Adult Neurologist- Dementia Specialist, Asian Brain Institute

Asian Hospital and Medical Center

Persons living with dementia (PLWD) struggle with their memory, thinking, and orientation. They are here but not quite—unable to interact like they used to. Despite these changes, they are the same person we care for and love.

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is often to blame. Strokes, trauma, and other neurodegenerative conditions also cause dementia.

Dementia is described as a condition that makes it difficult not only to remember but also to make decisions on the usual things a person does. Consequently, daily tasks and activities become confusing and are eventually abandoned. It’s a neurodegenerative disease, meaning it damages and slowly destroys brain cells and their connections. Thus, symptoms slowly manifest and worsen over months and years.

In aging, memory and brain processes slow down—but seniors should not become forgetful and repetitive. Persistent issues with thinking, memory, and language may indicate mild cognitive impairment (MCI), where individuals can still manage daily activities. When usual tasks become difficult, the condition may have progressed to dementia.

In the early or mild stage of dementia, memory lapses—like struggling to find words or names—appear, along with trouble planning, organizing, and frequently misplacing items. In the moderate stage, patients may become suspicious, forget the date, have sleep issues, lose bladder or bowel control, and need more support with daily tasks.

In later stages of Alzheimer’s, they may forget meals, get lost in familiar places, or ask the same questions repeatedly. Even simple tasks, like basic math for a former accountant, become difficult.

People living with dementia may confuse time, people, and places—believing they are in a past era, mistaking their daughter for their mother, or wanting to “go home” to a former residence.

In the end stage, patients need 24/7 care as they may lose the ability to walk, sit, swallow, or communicate. They often can’t express pain or discomfort, increasing their risk for infections. Still, talking, touch, and music can offer comfort.

While there is no known cure for dementia at present, several lifestyle changes and preventive measures can significantly reduce the risk of developing it. These include regular physical activity, quitting smoking, moderating alcohol consumption, staying socially connected, and addressing environmental factors such as air pollution and head injuries.

A low level of education in early life, as well as mid-life conditions like obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, also contribute to dementia risk. Other contributing factors include depression, hearing loss, untreated vision problems, and elevated LDL cholesterol. Managing these 14 modifiable risk factors through medication and lifestyle changes can help make the brain healthy and resilient, build cognitive reserve, and potentially prevent or delay the onset of dementia symptoms.

Modern medicine allows for ways to manage the symptoms and delay its progression. Early diagnosis is essential to increase the chances of slowing down the disease. Studies have shown that combining the lifestyle modifications above and early medical interventions has beneficial effects on both the patient and the family.

At the Asian Brain Institute of the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, our Brain Wellness and Memory Center provides early diagnosis, care, and management of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. As there is no single test to rule out or diagnose a patient with dementia, effective assessment involves multiple types of tests.

As the only memory center south of Metro Manila, the clinic offers comprehensive evaluation of memory and cognition across all phases—the worried well, the forgetful but functioning MCI, and persons living with dementia.

Workup may involve blood testing (e.g., complete blood count, metabolic panel, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid function), brain imaging (e.g., MRI, CT scan), and neurocognitive assessments that test memory, calculation, language, and other aspects of cognition.

With a team of dementia specialists, clinical psychologists, and psychometricians, patients are thoroughly evaluated for MCI or dementia, its cause, and co-existing conditions like anxiety or depression.

Person-centered care, medications, and holistic management may slow down disease progression. Dementia medications have been observed to slow down progression, and newer disease-modifying treatments offer hope for patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease. Cognitive rehabilitation and occupational therapy, regularly offered at the center, are also beneficial. Music therapy, which may calm the mind and stimulate memory, will soon be available at the center.

No words can describe the struggle of every patient living with Alzheimer’s disease—not to mention the pain, sacrifices, and grief of their families. Support groups are valuable in the journey of the family as they take care of their loved one with dementia. The Alzheimer’s Disease Association of the Philippines (ADAP), through its ADAP Cares program, organizes a monthly online support group meeting with families to discuss issues on carers and caregiving.

Although dementia cannot be reversed, somehow there is hope for families and their loved ones suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease—to create more meaningful memories, to have fewer bad days, and to enjoy a happier and more comfortable time with each other through medication, therapy, and support. Their memories may falter, but our love for them endures.

For more information about our Brain Wellness and Memory Center, call the Asian Hospital and Medical Center hotline at 8-771-9000 local 8444 or send us an email at [email protected] for inquiries. Follow social media pages for up-to-date information at //AsianHospitalPH.