Losing your train of thought or memory blanks can be chalked up to growing older.
But experts say they can also be a warning sign of the seizure disorder epilepsy. Because older adults are living longer, they have more years to develop the disease. And though our image of epilepsy involves convulsions, doctors say that in older adults seizures can take a quieter form.
“Staring spells” can be mistaken for a senior moment, but if they can be a sign of something more serious if they last for many minutes, and people lose track of where they are. This
can have very serious consequences if people are driving or going down stairs.
According to the National Council of the Aging, 50 million people have epilepsy, with the fastest growing segment of people with the condition adults over 85.
In many cases this is due to hardening of the arteries, which can affect the brain. Alternatively, people can develop epilepsy after a series of silent strokes, which they may not realize they had.
If you want a diagnosis regarding epilepsy, call for a referral to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Christian Hospital at 747-WELL (9355).
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