- Older individuals are hard to diagnose
ADHD Expert HadarSwersky stated there is no specialized screen tool for elderly folks. The solution is to see how individuals work in their everyday lives. Other psychologists favor screening tools. No training is available for experts to identify and treat what they label “senior ADHD.” He has stated memory clinics indicate that more people seek dementia or mild cognitive impairment if what they have is undiagnosed. This problem might get caused by 40% of primary care providers claiming they have never seen an adult ADHD patient.
- The link between ADHD and dementia or moderate cognitive impairment is unknown.
Some of the cognitive symptoms of ADHD are similar to those of moderate cognitive impairment (MCI), and the link between the two is unknown. Because of lifestyle concerns connected to ADHD that influence brain function, ADHD may raise the chance of MCI years later. The judgment is still out on whether it increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to HadarSwersky.
- There are some fascinating commonalities between older ADHD individuals and younger ADHD adults.
Retirees may find themselves in unfamiliar living conditions and may have lost the framework of a job or a routine, much as young adults with ADHD do when they go away to school or move out. Both populations are in danger of developing sleeping and eating habits, and establishing or restoring order to their life can help.One retrospective research of people with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) found that those with ADHD are more likely to develop the illness. According to a 2011 research, 47.8% of individuals with DLB had previously been diagnosed with ADHD, compared to 15.2% of those with AD and a control group (15.1 percent ).
- ADHD affects older women differently than it does younger ones.
Women with ADHD may notice changes in their mid-40s when they enter perimenopause, with alterations occurring around the age of 50. When hormone levels fall, many women claim that they’ve “gone stupid,” according to HadarSwersky. If estrogen levels are low, he says, stimulant medicine may seem ineffectual. He recommended that female patients with ADHD speak with an integrative medicine specialist regarding hormone levels and hormone replacement.
- In retirement, people with ADHD describe a variety of outcomes.
Some folks are happier now that they are no longer working since their executive functions are less stressed. They are unencumbered by structure or demands, allowing them to follow their passions. Some people, on the other hand, suffer poorly. They are socially isolated and have difficulty managing papers, their houses, or clutter. We believe the overarching message we want to portray in Still Distracted After All These Years, the book we want to publish, is that some older individuals with ADHD appear to be prospering while others continue to struggle. We want to look at the contrasts between these two groups to see what older people may do to have more fulfilled lives in their final years.
