Fractal Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 My 65 year old brother is mentally retarded with an IQ between 50-90 (if I recall correctly). His primary care physician, house supervisor (he lives in a group home) and psychiatrist all suspect he has dementia, and he is scheduled for a full-day testing session next month. I have tried to do some research on this subject but see no studies that have been done more recently than the mid to late 1990s. I am having trouble wrapping my mind around the possibility that my brother, who's not much older than me, has dementia. While I admit he seems to be aging "faster" than I, I don't understand why this is so. Why would a mentally retarded individual be at more risk for developing dementia than a similarly-aged "normal" individual? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErlyRisa Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 I s H e A L O N E Everyones always looking for pill formed answers right Loneliness is the quickest ager. Regret (or over use of a particular thought patter/process) also ages luck buggery. Cigarettes: Debatable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fractal Posted June 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 Respectfully, I don't think these possible risk factors necessarily apply to the mentally retarded population in general, or to my brother in particular. "H" is --- or used to be, prior to his fairly recent decline -- an easygoing, affable, sociable gentleman who is well liked by staff and fellow residents of his group home and sheltered workshop. He is not alone, nor is he lonely. He does not smoke (or drink, for that matter). His primary care physician told me that it appears that the mentally retarded population ages faster than the normal population, but he couldn't tell me why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excei Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 This is news to me as well. I have worked in a state home for years with these individuals. I did not notice that they ages any quicker. I actually noticed the exact opposite. They seemed to be very young for their age. I do not know about dementia though. I hope someone can shed some light on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fractal Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 My brother "H" will be going in for an all-day psychoneurological assessment in early July. While I want to know what's really going on with him, I am also dreading the potential diagnosis of dementia. Thinking, emotionally, my brother is young for his age. Physically, not so much. And mentally? Apparently not at all.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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