Preventive Care That Should Continue After an Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
Early-stage Alzheimer’s is a time to plan, not to give up, says Chin.
“The diagnosis gives us a new lens through which to view the person’s overall health. We still care about blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, vaccines, cancer prevention, dental care, and vision and hearing, but we may change how we prioritize them,” he says.
Chin says the “million-dollar question” to consider when deciding what preventive care should continue is will this care help the person feel better, function better, avoid hospitalization, remain safe, or maintain independence?
Several kinds of preventive care remain especially important because they can affect day-to-day function, says Chin. They include:
Heart and Metabolic Care Managing blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease, and other metabolic health issues can help reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney problems, and other complications that may worsen function or lead to hospitalization.
Vaccines Staying up to date on recommended vaccines — including flu, COVID-19, pneumococcal, shingles, RSV when appropriate, and tetanus boosters — can help prevent infections that may trigger delirium, weakness, hospitalization, or a sudden loss of independence.
Vision and Hearing Care Hearing and vision loss can make it harder to communicate, follow conversations, stay socially connected, and safely move through daily life. Sensory loss can also make cognitive symptoms seem worse, says Chin.
Dental Care Dental pain, infection, trouble chewing, and poor nutrition can affect mood, behavior, comfort, and quality of life. Regular dental care can also help prevent problems that may become harder to treat as Alzheimer’s progresses.
Fall Prevention This can include checking for dizziness or low blood pressure, assessing gait and balance, encouraging safe strength and balance exercises, and making the home safer.
Mental Health and Sleep Care Depression, anxiety, poor sleep, and sleep apnea symptoms can all affect thinking, mood, and daily function. Chin says mental health remains a priority because it is central to quality of life and may contribute to cognitive and functional decline.
Medication Reviews Some medicines can worsen confusion, sedation, dizziness, constipation, or fall risk. Reviewing prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and supplements is one of the most practical ways to prevent avoidable problems.
Some safety conversations may not sound like traditional preventive care, but they can be among the most important, says Chin. These include conversations about driving, medications with potentially problematic side effects, cooking safety, financial safety, firearms if present, home safety, and caregiver stress.
“These are not always thought of as ‘preventive care,’ but they are among the most important ways we prevent crises,” he says.
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