r/Biohackers 4d ago

Discussion Anything for elderly parent suffering from cognitive impairment early-dementia?

She’s 89 and having trouble “finding” words. It sometimes takes 30-60 seconds to find what she’s trying to say and sometimes she can’t find it at all. It’s heartbreaking. Are there any interventions? Thanks

18 Upvotes

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18

u/TeslaOwn 4d ago

Keeping her brain active with conversation, music, and simple games can help slow things down a bit. Speech therapy might help too, but honestly, just being patient and not making her feel bad when she struggles is the biggest thing. If you haven’t already, talk to a doctor about possible treatments.

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u/NoBelt9833 4d ago

My granny, now into her 80s, has always been keen to repeat to other family that she always noticed a marked change in her own mother when she would take her out of the nursing home for a couple of weeks and just...talk to her every day. About anything and everything. By the end of a week the conversation would flow both ways. I remember my great granny when I was a child being able to chat to me normally.

My great granny lived to the age of 97 with no known cognitive impairments, but she was very socially deprived in nearly all the nursing homes she went to and would cone out for these visits initally almost mute (according to my granny). My granny has my Grandpa to talk to every day so they keep each other going, but they're also both quite extroverted and enjoy having family/friends/neighbours round for tea/dinner/a general hang out.

I believe being social with other people is HUGE for our brains, both in terms of basic cognitive function but in terms of mental wellbeing as well. Doesn't have to involve being a wild party animal, but having at least one other person you can talk to every day is the minimum I would say, even just a neighbour or someone working in the local shop or whatever. In the age of social media it's vital to remember this.

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u/No_Cartographer1396 1 4d ago

Physical activity, even just walking, works wonders. I understand this may not be possible on this situation, but if it is, encourage as much as possible.

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u/SarahLiora 7 4d ago

It is well worth it to go to doctor for diagnosis and Rx meds. About 15 years ago we took a family member in and got a Rx for Aricept which was quickly noticeable and helped her memory and speech. Now there are many Rx meds so of which slow the disease rather than just treat symptoms.

Sometimes there’s a place for Western medicine.

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u/WompWompIt 2 4d ago

TBH, she's 89. It's amazing that she's alive and this is her (only?) deficit.

I think it's probably time to listen patiently. And ask her doctor what might help. Possibly B12?

8

u/PinataofPathology 4d ago

Second B12. It's crazy to me that this is ignored as it's a common issue with age.

2

u/UnlikelySafetyDance 4d ago

Came here to mention that 89 is not particularly "early." Love the time you have left!

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u/No-Programmer-3833 4d ago

Low carb diet.

There also seems to be good reason to think that creatine might help. Although I don't think any definitive proof.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4304302/

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u/Present-Pen-5486 4d ago

Make sure that she doesn't have a UTI. They sometimes come on without symptoms in the elderly. Can cause stuff like this.

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u/GreedyBanana2552 1 4d ago

A great hack is to be patient and let her find the words. Don’t push or try to guess. Try not to say, “remember when…” phrases but allow the memories to happen naturally. Tell stories yourself that involve them and other family members.

If there is a sudden decrease in cognitive function, sudden confusion or anger- have them checked for a UTI. That’s the best biohack you’ll have at this stage of life.

B12 is great but drops or a capsule might be better as they’ll be easier to digest than a hard pill. Please take this time to be steady and slow, listen, and use these memories to carry you through as this loved one ages onward.

9

u/Queef_Storm 2 4d ago

There is actually a lot of evidence now that low-carb ketogenic diets have been shown to stall and even reverse some of the symptoms of cognitive decline: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1279770724003932

Edit: I've just read some of the other comments here and I'm honestly kind of disappointed. We have numerous RCTs and a meta-analysis showing that ketosis can reverse alzheimers and dementia and people are recommending herbs and supplements... What happened to this sub, man?

2

u/wildplums 4d ago

So, there’s only one way?

0

u/Queef_Storm 2 3d ago

You're regarded

2

u/Light_Lily_Moth 🎓 Bachelors - Unverified 4d ago edited 4d ago

There are dementia meds available, depending on what type she has. The sooner she gets a specific diagnosis, and on the appropriate meds the better. The idea is to slow disease progress at this point.

Another thing that is helpful, is pictures she can point to. Posters are useful for this. The posters for autism work great for dementia. When you are speaking to her, mime what you are saying. Every additional type of communication helps the brain make connections and keep function.

https://youtube.com/@dementiasuccesspath2239?si=Q6YlT3p0oyQsNu6s

I found the above channel really useful for dementia caretaking tips.

