What is Severe Cognitive Impairment?

About 10 to 15 percent of adults age 65 and older are believed to have mild cognitive impairment — a condition commonly characterized by memory problems, well beyond those associated with normal aging.

Cognition encompasses lots of different skills, including perception (taking in information from our sensory organs), memory, learning, judgment, abstract reasoning (thinking about things that aren't directly in front of us), problem solving, using language, and planning.

However, what is Severe Cognitive Impairment and how does it differ from Mild Cognitive Impairment?

I heard this question the other day and like most people who’ve never heard of MCI I’d never heard of SCI.

For those with MCI it is when a person has trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating, or making decisions that affect their everyday life.

In more severe cases, cognitive impairment is not simply forgetting people's names, and the symptoms progress to the point that it becomes difficult to live alone or take care of oneself.

People with severe cognitive impairment have a very hard time remembering things, making decisions, concentrating, or learning. Patients with severe impairment might have difficulty feeding themselves or swallowing, which can be life-threatening.

Cognitive impairment does not have a single cause, but rather could be the result of a number of different conditions.