Dementia is a thief. It steals a person’s memory, their ability to reason, to live independently.
As people age and face more medical challenges, it also robs them of something even more basic to survival – the ability to participate in their own recovery, especially from major events such as heart attacks. And that can limit the treatments they receive.
“It interferes with adhering to a medical treatment plan, unless there is someone there to support them,” said Dr. Karen Alexander, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina.
Studies show people with dementia – and even those with mild cognitive impairments – are less…
