Wednesday, October 17, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brain Fog, Inattention, or Dementia?
CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson
303-810-1816
Pamela@PamelaDWilson.com
Golden, Colorado, October 17, 2018. Brain fog and a lack of attention are symptoms of an overloaded brain, an inability to focus, and difficulty recalling information. How do we know if we are experiencing brain fog, inattention or dementia? How concerned should we be about momentary lapses of thinking and memory?
Brain Fog. You may have experienced brain fog if you are having a conversation and find yourself searching for a familiar word. In healthcare, we call these lapses senior moments. Years of experience working with individuals with dementia or Alzheimer's disease results in thankfulness of recognition of a senior moment.
Thankfulness that we are able to realize a momentary lapse and have the word pop into our head moments later. Not recognizing the lapse or having repeated and continual lapses might be an indicator of a related medical condition or dementia. If you are an adult child wondering if your aging parent has dementia there are definite signs you can monitor
Inattention. Inattention can be related to selective memory or the inability to focus on multiple tasks. Multi-tasking may be viewed as a positive or negative skill. Persons who are able to juggle projects are prized, however requiring the same person to sit still and focus for an hour or two is an impossible task.
How many times do we say to a spouse, "I told you that?" These forgotten discussions relate to selective memory. We choose to remember information important to us like positive news. Our brain loses information that is less relevant or that we view as less important. "No honey, I don't remember the invitation for dinner on Saturday with your friends that I don't like."
Attention requires the ability to focus on a subject or person for a period of time. Background noise or motion while dining at a restaurant may make giving our full attention to the person sitting across the table difficult.
Talking or texting on a cellphone and running a red-light is another example of inattention. A noise work environment may make focusing difficult resulting in low productivity.
Solutions for inattention are slowing down, being present in the moment, avoid multi-tasking, and placing more effort to be attentive.
Brain Fog Differs from Inattention. Brain fog results from medical condition, stress, and anxiety at a level that results in the brain processing information more slowly. Hazy thinking, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate and a lack of focus are other symptoms.
Looking for solutions? Check out my 5 tips to clearing brain fog by clicking HERE.
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Pamela D. Wilson, MS, BS/BA, NCG, CSA, a National Certified Guardian and Certified Senior Advisor, is a caregiving thought leader, elder care expert, advocate, and speaker. Pamela offers family caregivers programming and support to navigate the challenges of providing, navigating, and planning for care. She guides professionals practicing in estate planning, elder and probate law, and financial planning to create plans to address unexpected concerns identified in her past role as a professional fiduciary. Healthcare professionals are supported by Pamela’s expertise to increase responsiveness and sensitivity to the extensive range of care challenges faced by care recipients and caregivers. Contact Pamela HERE