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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1605 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 24, 2026

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How old do you think were when the transition from your parents worrying about your health to you worrying about their health happened?

I'd say late 20s for me, not very long back really. They're in their 60s now. I suppose it's confounded by the fact we're all doctors, and I have a (small) degree of confidence that they can look after themselves and vice versa. Still have to yell at my dad to get his heart checked, and my mom to up her semaglutide dose, but they need to check in on me too so it all cancels out.

It was my late thirties when this became a Thing for me. Dad was in his early seventies and starting to exhibit signs of cognitive decline, and mom started exhibiting signs of her own several more years down the road.

Ouch. I'm sorry man, that's the worst, because there's very little you can do about it once it kicks in. One of the many reasons I tell my parents to start or continue semaglutide is the immediate cardiovascular benefit, which translates to drastically reduced dementia risk. I'm guessing this comes too late for you, and if so, my condolences.

It does indeed, for the both of them, and I appreciate your well wishes. The scary part is that my family had no previous history of dementia or Alzheimer's, so now I'm pretty freaked out about my own chances. That said, dad did have bad sleep apnea, and taking care of a spouse with dementia makes for a massive risk of dementia in its own right, though watching them both go through it one after the other has definitely increased my receptivity to the brain infection hypothesis...

Were any of them ever screened for the genetic markers for it? There are well known risk factors associated within different variants of the APOE gene. Other forms have different associated vectors, but this is something that’s caused a little bit of worry even with me when I got to thinking about it one day. My genetic tests are all clear, I’m not a carrier for the genetic determinants, but it makes you wonder.

No, neither of them ever were. Ironically, my wife's maternal side of the family has a history of Alzheimer's, but thus far her mother's siblings seem to be dodging the proverbial bullet.

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