Memory Loss, Dementia, And Stroke: Implications for Rehabilitation of Older Adults with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Research Report) (Clinical Report‪)‬

As physiatrist Stanley Wainapel (2001, p. 59) observed, "Older people have a bad habit: they do not develop problems in one system alone. They develop problems in many systems." Older adults with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are not immune to the other diseases of aging. Although AMD is the leading cause of low vision in older Americans, stroke is the leading cause of disability (Rosamond et al., 2007), and dementias affect another 2.5 million older Americans (Plassman et al., 2007). Each condition alone can significantly impair a person's ability to participate fully in daily life, and these conditions often occur together (Crews, Jones, & Kim, 2006). This article describes impairment from memory loss, dementia, and stroke to provide insights into how these conditions may affect the visual rehabilitation of clients with AMD. MEMORY LOSS