The question around Dementia I most often hear in therapy tends to sound a lot like:
"My grandparent had it/my parent had it, so does that mean I'm next?"
Usually it comes more as a statement of fact than a question. Like those sitting before me are absolutely SURE they’ve been dealt a bad hand in the game of life. Sometimes, it’s never actually said at all, and it’s up to me to address the elephant in the room…
Are you worried you’re going to get it too?
If you’re not familiar with Dementia, yay! But also, I’m glad you’re here because more people need to know about the neurodegenerative disorder that will affect 1 in 10 Americans aged 65 or older. 1 in 10!
Maybe you’re not as familiar with “Dementia”, but you know what Alzheimer’s Disease is. Or maybe you don’t know what either is?
Well, to begin, Dementia is a general term for disease or diseases that cause memory loss, loss of functioning, and various other progressively destructive symptoms. It’s a sad, heinous disease. Alzheimer’s Disease is one type of Dementia.
Alzheimer's Disease International reports that there are more than 100 various types of Dementia, with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Vascular Dementia making up 90% of the cases. 😲
This is why people tend to recognize Alzheimer’s, but are more unsure when they hear “Dementia.”
If you’re sitting there wondering “What’s Vascular Dementia?” Don’t worry, I’ll cover that in another post. In the meantime, let’s get back to the burning question…
'If my grandparent had it or my parent had it or my aunt/uncle/cousin/brother from another mother had it… does that mean I’m going to get it?'
The short answer is… *drum roll please*…..
No. No, you’re not.
Phew! Does that bring you some relief? I hope so! Now, here’s the long answer…
Just because your family member had Dementia does not automatically increase your risk for inheriting Dementia as well.
Let me say that a little louder for the ones in the back:
Just because a member of your family or multiple members of your family have or had Dementia does NOT automatically mean you are going to inherit it too.
so, how will i know if I'm at risk for inheriting dementia?
The most common type of Dementia that is passed through genetics is called Familial Alzheimer’s Disease (FAD) and it is RARE. A great way to tell if you or your loved one carries this gene is, well, to look at them! Are they old? Or, older? Are they above the age of say, 60? Then, no, they do not carry the FAD gene, or more scientifically, the genetic mutation.
Now, don’t get me wrong here; this doesn’t mean that you can’t get it (womp womp). It just means that you’re not doomed to inherit it yourself should you have seen this terrible disease somewhere in your elders. What we do know today is that if someone has inherited FAD via a genetic mutation then symptoms can begin to show themselves as early as 30 years old. 😲 We also know lifestyle choices are the biggest contributors to getting (or avoiding) Dementia. More on that in another post.
If you’d like to learn more about FAD or what Dementia looks like when inherited genetically I highly recommend a book called Still Alice by Lisa Genova. It gives a beautifully descriptive POV from the main character Alice who begins to suffer symptoms of early onset Alzheimer’s. You can find the book on Amazon or pretty much any local bookstore.
If you’re not a book person, there’s also a movie made with the same title: Still Alice. It stars Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristin Stewart and it’s very good, although I still think the book is better.
I hope this was helpful. Don’t forget that you’re not alone. <3
And go to therapy!
*Please note: This blog is provided for educational purposes only and should not be used as a replacement for medical advice from a physician.*
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