As with many types of Dementia, there is really no treatment available for MID patients (once again MID is the acronym for Multi-Infarct Dementia). The brain has been damaged by a series of “silent strokes” in which there is no reversal for.
If the family or caregiver wants to do anything for the client, it would be to focus on the prevention of future strokes! The way to do this would be to control or avoid any diseases or medical conditions that place individuals in high risk positions for strokes.
Things that can be controlled are a person’s high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, prevention for each of these should have began at an early age and should begin with eating a healthy diet, exercising, not smoking, moderately using alcohol, and maintaining a healthy weight. All the caregiver can do now is to help the individual obtain these things and maintain them.
Because most of the damage is already done, the prognosis for your clients diagnosed with MID is ordinarily poor. What you need to beware of is the fact that the symptoms for this disorder can come without warning! They may begin suddenly and often in a step-wise pattern after each small stroke occurs.
The calm before the storm is that your client may actually appear to improve for short periods of time, but then decline after more “silent strokes” take place. When intermittent periods of rapid deterioration occur, the client diagnosed with MID generally will take a downward course and death could potentially occur for a larger stroke, heart disease, pneumonia or any other infection.
All the caregiver can do is to be there, reassure and demonstrate that they realize that With Age Comes Respect!
