Joe Scarborough Claims Sources Say Trump Has ‘early Signs Of Dementia’ What Does That Mean
On Thursday morning’s episode of Morning Joe, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough claimed that the Washington Post edited out a line from his opinion column claiming that a source had told him President Donald Trump has displayed “early signs of dementia,” multiple outlets reported.
“I’ve written twice in my column a quote about one of the people closest to Donald Trump during the campaign saying he’s got early stage dementia,” Scarborough said, according to Mediaite. “And it’s getting worse and not a single person who works for him doesn’t know he has early signs of dementia.” Neither the Washington Post nor Scarborough could be reached for comment by the time of publication.
Scarborough’s comments strike a nerve at a moment when the mental state of the president has become an object of discussion. His comments don’t specify what signs were observed or who observed them, and he appeared to interchange the phrase “early onset dementia” with “early signs of dementia,” which are not the same thing. Early-onset dementia refers to dementia beginning in people under the age of 65 Trump is 71. Scarborough’s wording raises the question of what it actually means to be showing “early signs of dementia.”
At What Age Can You Test Someone For The Signs Of Dementia
There is no one particular age that someone must meet before they can be assessed for signs of dementia, although dementia is more common in people over 65. Early-onset dementia can begin in people who are in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Diagnosing dementia in its early stages is important as early treatment can slow the progression of symptoms and help to maintain mental functions.
Confusing People And Generations
Memory loss is the symptom most closely associated with Alzheimers. While Trump famously forgets the names of people and places , one could make allowances for such gaffes. More troubling, Michael Wolff reported in “Fire and Fury” that at the end of 2017, Trump failed to recognize “a succession of old friends” at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump, 72, seemed to hit a new inflection point last week when he said, My father is German. Right? Was German. And born in a very wonderful place in Germany. In fact, his father was born in the Bronx and it was his grandfather who was from Germany.
Dementia Care International says a “person may start to mix up relationships and generations in the second stage of dementia.
One day, when my Uncle Bruce was agitated, he cried out for me saying, Call John. Hes a rich lawyer. Hell know what to do even though it was my father who was the lawyer, not me. That was not in the early phase of the illness. That incident took place a few months before Uncle Bruce was forced to enter the nursing home.
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Capsicles And Mishiz And Midtowm Elections
In Alzheimers, as language skills deteriorate, we see two types of tell-tale speech disorders, or paraphasias:
Semantic paraphasia involves choosing the incorrect words. For instance, after Attorney General William Barr released a letter on the Mueller report, Trump said: I hope they now go and take a look at the oranges, the oranges of that investigation, the beginnings of that investigation.”
Phonemic paraphasia, which is linked to the moderate to severe stages of Alzheimers, is described as “the substitution of a word with a nonword that preserves at least half of the segments and/or number of syllables of the intended word. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu becomes Betanyahu, big league becomes bigly, anonymous becomes enenamas or “anenomynous,” renovation becomes renoversh, missiles become “mishiz,” space capsule becomes capsicle, midterm elections become “midtowm” and “midturn” elections, and Christmas becomes Chrissus.
Trumps speech patterns appear even more disordered when you go beyond the sound bite and look at a whole speech. He careens from one thought to the next in a parade of non sequiturs, frequently interrupting himself in the middle of a sentence to veer into another free association. When commentators described his two-hour speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month as unhinged, they were referring in large part to this quality.
What Is Cognitive Screening And How Does It Work
One important note is that these cognitive tests are more accurately called screening tools. Depending on a particular tools sensitivity, a low score can show that further testing is indicated. That typically means an appointment with a primary care provider for lab tests and referral to a neurologist.
Still, many frail elderly people are simply given a diagnosis of dementia by their primary care physician and go no further with any testing or diagnostics. Families often rightly believe further testing would arrive at essentially the same conclusion, and the benefit of knowing which specific kind of dementia is significantly outweighed by the difficulty of getting their person to a doctor.
True diagnostic testing is an in-depth process of exclusion, not a quick version of Repeat Person-Man-Woman-Camera-TV for me instructions. Lab test results will often reveal untreated conditions that can mimic dementia symptoms. Whether a diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disorder is ultimately made or not, treatment of underlying conditions usually shows at least some improvement in symptoms.
A CT scan and/or MRI can either rule out or provide further evidence of a condition causing a neurodegenerative disorder. PET scans and functional MRIs are more sensitive but more rarely used due to their expense. Most insurance does not cover either.
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How Accurate Is It
This quiz is NOT a diagnostic tool. Mental health disorders can only be diagnosed by licensed healthcare professionals.
Psycom believes assessments can be a valuable first step toward getting treatment. All too often people stop short of seeking help out of fear their concerns arent legitimate or severe enough to warrant professional intervention.
