Keeping your mind active and healthy is important at any age, but it becomes especially vital as we grow older. During Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month in June, seniors are encouraged to explore ways to support their brain health, helping to prevent cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia.
Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month is a time when individuals, families, and communities come together to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Wearing purple during this month is a simple yet powerful way to show solidarity and support for those affected by these conditions.
This observance also provides an ideal opportunity for seniors to adopt strategies that promote brain health and reduce the risk of diseases like Alzheimer’s. This condition, which primarily affects older adults, impairs memory, judgment, and cognitive abilities, often stemming from neurological illness or brain injury. While occasional memory lapses are normal for everyone, it’s important to understand that cognitive decline is not an inevitable part of aging.
The good news is that seniors can maintain sharp minds well into their later years by adopting healthy daily habits. By practicing these 10 simple strategies, older adults can take meaningful steps to prevent or slow cognitive decline, ensuring a healthier and more fulfilling life.
1. Engage in Regular Exercise
Physical activity boosts not only physical health but also brain health. Seniors are encouraged to participate in a regular exercise program that raises their heart rate and increases blood flow to the brain and body. Incorporate movement into each day, whether it’s through gardening, walking, or dancing.
2. Get Quality Sleep
A good night’s rest can do wonders for brain function. Older people should receive 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep to perform optimally the next day. Seniors best prepare for sleep by limiting screen time before bed, satisfying hunger and thirst, and ensuring the bedroom is comfortable.
3. Stop Smoking
Seniors who smoke are advised to quit in order to lower their risk of cognitive decline. It’s never too late for the elderly to stop smoking. In fact, quitting a nicotine habit at any stage returns the risk of cognitive decline to the levels of people who do not smoke.
4. Eat Healthy
Foods fuel the body and promote brain health. The key is to choose the right foods to help reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Two diets show promise in the fight against dementia: the Mediterranean diet and the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet.
Both diets are rich in vegetables, particularly leafy green veggies, berries, and whole grains. Seniors who follow this diet also consume plenty of beans, nuts, olive oil, and seafood. For optimal health, limit red meats, fried foods, sweets, butter, and cheeses.
5. Continue to Learn
Seniors are encouraged to be lifelong students. Taking classes, doing stimulating puzzles, or learning a new hobby challenges the brain. Volunteering and mentoring offer similar health benefits. Medical experts believe that mental exercises help maintain brain cells and foster communication between them.
6. Manage Diseases
Control diabetes and high blood pressure with the help of a healthcare provider. Older adults diagnosed with either of these diseases should eat right, exercise, and take medications to manage symptoms. Managing chronic conditions is vital to protecting brain health, per the Alzheimer’s Association.
7. Prioritize Learning New Things
Rather than expending the majority of brain energy on remembering unimportant events, like the time of a birthday party, seniors should concentrate on learning new things. Use smartphone reminders, physical calendars, and shopping lists to remember trivial information and free up brain energy.
8. Use Repetition
Repetition helps reinforce newly learned information. Seniors who hear, read, or think about something they want to remember should repeat it by writing it down or speaking it out loud. For example, when introduced to someone, repeat their name during the conversation: “John, where did you meet Sam?”
Spacing out the repetitions is key to reinforcing the memory. Avoid repeating the information in a short span of time. Instead, first space out the repetitions over an hour, then every few hours and finally every day. This tip helps improve memory, especially of complex information.
9. Protect the Head
It’s critical for active older adults to protect their head when exercising or performing other types of risky activities. For example, when driving, wear a seatbelt. While bicycling, wear a helmet. Older people should clear clutter from the home, improve balance, and increase strength to prevent falls.
10. Develop Confidence
Seniors must believe in their ability to influence their cognitive health. Strong belief motivates them to work to improve their brain function. Conversely, subscribing to negative stereotypes about memory causes the elderly to perform worse on memory tasks and is more likely to lead to cognitive decline.
Following the above 10 tips helps keep seniors’ minds sharp. Seniors take control of their brain health by practicing them and keeping the brain at peak fitness. Assisting Hands Home Care is invested in helping the elderly maintain optimal cognitive and physical function with compassionate Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care from Assisting Hands
Our professional caregivers are tasked with a wide range of responsibilities, such as assisting seniors with hygiene tasks, performing light housekeeping, and giving timely medication reminders. We clear clutter and offer mobility support in an effort to prevent falls that could cause head or other injuries.
Caregivers prepare healthy meals to boost brain health and serve beverages throughout the day to ensure seniors stay hydrated. We provide transportation and escort to local areas, like the doctor’s office and pharmacy. We’re also pleasant companions who deter loneliness and social isolation.
Dementia caregivers are experienced in calming agitated dementia patients with distraction techniques, such as offering them a favorite snack or playing soothing music. We prevent wandering by fulfilling the senior’s needs. Your aging loved one is continually monitored to ensure their safety and comfort.
This Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, incorporate Assisting Hands Home Care into the older adult’s care plan. We are privileged to serve in Schaumburg, Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, Des Plaines, IL, and the surrounding areas. Schedule a free in-home consultation by calling us at (847) 448-0844 today to learn how Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care elevates quality of life.
