What are the characteristics of cognitive health in older adults that are not included?

The characteristics of cognitive health in the elderly do not include "cognitive function is completely consistent with that of young adults, and there is no age-related decline in memory or reaction speed." This is also the cognitive misunderstanding that most ordinary people are most likely to fall into.

Our team has been doing cognitive screening for the elderly in communities for almost 6 years. We have met at least hundreds of elderly people who are strong and completely cognitively healthy. As soon as they sit down, they blame themselves, "My memory is getting worse and worse, I must be going dementia." When asked about specific symptoms, most of them are forgetting where to put the keys occasionally, taking a few seconds to name unfamiliar people, and learning new smartphone functions. It takes two to three times longer than grandchildren. These are actually cognitive changes caused by normal aging, and they fall completely within the category of cognitive health.

Last month, I met 73-year-old Aunt Zhang at the community screening point in Yuetan, Xicheng. She was so frightened that she couldn't sleep well for a week because she had forgotten to turn off the heat while stewing ribs a few days ago. She always felt that there was something wrong with her brain. We did the commonly used MoCA cognitive screening test on her, and her score was 27, which was completely in line with the health standards for her age group. After careful questioning, we found out that while she was stewing ribs that day, she was videotaping with her granddaughter in the United States at the same time. She forgot about it because she was busy talking. It was not a problem of cognitive decline at all.

Regarding the boundaries of cognitive health in the elderly, there are indeed different voices in the academic community. Some research teams believe that as long as cognitive performance does not affect independent daily life, it can be considered healthy. There are also more rigorous teams that exclude mild cognitive impairment from the category of health. However, the consensus on both sides is very clear: the cognitive level of the elderly is not required to be the same as that of young people in their twenties and thirties. Just like no one requires a 70-year-old to outperform a 20-year-old boy, the aging of the brain is a natural law.

In addition, many people think that cognitively healthy elderly people will not develop Alzheimer's disease. This is actually something that is not included in the category of cognitive health - cognitive health is an assessment of the current state and does not mean lifelong immunity to cognitive-related diseases. Just like people with good cardiopulmonary function now cannot guarantee that they will not suffer from cardiopulmonary diseases throughout their lives. Regular cognitive screening every year is a good way to maintain the state. If you really can't remember what just happened despite being reminded, can't distinguish the year and month, or have lost your way on the road you usually take, don't carry it around and just go to the neurology department for a checkup.