Ask Dr. K: Coping with cognitive impairment

DEAR DOCTOR K: My father’s doctor says he has mild cognitive impairment. What does that mean?

DEAR READER: Mild age-related memory loss – “Where did I leave my keys?” – is normal. But people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have memory loss and/or trouble thinking that are more persistent and severe than normal.

There are two types of MCI. Amnestic MCI involves memory loss. People with non-amnestic MCI have problems with other cognitive functions. They may have difficulty finding the words to express themselves. Or they may have trouble concentrating on a task, or in figuring things out, like how to replace the battery in the remote. Some people have both types of MCI.

MCI differs from normal, age-related memory loss in the kind of information a person forgets. With normal memory loss, people tend to forget things that aren’t terribly important to them. They might forget the name of a casual acquaintance, for example. With MCI, a person may not be able to learn and retain important new information. They may not remember the name of the new president of the company they work for. Or they may forget about the upcoming wedding of a family member.

On memory tests, people with amnestic MCI have more trouble remembering the details of pictures they’ve just seen or paragraphs they’ve read. Their memory difficulty is comparable to that of someone with very mild Alzheimer’s disease.

Some people with MCI remain stable for years. But people with MCI are much more likely to develop dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease.

There is no specific treatment for MCI, but eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and doing challenging mental tasks every day, such as solving crossword puzzles, playing card or board games, and reading can help your father optimize his mental functioning and help stave off other medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, that can further impact memory and thinking.