Delaying Dementia

Cameron

Cameron

Member
Location
Ontario, Canada
My grandfather had dementia and died from it as did my uncle and mom. I've seen too many parents of friends and now friends dealing with dementia. awful thing. And in Canada our long term care homes just aren't staffed enough and enough of the homes to help all those who need it.

So i am all for delaying it if i can given the family history.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210714170134.htm
 

Cameron said:
My grandfather had dementia and died from it as did my uncle and mom. I've seen too many parents of friends and now friends dealing with dementia. awful thing. And in Canada our long term care homes just aren't staffed enough and enough of the homes to help all those who need it.

So i am all for delaying it if i can given the family history.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210714170134.htm
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These relatives of yours who had dementia Cameron, were they all on your maternal side...?
I'm so sorry you lost so many people to that insidious condition.

Do you get regular tests to see if you have any signs you may have inherited the same chance of getting it ?

Here in the UK we're the same with the real lack of affordable good homes for anyone suffering from Dementia.. , it's a national disgrace IMO...
 
hollydolly said:
These relatives of yours who had dementia Cameron, were they all on your maternal side...?
I'm so sorry you lost so many people to that insidious condition.

Do you get regular tests to see if you have any signs you may have inherited the same chance of getting it ?

Here in the UK we're the same with the real lack of affordable good homes for anyone suffering from Dementia.. , it's a national disgrace IMO...
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Yes all on the maternal side. Mom was an avid reader, bridge player etc so i do think that delayed the onset til she was 88 or so. Doesn't seem to be present on my father's side .

No i have not yet gone for any testing yet. Seems to be progress on identifying markers for it so perhaps one of these tests will be available. Another study monitored senior's driving and based on that outcome could predict the likelihood of onset in 5 yrs.

Very sad disease made even worse with covid and isolation
 

I fight any chance of dementia by reading a lot everyday, playing and singing with my guitar, going often to the library traveling as much as possible, daily walks and I cut my cable 20 years ago. I have watched many seniors sitting around all day, doing nothing but watching TV from morning to night and just giving up on life. A neighbour above me never gets up until it is almost 11 am. I get up at 5 am. Maybe dementia is in our genes but you can fight a lot of this but putting in new information into your brain. A brain is a like a muscle and needs to be exercised. Too many seniors give up on life and go around making excuses like, "I live for my grandchildren." They should also live for themselves because life is precious.
 
Packerjohn said:
I fight any chance of dementia by reading a lot everyday, playing and singing with my guitar, going often to the library traveling as much as possible, daily walks and I cut my cable 20 years ago. I have watched many seniors sitting around all day, doing nothing but watching TV from morning to night and just giving up on life. A neighbour above me never gets up until it is almost 11 am. I get up at 5 am. Maybe dementia is in our genes but you can fight a lot of this but putting in new information into your brain. A brain is a like a muscle and needs to be exercised. Too many seniors give up on life and go around making excuses like, "I live for my grandchildren." They should also live for themselves because life is precious.
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i agree 100 percent. my uncle was a great guy but loved his beer, no card games, no reading, once retired just tv. in a home 15 ys before my mom. My mother the complete opposite and much more healthy
I read a lot, walks, think about nature, deliberately set myself up to manage my electrical system, heating and so on as a brain teaser as well as a good physical workout. I think doing physical exercises , just walking also may like delay the onset.
 
Get tested, and adapt the proper lifestyles, NOW....before the onset. My Sister and BIL have both succumbed, and are currently in a care facility. They live hundreds of miles from us, but several of the nearby cousins noted their decline, and tried to convince them to get help, but they Refused. To this day, we don't know what led to their decline, simultaneously, but they were becoming increasingly reclusive for some time before they began to exhibit symptoms. At this point, their minds are pretty much shot.

As others said, Exercise....both physical AND Mental is Mandatory to maintain good health. Sitting in front of the TV for hours is a sure way to have problems.
 
How to avoid dementia 101:

#1- Be healthy, have a healthy diet, exercise, and have healthy habits;

#2- Don't take poisonous drugs;
don't allow poisons to be injected into your body;
don't listen to and don't go to people who specialize in and make their living from doing such things;
 
I’ve read various sources give these ideas:

optimum 8 hours of sleep in 24 hours

vitamin B12 is supposed to help avoid onset dementia

naturally, exercise and a healthy diet

and not only using your mind with reading, crossword puzzles, and other brain-stimulating activities but more important *learning something new*. In my case, I focus toward learning new dances but it could be anything.
 
Good article but he study, as mentioned was limited, not only by the choice of participants but by it's limited scope. You are understandably concerned about dementia based on your family history. It must've been very difficult to watch your loved ones succumb to the effects of the disease and ultimately lose them. Others here have given good advice.
 
