The empathy is still there.
Patients no longer recognize expressions and understand what others think, but they can always realize them emotionally. It is the first indication that a cognitive domain improves dementia.
Yes, it’s hard to live with. But in the later phases of disease, it becomes harder to see it, outside, to consume the person we love, who little by little seems to disappear within his own body and mind.
He is a grandmother, a father, mother or sister who is stolen to us. But science now brings us pleasant news: not everything fades.
The more than 57 million people who live today with Alzheimer’s – a number that in the next 20 years – show declines in virtually every area of social cognition, but can continue to share feelings of joy, sadness or anger at their loved ones. “I’m still here,” says emotional empathy.
The conclusion is from a study by University College London (UCL), which revealed that Alzheimer’s patients had slightly higher scores in empathy ratings than individuals with mild cognitive disabilities (MCI) – the initial phase of cognitive decline that can precede dementia.
According to the investigation, on March 27 at Alzheimer’s & Dementia and supported by Wellcome, researchers analyzed data from 28 global studies, which studied 2,409 people diagnosed with MCI or dementia around the world.
The pattern does not lie: the decline in capacities such as the recognition of facial expressions and the understanding of others’ thoughts was consistent. People with Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia had worse results than people with DCL in these domains. But With regard to emotional empathy, people with Alzheimer’s were better.
“We found convincing evidence that emotional empathy is preserved, possibly even increased, in people with Alzheimer’s diseasecompared to people in previous phases of cognitive decline, ”says the main author of the study, Andrew Sommerlad., quoted by.
Interestingly, one of the studies showed that people with Alzheimer’s more intensely react to negative emotions. Are more sensitive to what affects them negatively than the good emotionswhich may be related to the challenges they face as they lose the other cognitive capabilities to deal with situations, the study points out.
Grab what remains to maintain social links
The discovery can open doors for “health professionals to take advantage of these empathy skills in psychological support for people with Alzheimer’s disease, for help create and maintain social connections ”believes the author of the study.
The first author of the study, Puyu Shi, recalls that “the deficiencies in social cognition felt by people with dementia often result in difficulties in understanding the intentions and emotions of others and responding properly in social interactions, which can cause anguish, both for patients and care providers, and can also contribute to the loneliness among people with dementia. ”
“Families of people with dementia should be supported So that they can understand and adapt to the behavioral changes of their loved one, ”says the expert.
Every year there are about 10 million new cases of diagnosed Alzheimerimer, but “there is still a need for better tests that allow early identification of these social cognitive deficiencies, which could help in diagnosis and potentially also help predict how cognitive decline will continue to progress,” says Sommerlad.
Most people who live today did not receive a formal diagnosis, and yet a Every 3 seconds, one person is diagnosed Somewhere in the world, most of which are specifically affected by Alzheimer’s. The number of cases should reach 139 million by 2050, with higher incidence in developing countries, where 60% of people with dementia are currently living.
Tomás Guimarães, Zap //
