By Dr Syamimi Shamsuddin
We often associate dementia with old age. But protecting our brain should begin decades before memory problems appear and many of the choices that keep our heart healthy may also help our brain age better.
“Where did I leave my keys?”
“Why did I come into this room?”
“What was I about to say?”
Most of us have experienced moments like these. We laugh, blame stress, lack of sleep or an overloaded schedule, and continue with our day. But occasionally, a more unsettling thought follows: Could this be an early sign of dementia?
For most younger adults, occasional forgetfulness is unlikely to mean dementia. Being tired, distracted, stressed or trying to manage too many things at once can make anyone forgetful. Dementia is different. It is not simply “becoming forgetful” with age. It is a progressive condition that can affect memory, thinking, behaviour, communication and, eventually, a person’s ability to perform everyday activities independently.
Perhaps, then, young adults are asking the wrong question. Instead of asking, “Am I too young to worry about dementia?”, we should be asking: “What am I doing today to protect my brain for tomorrow?”
This question took on greater meaning during a recent visit to the Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia (ADFM) in Petaling Jaya, where the realities faced by people living with dementia and the families caring for them became particularly apparent.
In Malaysia, the word nyanyuk is still commonly used to describe an older person who becomes forgetful or confused. The problem is that such symptoms may be dismissed as an inevitable part of ageing. They are not.
Dementia goes far beyond occasionally forgetting a name or misplacing a pair of glasses. As the condition progresses, a person may struggle to communicate, make decisions, recognise familiar surroundings or manage ordinary daily activities. And dementia rarely affects just one individual.
When one person develops dementia, the entire family can feel its impact
Spouses and children may gradually become caregivers while simultaneously managing jobs, children, finances and their own health. Some people with dementia also develop behavioural and psychological changes, adding another layer of difficulty to caregiving.
Families therefore need more than medical treatment. They need information, training, emotional support and communities that understand what they are experiencing. Organisations such as ADFM play an important role by providing dementia education, caregiver training and support. But as Malaysia ages, dementia cannot remain an issue addressed only by healthcare professionals and non-governmental organisations. It will increasingly become a societal challenge.
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2018, an estimated 8.5 per cent of Malaysians aged 60 and above had probable dementia. The significance of that figure becomes clearer when viewed against Malaysia’s rapidly ageing population. More older Malaysians will inevitably mean greater demand for healthcare, long-term care, trained caregivers and family support. But where do younger Malaysians fit into this picture?
Younger-onset dementia does exist, although it is relatively uncommon. More importantly for most young adults, brain health does not suddenly become important when we reach 60 or 70. How our brain ages is influenced by what happens throughout life.
We routinely hear advice about protecting our heart. Exercise regularly. Stop smoking. Control blood pressure. Watch our cholesterol. Manage diabetes. Perhaps it is time we paid similar attention to our brain. Interestingly, the two are closely connected.
Regular physical activity, balanced nutrition, sufficient quality sleep, not smoking, and good management of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol contribute to healthier ageing. Keeping the brain active also matters.
Reading, learning a language, acquiring a new skill or simply challenging ourselves intellectually can help keep the mind engaged. Social interaction is equally important. Maintaining relationships with family, friends and the community should not be underestimated as part of healthy ageing.
None of these offers a guarantee against dementia. Ageing and genetics remain important factors that we cannot change. But many influences on brain health are potentially modifiable. The objective, therefore, should not be to make young people afraid of dementia. It should be to make them aware of brain health.
Malaysia must also prepare for a future in which more families will be affected by dementia. That means improving public understanding, reducing the stigma surrounding the condition, strengthening support for caregivers and ensuring that people living with dementia continue to be treated with dignity.
Calling someone nyanyuk and accepting their deterioration as simply “old age” is no longer good enough. Recognising changes early and seeking professional assessment when memory or thinking problems begin to interfere with daily life can make a meaningful difference. So, should young people worry about dementia?
Perhaps worrying is not the answer. Awareness is. We do not need to spend our younger years fearing that every misplaced key or forgotten appointment signals dementia. But neither should we wait until old age before thinking about the health of the organ responsible for our memories, personality and sense of self. The best time to care for our brain is not when we begin losing our memories, but while we are still busy creating them. The choices we make today may ultimately influence not only how long we live, but how well we remember the people, places and moments that make that life worth living.
The author is from the Department of Community Health, Pusat Kanser Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
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