Does Personality Affect the Likelihood of Dementia?

Mobilman44

Mobilman44

Member
I've known / or know of a number of people who suffer(ed) with dementia, mainly vascular or Alzheimer's.

I lost an Aunt and an Uncle, and my Wife lost an Uncle and her Grandmother and her Mother to dementia, and she currently has a cousin with it. Here is one thing they have in common.....ALL of these people were kind, gentle, soft spoken and giving individuals. These were genuinely good people!

While both families included some "less than nice individuals" (mainly siblings), none of them show any signs of the malady.

Of course this may just be coincidence, but to me it's pretty blatant that personality does come into play here.

Does anyone have any input to share about this?
 

Mobilman44 said:
I've known / or know of a number of people who suffer(ed) with dementia, mainly vascular or Alzheimer's.

I lost an Aunt and an Uncle, and my Wife lost an Uncle and her Grandmother and her Mother to dementia, and she currently has a cousin with it. Here is one thing they have in common.....ALL of these people were kind, gentle, soft spoken and giving individuals. These were genuinely good people!

While both families included some "less than nice individuals" (mainly siblings), none of them show any signs of the malady.

Of course this may just be coincidence, but to me it's pretty blatant that personality does come into play here.

Does anyone have any input to share about this?
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My grandmother had Alzheimers. She was kind, gentle, soft spoken and giving.
It's almost as if a more angry, assertive side of themselves needs to come out.
 

Hormones and dementia risk
Women make up an estimated 65% of people who currently have dementia. Whilst age is the main risk factor for dementia, and women tend to live longer than men, this does not completely explain the difference.

It is not fully understood why women are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia. One idea is that it may be to do with the hormone oestrogen.

The research into whether taking oestrogen (as part of HRT) can reduce women's risk of dementia has been mixed. Some studies suggest that oestrogen may reduce dementia risk whilst others say it increases it.

Part of the reason of the uncertainty is that many studies only show a connection between dementia and HRT, but they can’t tell us if HRT leads to dementia. Brain fog is a common symptom of menopause, but may also be an early symptom of dementia. If early dementia symptoms are confused for menopause symptoms and HRT is prescribed, it may also skew the numbers.
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My father was always outgoing, extroverted, funny, sarcastic, sometimes angry, not too much. He had dementia progressing during the last ten years of his life (died at 86). He was having little mini-strokes during those years. He did end up angry much of the time during his final years.
 
In hindsight, I should have asked this question:

Would you consider those people you know (or knew) that suffer from dementia to be "nice" or "not nice" individuals?
 
My dad was a very nice and caring individual. He did have his moments when I was growing when he would let his temper get the best of him but never in an abusive way. He had always been absent minded even when younger but nothing that really was alarming.

He did start to notice some memory loss a few years ago and had some "mini" strokes which eventually led him to develop aphasia. While the aphasia was unrelated to his dementia, it did not help matters when the dementia got worse. He was frustrated at first because he had difficulty speaking but as the dementia got worse he calmed down and became rather docile up to his death a couple of months ago.

My brother in law died of Alzheimer's at the end of 2000. He was usually even tempered before his Alzheimer's developed. A happy go lucky type of guy. But when his Alzheimer's started to develop his personality changed. He became more angry and developed a bad temper. Once he put a hole in the wall of the house. Up until that point my sister had been taking care of him but when that happened she put him in a assisted living facility. She was worried for both his safety and hers.

So to answer the question, the two people that I were close to who had dementia were very nice before it developed but they changed in different ways after.
 
I’ve seen both kind, gentle people and angry narcissists get Alzheimers. It’s an equal opportunity destroyer.

People are now living much longer due to medications for CHF, diabetes, cancer, strokes, etc. In other words, they live long enough to get dementia whereas in past eras, something else would have taken them out before it developed.
 
I've heard that the anger that seems to usually accompany Alzheimers can be caused by fear. "What do you mean today's Tuesday?! It was Sunday yesterday!" "Well, you were out of it yesterday." "Oh, no, I wasn't! Today's Monday! Why are you lying to me?!" Or: they do realize they're starting to lose track of time that badly and that scares them to the point of anger.

Terrible disease.
 
officerripley said:
I've heard that the anger that seems to usually accompany Alzheimers can be caused by fear. "What do you mean today's Tuesday?! It was Sunday yesterday!" "Well, you were out of it yesterday." "Oh, no, I wasn't! Today's Monday! Why are you lying to me?!" Or: they do realize they're starting to lose track of time that badly and that scares them to the point of anger.

Terrible disease.
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Sometimes it's hard to remember what day it is when they are all exactly the same. A little variety helps.
 
It was raining and I was driving when I got a call asking if I would like to speak to my sister. She had dementia and it was one of her lucid times. I pulled over and parked at a little strip mall. We had the best conversation. She was very cheerful and chatty. She died about a week later. I still feel a strong connection when I drive by that little strip mall.
 
Alizerine said:
It was raining and I was driving when I got a call asking if I would like to speak to my sister. She had dementia and it was one of her lucid times. I pulled over and parked at a little strip mall. We had the best conversation. She was very cheerful and chatty. She died about a week later. I still feel a strong connection when I drive by that little strip mall.
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Sorry you lost her @Alizerine.
But so glad you had that great talk!
🌹
 
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