Q: The local police picked up my 76-year-old grandmother for trying to break into a stranger's house! That's nuts. Nana's never done anything like that in her life. We're desperate to figure out what's going on, but she doesn't really have an explanation. Can you offer one? -- Frieda M., Battle Creek, Michigan
A: We're sorry to hear your grandmother is in trouble. It sounds like this out-of-character event took your family completely by surprise. We can't diagnose her remotely, but there's a good chance Grandma's actions are medical, not criminal.
A recent study published online in JAMA reveals that sometimes the first recognized clue of developing dementia is a truly surprising change in behavior. It's easy to overlook the earliest stages of dementia. Symptoms such as forgetfulness or lack of focus may appear slowly over time or seem as if they are just passing quirks.
In examining almost 2,400 patients with dementia, researchers found that a surprising number had a history of suddenly committing "crimes" such as shoplifting, traffic violations and trespassing. It broke down this way: Around 8 percent of those with Alzheimer's disease, 20 percent of those with Huntington's disease and 27 percent of those with a type of progressive aphasia had run-ins with the law. But more than 37 percent of people with frontotemporal dementia had gotten into legal trouble.
FTD -- formerly called Pick's disease -- affects 10 percent to 15 percent of people with dementia. It's triggered by cell damage that leads to reduced function in the brain's frontal and temporal lobes -- they control planning, judgment, emotions, speaking and understanding speech, and certain types of movement. Although diagnosis is difficult, magnetic resonance imaging can be used to detect brain shrinkage.
Your best bet is to get Nana to an expert in neurodegenerative diseases. If she is diagnosed with any form of dementia, you want to find out what you can do to help her stay safe and remain as active and engaged as possible.
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Q: I'm 62 and just lost 20 pounds! I am very happy, but I'm afraid I'll gain them back. How can I make sure I maintain my weight loss? -- Jennifer J., Lincoln, Nebraska
A: That's a great question, because avoiding a weight rebound is a challenge for lots of folks. Nearly 65 percent of dieters regain their lost weight within three years. And, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, when a post-menopausal woman regains weight, it adds more fat to her body composition than she had before the weight loss.
We also know that shedding pounds or preventing weight gain in the winter is particularly difficult. The lack of sunlight and cold make folks crave comfort foods that are notoriously high-calorie and low-nutrition. According to the National Institutes of Health, most people pack on a pound between Thanksgiving and New Years -- and don't lose it afterward. You can end up weighing 25 pounds more at age 60 than you did at 35.
So you're not alone, Jennifer; millions of your neighbors struggle to maintain a healthy weight, and we're here to help. Dr. Mike's Cleveland Clinic Wellness Center and Dr. Oz have teamed up to create a sustainable dietary make-over called Total Choice that will help you shed pounds and keep them off. (Our recommendation for walking 10,000 enjoyable steps a day -- always with a pedometer and a buddy, a key to success -- also will make a huge difference in maintaining your weight loss.) The plan offers hundreds of mix-and-match recipes that include exciting new flavors (hey, enjoy a culinary adventure) and make-overs of your favorite comfort foods. Imagine, mac and cheese you can dig into with no worries (it's got low-fat cheese and fat-free Greek yogurt), or wickedly delicious Fudgsicle Balls made with bananas, almond butter and unsweetened cocoa! You can find these recipes and scores of others online at doctoroz.com. Please let us know how you succeed. We know you will!
(Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen at [email protected].)