If you think you or someone you care about may be suffering from dementia or any other mental health condition, PsyCom.net strongly recommends that you seek help from a mental health professional in order to receive a proper diagnosis and support. For those in crisis, we have compiled a list of resources where you may be able to find additional help at: https://www.psycom.net/get-help-mental-health.
Melania And Donald Trump Haven’t Shared A Bed In Years
Kate Bennett’s Free, Melania revealed that not only does First Lady Melania Trump sleep in a different bedroom from President Donald Trump, but also, her living quarters are on a different floor altogether. Her space more or less amounts to a private living space entirely, with two bedrooms, a “glam room,” and a private gym, per Business Insider.
The American public quickly suspected a fractious relationship between the Trumps after Melania did not immediately join her husband in the White House, instead staying in New York City while their son, Barron, finished out the school year. Since then, Mary Jordan’s 2020 tell-all, The Art of Her Deal, has revealed that Melania’s refusal to move also served as leverage in her attempt to renegotiate her prenup.
It seems, however, that their independent sleeping situation far predated Trump’s tenure as president. According to Business Insider, the couple has had this arrangement since at least 2006, when a woman who alleges to have had an affair with Trump was shown Melania’s living quarters in their New York City residence at Trump Tower. As Trump reportedly put it at the time, Melania “liked her space to read or be alone” . But that’s not all.
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What’s Behind Donald Trump’s Rift With Melania
The latest Melania Trump deep dive, Mary Jordan’s The Art of Her Deal, purports that not only does Melania live in her own private living quarters, but she now frequently shares them with her parents who officially became U.S. citizens in 2018, per The New York Times as well as her son, Barron.
It’s possible that Melania’s family might have had to do with an ever-widening rift between her and Donald. As a 2018 op-ed from the Chicago Tribune pointed out, Melania’s parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, were able to emigrate to the United States from their homeland, Slovenia, through a process called chain migration which, as the op-ed candidly defines, is an “immigration process that allows U.S. citizens to sponsor immediate family members for legal residency.” It’s also the same process Trump has spent his presidency . Per the Times, “Even as his in-laws were going through the process, Mr. Trump was denouncing it.”
While it’s pure speculation, the dissonance between Melania’s parents’ immigration process and Trump’s own platform could have added to the tension between FLOTUS and POTUS.
It’s certainly notable that multiple deep-dives into Melania’s life have yielded the same report about her separate living quarters. But until we hear from FLOTUS herself, we’ll have to take each detail with a grain of salt.
Whats The Point Of Cognitive Screening
With a condition thats chronic, progressive, incurable and fatal, its a very hard sell to get people to race to the doctor at the first sign something is amiss. In my experience, people dont like to hear bad news, especially when they feel like theres nothing they can do about it.
But getting to the doctor right away and starting the diagnostic process is still the very best thing a person experiencing cognitive symptoms can do. The first step in that diagnostic process is often a cognitive screening.
Lets use Phil Gutis as an example: Because Phil took quick action when he learned about an ad for the Biogen trial that described his symptoms, he was able to enroll in the trial for its new still-experimental-and-back-in-phase-III-trials drug aducanumab. To get into the trial, Phil went through the entire diagnostic process on Biogens dime.
At age 54, he was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimers disease. Obviously, no one wants to get that diagnosis, Phil included. But hes also noted that there was some relief in getting it, because he finally had a name for his symptoms.
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Does Bush Have Pre
The video below juxtaposes two clips of Bush speaking at debatesone during the 1994 Texas gubernatorial campaign, the other during the 2004 presidential campaign. You will probably be shocked to see howthere is no other word for itarticulate a public speaker our current president was a mere 12 years ago.
This video has been around since late 2004, but its new to Truthdig, which saw it for the first time at a Super Bowl party last night along with a group of other first-timers. Figuring that some of our readers may have missed it the first time around, too, were presenting it now.
The story behind this video is as follows:
In the fall of 2004, James Fallows, a former speechwriter for Jimmy Carter, wrote an article for The Atlantic Monthly about Bush and John Kerrys debating style called When George Meets John. Fallows had seen the 1994 gubernatorial debate footage, and was himself shocked at the difference between Bush in 2004 and 1994. He wrote:
After the publication of the article, the Atlantic published a letter to the editor from Joseph Price, a doctor in Carsonville, Mich., who speculated that Bushs lowly developing cognitive deficits, as demonstrated so clearly by the President, can represent only one diagnosis, and that is presenile dementia!
The letter understandably caused some degree of controversy, and The Boston Globe ran an article looking into both the claim and the author of the letter, Dr. Price. According to the Globe:
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Dementia
Signs and symptoms of dementia result when once-healthy neurons, or nerve cells, in the brain stop working, lose connections with other brain cells, and die. While everyone loses some neurons as they age, people with dementia experience far greater loss.
