NMDA Journal Summer 2018

8 New Mexico Dental Journal, Summer 2018 Oldsters and Their Teeth By Shelly Fritz, DDS— New Mexico Dental Journal Editor At 67, I do not consider myself as old. I go to the gym four times a week, Iwork, I travel, I havea lot of fun.Most sexagenarians donot consider themselves as old. Yes, they have retired or are thinking of retiring to pursue other aspects of their lives. Septuagenarians pretty much feel the same way. Octogenarians are less active, and nonagenarians know they are on their way out. If you look at the graph, you will see the bulge of the baby boomers who know they own the world and they want everything in it and will get it if they have the resources. (Of those people over 55, 2/3rds have discretionary income.) This group is 25% of our population and will double in 12 years. Most (85%) are fully functional in our community. Only 10% are homebound. And only 5% are institutionalized—mainly because they are incontinent and are not mobile so their care givers, if they have any, can’t manage taking them to the bathroom, cleaning them or transferring them from a wheel chair to a bed. Most of the people in assisted living can’t perform their own ADL’s (activities of daily living) because of immobility or cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment can mean mental retardation, but we usually think of it as dementia. Those who are over 65, have a 10% chance of having dementia. Those who are over 85, have a 50% chance. Vascular issues (strokes) cause 35% and degenerative brain issues (Alzheimer types) cause the other 65% of dementia disorders. People in their 40’s can get dementia and we all feel, at times, that we are demented. The first sign of early dementia is a diminished orientation to place and time. There is still a substantial retention of independence but because these people know their minds are deteriorating, 1/3 of them are depressed. The moderately demented may have delusions hence they hoard, are anxious and they blame others for their misthoughts and deeds. They begin to need assistance 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 0 5k 10k 15k Female Population of New Mexico 0 5k 10k 15k Male Population of New Mexico New Mexico Population Pyramid 2018