By Mary J. Dyck, PhD, RN, LNHA
As we get older, we become more concerned about things that we lose — the car keys, a word, our purse, a name. Then, we become concerned that it might be Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is one form of dementia and is the most common type. While some people think that it’s normal to develop dementia. It is not normal. The risk of developing dementia increases with age, just as the risk of other chronic diseases increases with age.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1 in 8 people over 65 years of age have dementia. In 2012, dementia affected 5.4 million people, most of whom were over 65 years of age. Over half of the people that are 85 years of age and older have dementia. So, can we do anything to prevent dementia? The good news is yes. While scientists know some ways to keep our brains healthy, they still don’t know exactly what prevents dementia. So, let’s try the strategies that keep our brains healthy until we know more about preventing dementia.
Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is good for your brain as well as the rest of your body. Common strategies include no smoking, eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, maintaining a normal body weight, and exercising at a moderately intense level for 30 minutes, five days every week. Research has found that physical activity has a protective effect against cognitive decline and vascular dementias. While caffeine makes some people jittery, studies have reported that caffeine in the diet (about four to five 8-ounce cups per day) is linked to less dementia 20 years later. Caffeine decreases inflammation and dementia is a disease of inflammation.
Maintaining a normal weight maintains a normal cognitive level. An enlarged middle-aged waistline has a deeper layer of visceral fat cells that produces higher insulin levels and potentially Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of cognitive decline.
Staying socially and mentally engaged is also part of a healthy lifestyle. Two factors that are believed to decrease the rate of cognitive decline are early life education and participation in cognitively stimulating activities, although as of yet there is minimal research to support these conclusions. In addition, a lifetime of emotional and mental stresses is also thought to contribute to cognitive decline. These chronic stresses include working long hours, loneliness, hopelessness, and depression. Maintaining one’s emotional health and treating any depression is important for one’s cognitive health.
Control Vascular Risk Factors and Prevent Strokes
A second major area to monitor is vascular risk factors. A major risk factor is high blood pressure, which can cause strokes. Many people may have dementia without having had a major stroke. That’s because there may be mini strokes that cause damage to the brain without the individual being aware of the mini stroke. People with untreated high blood pressure have a much higher rate of dementia. Further research will hopefully help to identify the linkages between high blood pressure and dementia.
Promote a healthy lifestyle and maintain a normal blood pressure. These strategies will help to keep our brains healthy now and as we age.
For more information about senior living, you may contact Meadows Senior Director of Marketing, Holly Hall, at 309-268-1501. Meadows offers a full range of senior living options—Independent Living, Independent Living-PLUS, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing Care and Rehab Therapy—with two locations: Meadows Mennonite Retirement Community in Chenoa and Meadows at Mercy Creek in Normal.