the disease - exercise, diet, mind games and challenging work.  What she couldn't prevent was genetics, which unfortunately neither could her children.

In the aging process people face developmental challenges with emotional consequences such as retirement, loss of status, reduced physical and mental abilities, loss of family and friends, and the inevitability of death.  It is important to recognize and discuss these challenge with family and friends so that proper diagnosis and medical treatment is received.  Otherwise depression, anxiety, diabetes and heart disease can complicate the mental challenges.

As older adults we need to be advocates for our health and well being and not ignore the signs of impending symptoms.  Often times a word or person's name cannot be immediately recalled due to fatigue and dehydration, however when this happens more frequently, it might be time to take more aggressive action.

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  James 4:14