It has been demonstrated that people with intellectual disabilities age faster than the rest of the population. That is why they are considered "older" from the age of 45 and new resources have had to emerge to provide them with the necessary support to meet their needs and enable them to be autonomous for as long as possible.
Specifically, the current life expectancy of people with Down syndrome is 60 years, hence some pathologies are being observed that years ago they did not have time to develop. The most striking is the high probability of developing Alzheimer's type dementia after the age of 40-45 years. According to the studies, this is due to the pathological alterations typical of Alzheimer's disease in the brain of all people with Down syndrome after a certain age and the overexpression of the APP gene.
Taking into account all of the above, it is very important to be aware of the signs that we observe and that are essential to catch the disease in time and to be able to slow it down as long as possible.
Some of these indications are:
- Increased clumsiness (they fall frequently).
- Hearing and/or visual impairment.
- Increased withdrawal (they talk less and do not want to participate in group conversations).
- Slowing down (doing things more slowly, e.g.: bed, dressing, eating;...)
- Alterations in working memory (if they are interrupted while doing something they do not continue doing it because they have forgotten it).
- Sleep problems
- Epileptic seizures
If several of these signs are observed, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible so that a specialist can assess the person's condition in greater depth and thus rule out any pathology.
