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Alzheimer’s isn’t inevitable. Many experts now believe you can prevent or at least delay dementia — even if you have a genetic predisposition. Reducing Alzheimer’s risk factors like obesity, diabetes,smoking and low physical activity by just 25 percent could prevent up to half a million cases of the disease in the United States, according to a recent analysis from the University of California in San Francisco.

Here are 10 new ways you can boost your brain health now.

1) Get moving

“If you do only one thing to keep your brain young, exercise,” says Art Kramer, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Illinois. Higher exercise levels can reduce dementia risk by 30 to 40 percent compared with low activity levels, and physically active people tend to maintain better cognition and memory than inactive people. “They also have substantially lower rates of different forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease,” Kramer says.

Working out helps your hippocampus, the region of the brain involved in memory formation. As you age, your hippocampus shrinks, leading to memory loss. Exercise can reverse this process, research suggests.

How you work up a sweat is up to you, but most experts recommend 150 minutes a week of moderate activity. Even a little bit can help: “In our research as little as 15 minutes of regular exercise three times per week helped maintain the brain,” says Eric B. Larson, M.D., executive director of Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.

2) Pump some iron

Older women who participated in a yearlong weight-training program at the University of British Columbia at Vancouver did 13 percent better on tests of cognitive function than a group of women who did balance and toning exercises. “Resistance training may increase the levels of growth factors in the brain such as IGF1, which nourish and protect nerve cells,” says Teresa Liu-Ambrose, head of the university’s Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory.

3) Seek out new skills

Learning spurs the growth of new brain cells. “When you challenge the brain, you increase the number of brain cells and the number of connections between those cells,” says Keith L. Black, M.D., chair of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “But it’s not enough to do the things you routinely do — like the daily crossword. You have to learn new things, like sudoku or a new form of bridge.”

UCLA researchers using MRI scans found that middle-aged and older adults with little Internet experience could trigger brain centers that control decision-making and complex reasoning after a week of surfing the net. “Engaging the mind can help older brains maintain healthy functioning,” says Cynthia R. Green, Ph.D., author of 30 Days to Total Brain Health.

4) Say “Omm”

Chronic stress floods your brain with cortisol, which leads to impaired memory. To better understand if easing tension changes your brain, Harvard researchers studied men and women trained in a technique called mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). This form of meditation — which involves focusing one’s attention on sensations, feelings and state of mind — has been shown to reduce harmful stress hormones. After eight weeks, researchers took MRI scans of participants’ brains that showed the density of gray matter in the hippocampus increased significantly in the MBSR group, compared with a control group.

5) Eat like a Greek

A heart-friendly Mediterranean diet — fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts and beans —  reduced Alzheimer’s risk by 34 to 48 percent in studies conducted by Columbia University.

“We know that omega-3 fatty acids in fish are very important for maintaining heart health,” says Keith Black of Cedars-Sinai. “We suspect these fats may be equally important for maintaining a healthy brain.”

Data from several large studies suggest that older people who eat the most fruits and vegetables, especially the leafy-green variety, may experience a slower rate of cognitive decline and a lower risk for dementia than meat lovers.

And it may not matter if you get your produce from a bottle instead of a bin. A study from Vanderbilt University found that people who downed three or more servings of fruit or vegetable juice a week had a 76 percent lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease than those who drank less than a serving weekly.

6) Spice it up

Your brain enjoys spices as much as your taste buds do. Herbs and spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, oregano, basil, parsley, ginger and vanilla are high in antioxidants, which may help build brainpower. Scientists are particularly intrigued by curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, common in Indian curries. “Indians have lower incidence of Alzheimer’s, and one theory is it’s the curcumin,” says Black. “It bonds to amyloid plaques that accumulate in the brains of people with the disease.” Animal research shows curcumin reduces amyloid plaques and lowers inflammation levels. A study in humans also found those who ate curried foods frequently had higher scores on standard cognition tests.

7) Find your purpose

Discovering your mission in life can help you stay sharp, according to a Rush University Medical Center study of more than 950 older adults. Participants who approached life with clear intentions and goals at the start of the study were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over the following seven years, researchers found.

Get a (social) life

Who needs friends? You do! Having multiple social networks helps lower dementia risk, a 15-year study of older people from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute shows. A rich social life may protect against dementia by providing emotional and mental stimulation, says Laura Fratiglioni, M.D., director of the institute’s Aging Research Center. Other studies yield similar conclusions: Subjects in a University of Michigan study did better on tests of short-term memory after just 10 minutes of conversation with another person.

9) Reduce your risks

Chronic health conditions like diabetes, obesity and hypertension are often associated with dementia. Diabetes, for example, roughly doubles the risk for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Controlling these risk factors can slow the tide.

