Tilda’s Story
Memory Protection at Any Age
Anxiety, Falls, Sleep, B12, and High Blood Pressure
Tilda was in her 89th year and loving it. She was living as she’d always wanted - on her own, without help, keeping to herself as someone who had always liked being alone.
She had taken steps over the years to protect her brain and body, including:
Walking every day
Eating a relatively healthy diet
Doing crossword puzzles and other things to keep her mind active
Watching dementia prevention advice on late-night TV.
That’s why she was a bit irritated when her family doctor suggested she meet a geriatrician. Her nieces had noticed just a few memory slips here and there, and were worried about her still living on her own.
What Did We Discover?
Her main risk factors for memory problems were:
1. Recent fall and head injury
About 2 years ago she had a major fall down the stairs in her home. She was up at night, walking in the dark, and missed a step. She broke both of her wrists and needed 16 stitches in her head.
Ever since then, her memory was probably a bit worse than before.
As well, despite watching brain protection shows on late-night TV, there were actually many other things that Tilda could be doing to protect her mind. These included:
Improving her blood pressure
Replacing her B12
Getting 7 hours of sleep
Starting a new hobby
How Did We Achieve These Goals?
1. Fall Prevention
This became our number one target. Another big fall like that and she might have permanent memory problems, or even break a hip, which would almost guarantee she’d need to move.
We set up:
An occupational therapist visit to her home to look for ways to prevent falls (free through the government)
A physiotherapist program for balance, flexibility, and strength
Start taking Vitamin D 2000units to protect her bones
Talk to the dietician about ways to increase her calcium intake naturally
2. Blood Pressure
Everyone needs a different target for the top number of their blood pressure. For Tilda, between 120-130 become our goal.
We agreed to try:
Nutrition and exercise (the dietician and physiotherapist)
If this didn’t improve her blood pressure naturally in about 3-6 months, we’d start a medication like Ramipril 2.5mg, 1 pill daily
3. Replace Vitamin B12 levels
Even if Tilda improved her diet, it is hard for people over 65 to absorb enough B12 in the body because we naturally lose our “intrinsic factor” (which is required to absorb b12 properly).
The simple fix was:
Start taking B12 1000mcg, 1 pill daily
4. Get 7 hours of Sleep
Tilda got around 6 hours of sleep, but they were often disrupted. She went to bed a different times depending on what was on TV that night, which meant she sometimes slept in, took long naps, or had trouble falling asleep some nights.
We tried:
Setting a routine bedtime of 11pm for 2 weeks
Setting a routine wakeup time of 6-7am for 2 weeks
One 20 minute nap in the afternoon but not after 5pm
5. Start a Hobby
Tilda didn’t like to do things with other people - which was perfectly okay. She never felt lonely, and she had people to call on if she needed them (which she hoped she never would).
However, she needed to keep her mind active, and her heart inspired.
Being 89 didn’t mean there wasn’t anything left in this world that she’d always wanted to do!
She decided she’d like to:
Learn photography, using her iPhone, and taking an online course for $150 that she found by googling “online photography lessons”
How Did Things Go?
Tilda is now celebrating her 92nd birthday, and still living at home.
Her house is peppered with some of her favourite photographs of the outdoors - all taken by her on her iPhone.
This turned out to be a great way to learn something new, make new (virtual!) friends, and get outside for exercise and sunshine.
She hasn’t had another fall, and feels much stronger walking around. After the physiotherapy sessions, she took what she’d learned and started doing her own exercises at home 3 times a week. She still continues to walk every day (taking pictures along the way).
She didn’t like the sleep schedule - being able to follow her own whims of desire based on what interesting thing was on TV was important to her. Who’s to say this aspect of meaning and joy isn’t providing more benefit to Tilda than 7 straight hours of sleep? Tilda, like all of us, gets to choose what matters most to her.
Lastly, her B12 level is now >300. That was easy.
Congratulations to Tilda on seizing the chance to build & protect her mind at 89 years old.
Together, we’re achieving her goal of living always at home.
Disclaimer: The stories shared on this website are composites of several clinical cases, designed to protect individuals' privacy. They are intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or a reflection of any specific person. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.