← Return to New to living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

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@tallyguy

I think I posted suggestions on this string months ago. My main one is that you don't have any cognition to lose, so don't waste any. On clutter in the house or at work (if you're still working), on alcohol, on over-stimulation, on stress. The last is hard, but focus on sensory processing, not merely conceptual processing. Give your right brain a workout, esp if your left brain is balky. Go rest and relax, not fight or flee (parasympathetic, not sympathetic nervous system)--tho ultimately you need both to work together, just with the parasympathetic in the lead.

You know by now that MCI describes cognition that fits somewhere, anywhere, between dementia and that which is appropriate for your (advanced) age. When I first got the label 2 or 3 yrs ago--I forget when!--I thought it was another neuro euphemism, like "borderline" without specifying that I was on the border between average and inferior, not average and superior. But I now realize that the failure to specify degrees of cognitive impairment from mild to moderate to severe is due to the inability to measure cognition more precisely. So there's often room for some patient optimism when it comes to MCI, which, as I hope you know, does not invariably progress to dementia.

And as implied in the preceding paragraph, try to keep a sense of humor thru the process. It helps me re-energize after an incident of inattentiveness or failed memory.

Peace.

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Replies to "I think I posted suggestions on this string months ago. My main one is that you..."

Very wise and helpful. Thank you. And you have answered one of my frequent self-questions....how do I know how severe my cognitive impairment is right now?