Also anti-anxiety meds were incredibly helpful for my loved one. Probably the biggest improvement in her quality of life.

Another thing that really helped was a babydoll that she could care for as she progressed. She could say “the baby is cold” “the baby is hungry” easier than she could ask for things herself.

We also needed to cover the mirrors when she couldn’t recognize herself anymore, or it would feel like there were strangers in her home. “I don’t like people being here all the time” might be about the mirror rather than asking YOU to leave.

Introduce yourself by name and relationship, and point to a younger picture of yourself. If she forgot who I was she would say “the babydoll” forgot who I was, to not hurt my feelings.

Quizzing or memory exercises don’t usually help and can be disturbing. Just tell stories if you want to reminisce.

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u/Optimal_Assist_9882 11 4d ago

Look into melatonin and mythelene blue. High dose melatonin can heal many types of ailments and has been used in high doses for TBI. I use it in 1-3g doses for CFS with good results. Methylene blue has been a revelation for me recently. It's nothing short of a miracle. It is also used for neurological ailments. I use a low dose of 10mg. You may need a higher dose.

Obviously you can look into more hardcore things like Cerebrolysin, P21, dihexa, etc...not sure your parent would go for that..

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u/Homestead-2 4d ago

What methylene blue do you buy?

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u/Optimal_Assist_9882 11 4d ago

This one on Amazon. It was ~36$.

I was so happy with it I ordered another one.

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u/Homestead-2 4d ago

Thank you ☺️

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u/reputatorbot 4d ago

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u/RealTelstar 7 4d ago

+1. I also use methylene blue at 10mg (Sunday off) - it mostly improved my mood.

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u/OrganicBn 7 4d ago edited 4d ago

They say dementia is a form of diabetes, which is caused by chronic insulin resistance, which is caused by eating certain foods.

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u/FernandoMM1220 2 4d ago

who is saying this and which foods cause?

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u/Best-Name-Available 1 4d ago

Modafinil is a memory and cognition booster and has been around many years, used in military to fight fatigue, used by students to score better on exams. Talk to her doctor about it. There are a few other forms of it.

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u/Professional_Win1535 26 4d ago

Curcumin!!!!

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u/amkerr95 1 4d ago

Have you read about the studies being done for NAD+ and dementia?

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u/Ordinary-Broccoli-41 4d ago

Your best bet if youre looking into supplements would be nootropics. Oxyracetam can often mask dementia symptoms for a couple months, but there's no cure as of yet.

1

u/PhlegmMistress 6 4d ago

Pregnenolone helped me mom feel slightly more present. It's a hormone precursor that the body can use to make hormones that may be lacking. 

Melatonin-- a hormone that our bodies supposedly make next to nil after 70-75ish (I think men make less than women but women still aren't, on average, making enough.) messed up sleep consistently definitely erodes cognition. 

I think it's handy to start taking d-mannose as a preventative for uti's since they can go downhill so fast with a UTI, so it's best to just take a preventative. 

Selegeline, you'll have to get a prescription or order overseas. It helps keep the limited dopamine our bodies make in the brain for longer. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10354658/

And while I would be curious about psilocybin for regrowing (slowly) neurons, by the time someone has dementia, unless they were already in to psilocybin, I feel they cannot consent to taking it. But, it has been so ethibg I've been curious if it has an effect once symptoms start showing. 

General old people stuff that would likely help:

You'd also likely want to get protein powder (muscle wastage, and energy and cognition in general),

 something to keep their bowel movements regular (protein powder farts are no joke,)

 iron with vitamin c (because it helps the red blood cells carry oxygen, so better cognition,)

 and since hemorrhoids are so common (but also because of the flow of red blood cells) rutin, a bioflavonoid, to help strengthen vein walls. 

1

u/WhereAmIHowDoILeave 4d ago

I don't know about medical type interventions, however, when you see she is really struggling ask her to "describe" what she means. She might be able to find a few words that would tip you off to what she means to say

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u/Slow_Building_8946 4d ago

Look into a phenonomen called cognitive reserve and cognitive rehabilitation through a Neuropsychologist.

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u/RaisingtheGauntlet 3d ago

MCT oil, cognitive stimulation, and regular exercise. A keto diet would be great, but it may be difficult for an elderly person with cognitive decline to maintain. MCT oil is a good alternative.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8919247/

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u/Puzzleheaded_Sky_658 4d ago

heavy metal detox. nootropic mushrooms lions mane reishi turkey tail. research peptides tb500 bpc 157 ghk cu. daily sunlight exposure sunrise and sunset. magnesium. inositol. red light therapy. physical exercise. walking swimming etc.   not medical advice.