The Brain is for Moving
My work as a geriatrician is motivated by love. In my family, people live long. My grandmother, from Haiti, lived to be 98 years old, and with diabetes. My other grandmother lived to 92 years old, and my grandfather to 89 years old. My father is a psychiatrist. I have a minor in psychology. I’ve always been interested in things that have to do with the brain.
Part of my role as a geriatrician is helping older patients with dementia improve the quality of their lives. I’m especially interested in seeing the rise of non-drug approaches to help patients. Dementia is a complex condition. I support a multi-pronged approach.
For example, one thing that can help people with dementia is exercise and music. I was a physical therapist before I was a physician. That’s why I tell people the brain is not just for thinking, it’s for moving. For people with dementia, a walk outside, if they’re able, can help them considerably.
Another area I’m really passionate about is how we can do a better job of helping caregivers of people with dementia. I see caregivers bringing in their loved ones in such distress, and mourning the loss of the person they love. People who have dementia may show signs of apathy and can be difficult to engage. They can withdraw from other people. But part of our survival as humans depends on communication with other human beings.
Mireille Norris (PGME ’00, MHSc ’01) is an assistant professor at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Medicine and a staff internist geriatrician at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.