Don’t let the lack of help ruin your beloved healthy resolutions, here you will find how our caregivers can Support.

Healthy Lifestyle and cognitive decline

According to a study published on the July 2017 issue of The Lancet, a highly regarded peer-reviewed medical journal, demonstrated that 35% of dementia cases could be prevented if people followed certain lifestyle practices throughout their lives. Simple everyday activities such as exercising, eating right, staying socially active and getting enough sleep can greatly prevent the development of dementia. Dr Lon Schneider, co-author of the study, at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California states that while “there’s been a great deal of focus on developing medicines to prevent dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, we can’t lose sight of the real major advances we’ve already made in treating dementia, including preventive approaches.”

The research, which was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2017 International Conference, named nine specific controllable risk factors: Educational and Mental Stimulation, Social Connections, Depression, Hearing Loss, Smoking, Hypertension, Obesity, Diabetes, and Exercise.

How Caregiver support might promote exercise for the body and the brain.

Our Caregivers have been receiving training and tools to address healthy cooking, some relaxation techniques, and healthy habits to promote sleep that supports and avoid some of the risk factors related in the research, but in this article, let’s focus on exercise for the body and mind.

Exercise for the Brain, Education, and mental stimulation

The study also mentioned that the longer a young person stays in school, the greater their cognitive reserve will be, which they define as “a resilience to cognitive decline caused by the brain strengthening its networks and therefore continuing functioning in later life despite the damage.” Mentally stimulating activities are recommended throughout life to maintain a healthy brain.

To address this challenge, our caregivers are trained to provide guidance for simple exercises like games and hobbies that stimulate the brain such as making art, playing an instrument or gardening. Challenging seniors with words and number games is another way to maintain the brain active. A great way to challenge them is relating the games, such as word puzzles, to their personal experiences. The content of the games might include family names, dates, locations, and situations from the senior’s past to keep them engaged and force them to really pick their brain.

At Assisting Hands, we have developed customized word puzzles with topics related to the patient, family or any topic that sparks engagement and invite to a stimulate the Brain. (If you want to know how this service works, check this article and let us know that you are interested.) [Word Puzzles to Battle Alzheimer’s]

Exercise for the Body

Physical activity promotes all-around health in people of every age, helping to prevent conditions that damage the brain. Indeed, physical activity can have a positive effect on each of the other factors named in the study.

The study also emphasized that brain health is a lifelong process. According to lead author Prof. Gill Livingston of University College London in the UK, “Although dementia is diagnosed in later life, the brain changes usually begin to develop years before, with risk factors for developing the disease occurring throughout life, not just in old age. We believe that a broader approach to prevention of dementia which reflects these risk factors will benefit our aging societies and help to prevent the rising number of dementia cases globally.”

And although brain health begins in childhood, it’s never too late to make brain-healthy choices. The study authors noted that even seniors who are already living with cognitive impairment can benefit from positive lifestyle interventions, such as improved social contact, exercise, and appropriate activities. Dr. Schneider reported that these interventions can replace the use of antipsychotic drugs, which have many harmful side effects.

Neurobics / Aerobics for the Brain.

The formal definition of Neurobics talks about mental exercises designed to create new neural pathways in the brain by using the senses in unconventional ways. The exercises for this technique include sensory stimulation and proprioception. A well-trained caregiver is the perfect guide and will incorporate these exercises into daily routines.

At Assisting Hands we take the extra step of understanding why our patients are suffering and how a caregiver can help through different methods. If you want to receive more information, call us or email us at [email protected]