“We’ve estimated that in people with mild cognitive impairment — an intermediate state between normal cognitive aging and dementia — good control of diabetes can delay the onset of dementia by several years,” says Fratiglioni. That means following doctor’s orders regarding diet and exercise and taking prescribed medications on schedule.

10) Check vitamin deficiencies

Older adults don’t always get all the nutrients they need from foods, because of declines in digestive acids or because their medications interfere with absorption. That vitamin deficit — particularly vitamin B12— can also affect brain vitality, research from Rush University Medical Center shows. Older adults at risk of vitamin B12 deficiencies had smaller brains and scored lowest on tests measuring thinking, reasoning and memory, researchers found.

Source: AARP.org

Contact Pure Home Care Services at (586) 293-2457 today!  If you live in Sterling Heights or the surrounding area, we can help you care for your loved ones.

Holiday Gifts for People With Alzheimer’s Disease

Gifts for people living with Alzheimer’s

In the early stages

• Items to help remember things: Magnetic reminder notepads; Post-it notes; baskets or trays that can be labeled within cabinets or drawers; a pocket-sized diary or notebook; erasable white boards for important rooms in the house; a calendar featuring family photos and marked with special family occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries
  
• Items that may help with daily activities: Memory phone that can store pictures with the names and contact information of family and friends; an automatic medication dispenser that can help the person living with Alzheimer’s remember to take their medicine; night lights that come on automatically when it gets dark; a clock with the date and time in large type
  
• Entertainment: Give DVDs of the person’s favorite movies, and musical CDs or CD compilations of the person’s favorite tunes. Plan an outing to a movie, play, concert, sporting event or museum, or organize a holiday outing with the person’s friends and family. Arrange for activities such as scrapbooking or other craft projects that are social in nature.

Note: Giving electronics may seem like a good idea to make life easier for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia, but that isn’t always the case. If you decide to give someone with the disease a new piece of electronic equipment, remember to review the operating instructions with them slowly and more than once. Make a copy of the instructions for the person and for yourself, so you can talk them through the process on the phone if needed.

In the middle to late stages

• Items that provide sensory stimulation: In the later stages of the disease, sensory stimulation may bring back pleasant memories, so gift ideas include scented lotions, a soft blanket or afghan to keep the person warm, or a fluffy bathrobe in the person’s favorite color.
  
• Clothes: Clothing should be comfortable, easy to remove and easily washable, which might include sweatsuits, knits, large-banded socks, shoes with Velcro ties, and wrinkle-free nightgowns, nightshirts and robes.
  
• Music: Research shows that music has a positive impact on individuals with Alzheimer’s, bringing back memories of good times, increasing stimulation and providing an opportunity for interacting with family members. Buy favorite CDs or create a CD full of musical favorites.
  
• Framed photographs or a photo collage: Copy photos of family members and friends, insert the names of the people in the photo, and put in frames or a photo album.

Source: Caringnews.com

Contact Pure Home Care Services at (586) 293-2457 today!  If you live in Bloomfield Hills or the surrounding area, we can help you care for your loved ones.

No matter what our age or health condition, physical activity is good for the body, mind and spirit.

When a loved one is living with Alzheimer’s disease or other memory loss, exercise doesn’t become any less important. Inactivity can lead to muscle and joint pain, increased agitation, sleep disturbances, and other behaviors that make caregiving more of a challenge.

The National Institute on Aging offers suggestions for helping loved ones with dementia exercise safely:

• Be realistic about how much activity can be done at one time. Several 10-minute “mini-workouts” may be best.
• Help get the activity started or join in to make the activity more fun.
• Find time in the morning for exercise.
• Break exercises into simple, easy-to-follow steps.
• Choose comfortable clothes that are suitable for the weather and appropriate shoes that fit well.
• Make sure both you and your loved one drink plenty of water when exercising.

Some activities to try together:

• Take a walk together.
• Do simple tasks around the house, such as sweeping and raking.
• Work in the garden.
• Play music and dance.
• Exercise with videos made for older people.
• Throw a soft rubber exercise ball back and forth.
• Lift weights or household items such as soup cans.
• Use resistance bands, which you can buy in sporting goods stores. Be sure to follow the instructions.

In a recent Caring Right at Home poll, readers confirmed that the best way to encourage senior loved ones to exercise is to exercise with them. This is a great way to take care of yourself while you are caring for your loved one.

One more reason to be active

New research from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee shows that joining your loved one for a brisk walk or home exercise workout may be especially important for Alzheimer’s family caregivers. According to UWM College of Health Sciences professor J. Carson Smith, “Our study suggests that if you are at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, the benefits of exercise to your brain function might be even greater than for those who do not have that genetic risk.”

Source: Caringnews.com

Contact Pure Home Care Services at (586) 293-2457 today!  If you live in Birmingham or the surrounding area, we can help you care for your loved ones.