Page 54 - Panama City Living Magazine September-October 2019

Is Hurricane Michael on your mind or do you have hurricane brain?
BY HODA ELZAWAHRY, M.D.
Approaching the one-year anniversary of Northwest Florida’s most destructive storm, I feel great respect for our community and all the hardships we have mastered. A Category 5 hurricane and its aftermath is something that only a few people can say they have lived through. With never-ending challenges after this natural catastrophe, the fact that our conscious minds were able to comprehend such instantaneous and utter devastation simply speaks volumes of our ability to adapt and deal with challenges.
The profound change to the landscape of our beautiful area; the immediate loss of the natural environment; the absence of leaves on trees; the closure of schools; the loss of jobs, homes, and transportation; power outages for weeks; no cell phone service; having nowhere to buy necessities ... the familiar hustle and bustle of everyday life—all was gone overnight. By no means is it mundane any longer.
Just running errands is now a strenuous ordeal. Personally, in the first days after the storm, I had trouble making it to the corner store that I had been going to for years. All the landmarks have changed and the devastation has created an incredible emotional weight.
Most of us are living in our homes; often, though, these homes are mere shells of what they once were. So many of our residents had to move to a different location entirely.
If this is difficult for us, it is doubtlessly very challenging for individuals with cognitive dysfunction such as dementia. In our neurological praxis, we have seen the increase of two particular symptoms caused by the events following Hurricane Michael:
1. WORSENING OF EXISTING DEMENTIA—If a person has relatively well-controlled dementia symptoms and is able to function, family members may notice that there is a rapid decline in his or her ability to perform simple activities of daily living because the routines and overall environment have changed drastically.
2. DECOMPENSATION OF SOMEONE WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT—If an individual had some degree of memory loss from dementia, previous stroke, multiple sclerosis, or even depression, the extensive change in their life after the storm can cause them to be unable to focus clearly on the tasks at hand. These individuals are grappling with so many challenges, often subconsciously, that this causes a deterioration of their ability to think clearly and prioritize tasks. Trying to resolve many problems might seem unsurmountable —from home destruction, change in environment, and constant phone calls, to dealings with insurance carriers and other entities. Dementia patients might find it difficult to “hold it together,” quite literally. This stress can result in perceived memory loss. But once the excessive stressful factors are removed and a normal life
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