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Showing Original Post only (View all)Opinion: What a doctor sees when Joe Biden hesitates [View all]
As a geriatrician, I discuss the effects of aging with patients every day. I wish I had a chance to give my usual talk to everyone who chortles or tears their hair out about President Bidens fitness for his job.
First, memory. I explain to patients that there are three components to consider. One is formation. Then storage. And finally, recall. The most common issue among seniors is slow recall. This is the familiar tip of the tongue phenomenon, when a word seems to hide or a name wont come to mind. You know the name, its in your bank of memories, it just cant be accessed quickly. Given time, it usually arrives. This problem, called age-associated memory impairment, often starts for people in their 30s and gradually progresses. Its a nuisance but not disabling. If, like me, you find yourself using the term whatchamacallit, you probably have it. Dont worry, youll be fine.
Alzheimers disease, the most common cause of dementia, is a different story. Those affected lose the ability to store new memories. They can still access old memories in their memory bank and may recount events that occurred decades ago. But they cant tell you what they had for breakfast because that never entered the memory bank. (I reassure my patients with age-associated memory impairment by asking whether they remember their breakfast. They do.)
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Fortunately, President Biden shows no signs of Alzheimers disease. At news conferences, he references new events and obviously creates new memories efficiently. He speaks slowly and pauses to find words like others with benign age-associated memory impairment. These issues are exacerbated by a chronic speech impediment. Biden has struggled with stuttering since childhood, and remnants of the condition have long been apparent in his speech.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/opinion-what-a-doctor-sees-when-joe-biden-hesitates/ar-BB1jtR5j?ocid=nl_article_link