Defining Mild Cognitive Impairment

Do you know what Mild Cognitive Impairment is?

If it is not a term you are familiar with, you are not alone! According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 80% of Americans are not aware of this condition, yet it affects nearly 10 million people in the United States.

Carolyn Fredericks, MD, a Yale Medicine neurologist who specializes in cognitive and behavioral conditions, including dementia describes that “Basically, mild cognitive impairment is when someone has clear symptoms showing changes in their memory or their thinking, but the changes don’t affect their ability to do their day-to-day activities, she says, “that is what distinguishes it from dementia.”

She encourages those experiencing changes in memory and processing to seek medical attention for signs of MCI, which is important because it may be caused by something that can easily be reversed, such as a medication or a medical condition.

Studies have shown that being social and stimulating your mind positively benefits those with MCI.

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Read Yale Medicine’s full article on MCI | https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/mild-cognitive-impairment