The symptoms of dementia can vary and may include:
- Experiencing memory loss, poor judgment, and confusion
- Difficulty speaking, understanding and expressing thoughts, or reading and writing
- Wandering and getting lost in a familiar neighborhood
- Trouble handling money responsibly and paying bills
- Repeating questions
- Not caring about other peoples feelings
- Losing balance and problems with movement
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities can also develop dementia as they age, and recognizing their symptoms can be particularly difficult. Its important to consider a persons current abilities and to monitor for changes over time that could signal dementia.
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How To Diagnose Alzheimers Vs Dementia
Alzheimers is a progressive and fatal brain disorder. Dementia is not a specific disease, but an umbrella term that defines a syndrome and used to refer to a specific group of symptoms related to a decline in mental ability. Alzheimers is one of the most common causes of dementia. Both Alzheimers and dementia are diagnosed using a variety of different assessments and tests, including a physical exam, lab tests, cognitive and neuropsychological tests, and an analysis of changes in behavior.
Donald Trump Drops Subtle Hint He Has Dementia Potus Untreatable Incurable Psychiatrist Says
- Donald Trump once again sparked rumors that he has dementia
- The POTUS’ condition is reportedly incurable and untreatable
- Donald Trump hasn’t been diagnosed with dementia
Donald Trump’s recent statement about Harvey Weinstein after he was charged with a guilty verdict sparked speculations that he could be suffering from dementia.
According to Raw Story, John Talmadge, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, believes that the contents of the POTUS rant were indicative of his dementia. More specifically, Talmadge claimed that Trumps rant proved that his mental condition is deteriorating.
This is not Trump giving an answer to a question this was a symptom. The condition is untreatable, incurable. Alzheimers dementia destroyed the life of Fred Trump and dementia tends to run in families, he said.
But Political Flare journalist Jason Miciak is not very sure that this is the case. He said that Trumps recent rant about Weinstein may have just been proof enough to say that the president is not that smart.
Okay, I can see that he wasnt even answering a specific question on Me, Too, just veering into completely ridiculous areas that ruminate in the gutter of his mind and leap out at inappropriate times? Yes, that does seem far more symptomatic of something, Miciak wrote.
It is also possible that Trumps mind is deteriorating because hes unable to sleep, which can eventually lead to dementia.
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The Real Reason Donald Trump And Melania Sleep In Separate Bedrooms
June 2020 saw the release of a new book about First Lady Melania Trump by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Mary Jordan. The book, The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump, is full of revelations, including one fascinating tidbit about the relationship dynamics between Melanie and her husband, President Donald Trump.
Jordan writes in her tell-all that Melania and her husband live separate, parallel lives to the extent that Melania, along with her parents and her son, Barron Trump, resides in an entirely separate area in the White House, sans Donald. Earlier books have also shared similar reports, including Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by journalist Michael Wolff and Free, Melania by CNN correspondent Kate Bennett.
So why do Melania and President Trump sleep in different bedrooms? The answer may lie in the way they allegedly treat their relationship. As other reports reveal, their separate sleeping arrangements were set in place long before the couple moved into the White House.
What Is Dementia And What Causes It
Dementia is a syndrome that causes a person to develop difficulty and problems with their memory or their ability to think. Unlike the normal changes that happen in a persons memory and thinking over time, dementia affects someones ability to function in their daily life activities and their normal routine .There are different causes of dementia. These causes are typically underlying neurological conditions . One common cause of dementia is Alzheimers disease. Other causes include diseases that impact brain blood vessels. For example, strokes may cause what is commonly termed Vascular Dementia. Some causes include Lewy Body Disease and Parkinsons disease.
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Why I Wrote This Article
The president is sick. Thats the impression shared by a growing number of Americans including me, as both a citizen and as a physician.
I am not a psychiatrist, and I have always taken some solace while writing about various public figures in the news that I am not governed by the Goldwater rule, which prohibits psychiatrists from dispensing free-form psychoanalysis about public figures theyve never personally examined. But according to the American Medical Association, a variation of that rule now applies to all physicians. In a largely unreported addition to the AMA Code of Medical Ethics this fall, the AMA now has its own variation of the Goldwater rule: Physicians should refrain from making clinical diagnoses about individuals they have not had the opportunity to personally examine.
Bu Today: How Does Cognitive Decline Affect Decision
Andrew Budson:The reason cognitive decline affects decision-making is because it becomes difficult to keep all the important factors in mind that one needs to consider when making decisions. For example, if you were deciding between two houses to purchase, youd need to keep track of the number of bedrooms and bathrooms in each house, how the size of the family rooms and kitchens compare, how much repair work is needed on each, whether theres room for your brother to visit, where your daughter can play her drum set, what the neighborhood is like, how close the schools are, and a host of other information. With cognitive decline, you cant keep all that information in mind, and thus you end up not making the best decisions.
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