What is the content of cognitive health education for the elderly?

At present, there are no completely unified standardized items for cognitive health education for the elderly in China. The core focuses on three directions: delaying cognitive decline, early risk identification, and family care adaptation. Different service scenarios will adjust the emphasis according to the needs of the audience. Some voices in the academic circle believe that cognitive-related legal planning and social support resource docking should also be included in the regular content. Most grassroots practitioners feel that it is more pragmatic to prioritize early screening science at this stage, and there is no consensus yet.

I have volunteered as a cognitive science popularizer at a street elderly care service station for three years. Every time I start, I will first dispel everyone's most deep-rooted misunderstanding - "Old fools are really not normal aging." Don't tell me, many elderly people think that forgetfulness and slow response are normal signs of getting older. Last month, 73-year-old Aunt Zhang raised her hand to complain at the science popularization site, saying that she always forgets to add salt when cooking recently, and forgets to pay when she goes to the vegetable market to get vegetables. She also said, "I'm like this It’s not normal to have poor memory as you age.” A simple MoCA cognitive screening was performed on her on the spot, and her score was only 22 points, which was already at the threshold of mild cognitive impairment. She was shocked and said that in her seventies, she had never heard of forgetting things and having to go to the hospital for a check-up.

What I tell the elderly will not be too obscure. I often compare it to everyone. A brain that has been used for sixty or seventy years is like an old mobile phone that has been used for several years. Don’t let it lie idle all the time, and don’t fill it with too many useless junk messages. Usually Chatting with people about new news, learning a little skill, even memorizing new square dance moves, or learning to use a smartphone to shoot a short video and send it to children far away are more effective than spending a lot of money on health care products that are said to be "brain supplements." When someone asks whether deep-sea fish oil and DHA can prevent cognitive decline, I will make it clear that there is currently no clear evidence in the academic community to prove that ordinary healthy elderly people eating these can delay cognitive decline. A balanced diet and half-an-hour brisk walking three times a week will have a more clear effect, saving the elderly from spending money on useless health products.

Oh, by the way, every time we do science popularization, we will leave half of the time for family members. Many family members always feel that the elderly suddenly become stingy, like to hide things, and have no interest in the things they used to do, that is, "the temper becomes weird as they get older." In fact, these are early atypical signs of cognitive impairment. Early identification and intervention half a year ago can greatly affect the subsequent quality of life. Last year, a family member came to listen to the popular science. When he went home, he took his old father, who always said "someone in the family stole my money," to the neurology department for a check-up. It was indeed mild Alzheimer's disease. After more than half a year of intervention, the old man can still go downstairs to buy groceries and play chess with his old friend. If the intervention were delayed until typical symptoms such as getting lost and unable to remember family members' names were delayed, the effect would be much worse.

If there is an elderly person diagnosed with cognitive impairment in the family, we will also teach some practical care skills. For example, if the elderly person cannot remember things or says something that is unrealistic, don’t always try to correct him. For example, if he says that he wants to pick up his adult child from school, don’t directly criticize him. "You are confused and the children have gone to work." Just say "Let's eat a piece of your favorite mung bean cake first and then go later." This can avoid many unnecessary emotional conflicts. These are the experiences gained from clinical and front-line care, and are much more effective than dry theories in books.

Nowadays, the content of science popularization in different places is quite different. Some high-end communities in first-tier cities have already added content such as the guardianship of the elderly with cognitive impairment and how to use anti-lost assistive devices. For service stations in ordinary streets like ours, it is more practical to explain the content of early screening and prevention to the elderly first. After all, the needs of the elderly in each place are different. In our practice, we adjust the content according to everyone's needs. There are no fixed rules and regulations.