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Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition that currently has no cure. Seniors diagnosed with the brain disease can seek treatment to relieve some symptoms; however, reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by modifying behaviors and lifestyle produces the best possible outcome.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia and is the most common cause of dementia. Memory, thinking, and behavior are adversely affected by the onset of this brain disease. As the condition progresses, the symptoms interfere with the senior’s ability to perform daily tasks.
While advancing age is the number one risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease, the condition is not considered to be a normal part of aging. Symptoms gradually worsen over the years, with mild memory loss in the early stages to an inability to respond to surroundings in the late stage.
Common symptoms an Alzheimer’s patient may experience include mood and behavior changes and disorientation even in familiar places. Confusion about time and place occur. The senior may become suspicious about family, friends, and caregivers. Difficulty speaking and swallowing are likely.
How do seniors reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s?
Leading a healthy lifestyle significantly lowers the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Seniors who practice a substantial number of healthy behaviors lower their risk for disease. Five specified healthy behaviors are key to reducing the likelihood of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The five healthy behaviors that mostly impact brain disease are cognitive activity, a nutritious diet, regular exercise, not smoking, and light-to-moderate alcohol consumption. Seniors who adhere to at least four out of five of these behaviors reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s by 60 percent.
1. Engage in Cognitive Activities
A healthy brain must remain active. Seniors who keep their minds engaged through volunteering, hobbies, or other activities that are meaningful to them experience cognitive benefits. Memory improvement can be experienced by learning a new skill, like quilting or photography.
Seniors can maintain an active mind through accessible pursuits, such as reading, playing games, or teaching a class. Mentally stimulating activities protect the brain, allowing it to become more adaptable to some cognitive functions and compensate for age-related changes to the brain.
2. Eat a Nutritious Diet
A plant-based diet is linked with dementia prevention. The Mediterranean diet is associated with cognitive benefits since specific nutrients in this diet protect the brain through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Beta-amyloid deposits, which are found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, are also inhibited by following the Mediterranean diet.
Seniors are encouraged to eat from the following healthy food groups: Leafy green vegetables and other vegetables, berries, whole grains, seafood, poultry, beans, nuts, and olive oil. Eating fish is linked with a slower rate of cognitive decline and higher cognitive functioning.
3. Exercise Regularly
Engaging in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity for at least 150 minutes per week is a key component to healthy aging and is encouraging when it comes to reducing the risk for Alzheimer’s. The ideal exercise program combines four types of exercises: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility.
Endurance activities, like brisk walking, climbing stairs, or swimming, increase breathing and heart rates. Strength exercises include doing wall push-ups and gripping a tennis ball. Balance exercises, like Tai Chi, improve a senior’s balance. Stretching exercises give seniors greater flexibility.
4. Limit Alcohol
Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is linked with better cognitive health. Drinking an excessive amount of alcohol over a prolonged period of time can eventually worsen some health conditions, like memory loss. Alcohol can also cause seniors to become forgetful and confused.
Due to changes in metabolizing alcohol, aging people respond differently to alcoholic beverages than younger people. Seniors aged 65 and older are advised to drink no more than seven drinks per week and no more than three drinks per day. Abstain from alcohol when taking certain medications.
5. Stop Smoking
Avoid tobacco use to improve health. Tobacco contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive drug. Alternatives to cigarettes, such as pipes, cigars, or chewing tobacco, are not any safer. Even people over age 60 who have been lifelong smokers experience health benefits upon quitting.
These healthy behaviors are accessible to seniors of any age. Choosing to live a healthy lifestyle, even if it requires modifying existing unhealthy habits, is the best way for seniors to reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The sooner a senior starts to live healthier, the better the long-term outcome.
Seniors may need assistance when they strive to pursue mentally stimulating activities, shop for nutritious foods at the grocery store, or start an exercise program. Elder care might be the solution to improving lifestyle choices and reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other diseases.
Call Assisting Hands for Your Loved-Ones
Memory care from Assisting Hands Home Care offers the elderly the opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle while aging in the comfort and familiarity of home. Our professional caregivers meet a wide range of the daily, nonmedical needs of seniors in our care.
Our caregivers are trained in all aspects of dementia care. Professionals from our home care agency are skilled in identifying symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. We calm agitated dementia patients, guide seniors who wander, help with incontinence, and offer medication reminders.
Responsibilities also include shopping for healthy foods and preparing nutritious meals. If your elderly loved one starts an exercise program, we provide transportation to classes or a local senior center. Seniors also receive physical support so that they feel stable during walks or other types of exercises.
Assisting Hands Home Care service providers engage seniors in puzzles, games, and conversations. Our dementia caregivers aim to mentally stimulate patients to keep their minds active and alert. We also join them in hobbies or recreational pursuits as a way to motivate them further.
Seniors living in Palos Heights, Tinley Park, Homer, Worth, Orland Park, and the surrounding communities, have ample opportunities to live a healthier lifestyle when they choose Assisting Hands Home Care. Our memory care is also ideal for seniors who have been diagnosed with dementia.
Call us at (773) 207-3767 to schedule an in-home consult and start dementia care.
