The Link Between PTSD and Dementia

A recent Rand Corporation study reported that 300,000 service personnel who served in Iraq or Afghanistan had symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. Symptoms of this disorder include avoiding people, things, or situations that remind an individual of the trauma he or she experienced, nightmares, mood disorders, sleep difficulties, flashbacks, difficulty maintaining close relationships, trouble with concentration, and more. People with PTSD can reach such a level of distress that they commit suicide.

There is some evidence of a link between PTSD and dementia.

Now there is some evidence that individuals who suffer from PTSD may also have an increased rick of dementia later in their lives.

Two researchers from the University of California and the San Francisco VA Medical Center studied 181, 093 veterans aged 55 years and older over six years. The numbers included 53,155 veterans diagnosed with PTSD and 127,938 veterans without PTSD.

They found that vets with PTSD developed dementia at a rate of 10.6% vs 6.6% for the vets who did not have the condition. Even taking into account vets with traumatic brain injury, substance abuse or depression the veterans with PTSD were nearly twice as likely to develop dementia.

Another study conducted by the VA Medical Center in Texas found similar results after a study of 10,481 vets who were followed for 9-10 years. The subjects in this study also had almost twice the risk for developing dementia.

Although both studies showed an increased risk for dementia among PTSD sufferers there is still no determination of the cause. Further study will be needed to pinpoint factors that may influence development and determine appropriate treatment.

The National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is part of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, notes that PTSD is believed to occur in about 30 percent of Vietnam veterans, up to 10 percent of Gulf War veterans, 6 to 11 percent of veterans of the Afghanistan war (Enduring Freedom), and 12 to 20 percent of veterans of the Iraq war (Iraqi Freedom).

In the meantime, older vets experiencing dementia are facing a long road ahead. Caregivers are often family members who may become overburdened at some point. Taking care of a family member with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease while also caring for others in the family and working often causes the caregiver to seek outside help. Still other veterans may not have family at all to care for them and will need some form of intervention.

One option is the National Association of States Veterans Homes. They are one of the largest long-term care providers in the US. Their mission is “to insure that each and every eligible U.S. veteran receives the benefits, services, long term health care and respect which they have earned by their service and sacrifice.” This organization can be an option for veterans who need the kind of care they can’t get elsewhere.

Accutech will join NASVH at their annual Summer Conference July 9-13 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We will be exhibiting the latest in wander management technology to secure healthcare facility residents and keep them safe. Accutech’s ResidentGuard system along with our two-way radio and paging systems integrate seamlessly together to put facility caregivers at ease so they can attend to the needs of all residents.