What MCI is
Mild cognitive impairment means measurable changes in memory or thinking that are greater than expected for someone's age, but not severe enough to interfere much with everyday life. Bills still get paid, the house still runs.
Some people with MCI go on to develop dementia. Many stay much the same for years, and some improve, particularly where sleep, low mood, thyroid problems or medication were part of the picture.
What it feels like from the inside
Most people know perfectly well that something has changed, and the anxiety about it can be more disabling than the impairment itself. Being talked about in the third person is a particular indignity at this stage.
Involve them in every decision. This is the phase where habits set, and habits set with someone rather than for them last far longer.
What actually helps
- One system, not five: a single calendar, a single place for keys, a single notebook.
- Sleep and hearing checked properly, both of which mimic and worsen cognitive change.
- Exercise and company, which have the strongest evidence of anything available.
- Short prompts for the small number of things that genuinely slip, rather than for everything.
- Lasting power of attorney sorted now, comfortably, while there is no question of capacity.
Reminders at this stage
The right level is a nudge, not a supervisor. A text or call for the three or four moments that matter keeps independence intact and stops the family conversation becoming a running check-up.
The wider picture
1 in 10 to 1 in 6
people with mild cognitive impairment go on to develop dementia within a year, and many stay stable or improve.
Source: Alzheimer's Research UK