How MCI differs from dementia

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Mild cognitive impairment is a hard thing to live with — and a hard thing to even understand, for that matter. Unfortunately, doctors often add to the confusion, by not explaining it well to their patients. That's why it's always welcome to hear from a doctor who can explain MCI in a clear way, and help people understand what it is and how it differs from dementia. In today's video, I share the insights of one such doctor, Dr. Jo Cleveland of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, including her list of the four "major red flags" that can signal when MCI may be progressing to dementia.

Here is a transcript of today's video:

There's a lot of confusion out there over what MCI is and what dementia is, and what the difference between them is and how you can tell?

And it's not just the people with MCI who are confused. Doctors often add to the confusion. Either they don't seem to quite understand it all that well themselves, or they do a poor job of explaining it.

So when you come across a doctor who can really cut through the confusion and explain this in a simple, understandable way, that's a really good thing.

Which is why I want to share with you something I saw last week from Dr. Jo Cleveland of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Not only does she lay it out there clearly, but she goes on to explain the four red flags that can help show when MCI may be progressing to dementia, and that's a good thing to know.

If you watch these videos I do every week, you know that I am not anti-doctor. I am always encouraging you to be a partner with your doctor in health. If have a good doctor who really understands MCI and does a good job of communicating it to you, you are really fortunate.

In my experience, rarely does a person walk out of the doctor's office having just been diagnosed with MCI and say, OK that was really hard to hear, but at least I clearly understand what I'm dealing with and I know what I need to do to cope with it.

Which is why I'm always glad to come across a doctor like Jo Cleveland, who is a geriatrician and the medical director for the Healthy Aging and Brain Wellness Clinic at Wake Forest Baptist.

She's the subject of a helpful article published the other day where she clearly explains the three degrees of memory loss, from:

The short-term memory loss

To mild cognitive impairment

To dementia

But I also wanted to share a few key take-aways with you here today.

First, she says, don't think of these as the stages of memory decline, because that implies that each leads to the next, and that's not necessarily so.

The second takeaway from Cleveland's article is that Cleveland says there are gray area where it's hard to tell, so yes, that does add somewhat to the confusion.

“In early MCI you’re going to be a lot like a person with normal aging memory loss, and in late MCI you’re going to be a lot like a person with dementia,” she says.

Ub Takeaway 3: She explains what some of the important differences are between MCI and what's normal, age-related short-term memory loss.

They include:

The memory loss is more pronounced.

Language problems are more common.

People with MCI also might need more help with a multi-step process like planning a trip.

The fourth takeaway is one that I hadn't previously heard explained quite this way. She identifies what she calls the four "major red flags."

“Four things – money, medications, meals and mobility, by which we mean driving -- are major red flags that I talk to patients and families about,” Cleveland said.

“If someone is starting to have trouble with one or more of these they need to be evaluated.”

But again, it's important to remember that most people with MCI don't progress. Many are able to halt their memory loss and stabilize at MCI, and some improve or even return to cognitively normal.

I wish every person with MCI had a doctor as wise and helpful as Dr. Cleveland. At the very least, anyone can benefit from what she has to say, and the link to the article is below.

I encourage you to read it, and I hope to see you again next week. Until then, as always, be kind to your mind.

This site is educational, and is not intended as medical advice. It offers information about lifestyle choices that have been proven to help protect cognition. Always consult your doctor before making changes that can impact your health.