CinnamonSugar said:
I’ve read various sources give these ideas:

optimum 8 hours of sleep in 24 hours

vitamin B12 is supposed to help avoid onset dementia

naturally, exercise and a healthy diet

and not only using your mind with reading, crossword puzzles, and other brain-stimulating activities but more important *learning something new*. In my case, I focus toward learning new dances but it could be anything.
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I agree.. and have agreed about all these things because I believe the narrative promoted by the medical industry, what else do we have ..?.. I do all those things you mentioned , most if not every day.. however both hubs and I work in the media/entertainment industry, and we've known friends.. journalists /actors/ political heads, and authors all who have succumbed to this horrendous set of diseases known under the Umbrella term of dementia

None of these people, and I can off the cuff think immediately of at least 12.. were couch potatoes. All were active in their personal and professional lives. People who for example had to learn 50 pages of script every night... ( that certainly keeps the brain cells well oiled, you would presume)..actors who sat between takes every day doing the Times crosswords.. writing their own memoirs playing suduku puzzles or chess.. ..

Famous authors

It puzzles me very much , everytime a friend or colleague falls prey to Dementia.. when I know they've done everything they potentially could to keep their minds healthy.. and still become a victim..

As Dementia is just an umbrella term for a whole set of mental health infirmities..such as Alzheimers.. and many , many more.. it can't be possible to know how to ward them all off.. and from my point of view.. although making the brain work with puzzles etc, might be useful in the short term .. I really can't see ( at least from watching my own friends and colleagues)>. that it makes any difference in staving off certain dementias...in particular Lewy Body dementia, and Alzheimer's..

..and also not forgetting that altho' rare Dementia is also attacking the young!!
 
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hollydolly said:
I agree.. and have agreed about all these things becayuse I believe the narrative promoted by the medical industry, what else do we have ..?.. I do all those things you mentioned , most if not every day.. however both hubs and I work in the media/entertainment industry, and we've known friends.. jorunalists /actors/ political heads, and authors all who have succumbed to this horrendous set of diseases kknown under the Umbrella of dementia

None of these people, and I can off the cuff think immediately of at least 12.. were couch potatoes. All were active in their person and professional lives.People who for example had to learn 50 pages of script every night... ( that certainly keeps the brain cells well oiled, you would presume)..actors who sat between takes every day doing the Times crosswords.. writing their own memoirs playing suduku puzzles or chess.. ..

Famous authors

It puzzles me very much , everytime a friend or colleague falls prey to Dementia.. when I know they've done evrything they potentially could to keep their minds healthy.. and still become a victim..

As Dementia is just an umbrella term for a whole set of mental health infirmities..such as Alzheimers.. and many , many more.. it can't be possible to know how to ward them all off.. and from my point of view.. although making the brain work with puzzles etc, might be useful in the short term .. I really can't see ( at least from watching my own friends and colleagues)>. that it makes any difference in staving off certain dementias...in particular Lewy Body dementia, and Alzheimer's..

..and also not forgetting that altho' rare Demntia is also attacking the young!!
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I think that lifestyle can sometimes slow down Alzheimers and other forms of dementia but I think it's something in your genetic code or not so there's no way to keep it away indefinitely if you live long enough. In fact, I read an article a while back that phrased it along the lines of, "Guess what! There's a cure for dementia! Here it is: die before you come down with it!" (I just hope that I get it before my huzz does.)
 
My beloved sister in law was in charge of the Staten Island office of the NYCDOT.
She self taught the computer system they used.
They moved to a retirement housing community and she was active in card games,bacci, bus trips and so on.
2 of her 4 children with grandchildren lived a short distance away, she was active in their lives.
She started getting mean and this was a lady that didn’t have a mean bone in her, occasionally there was inappropriate language and odd behaviors.
By 2007 she had no clue who anyone was and seemed to get nervous when her husband wasn’t right next to her.
She was admitted to memory care in 2010 and passed in 2012.
My husbands brother in law was an engineer, did all his vehicle repairs, built the house he retired too, he’s in a memory care unit, I spoke to one of the sons a few weeks back and he said his mind is completely gone.
 
hollydolly said:
I agree.. and have agreed about all these things becayuse I believe the narrative promoted by the medical industry, what else do we have ..?.. I do all those things you mentioned , most if not every day.. however both hubs and I work in the media/entertainment industry, and we've known friends.. jorunalists /actors/ political heads, and authors all who have succumbed to this horrendous set of diseases kknown under the Umbrella of dementia

None of these people, and I can off the cuff think immediately of at least 12.. were couch potatoes. All were active in their person and professional lives.People who for example had to learn 50 pages of script every night... ( that certainly keeps the brain cells well oiled, you would presume)..actors who sat between takes every day doing the Times crosswords.. writing their own memoirs playing suduku puzzles or chess.. ..

Famous authors

It puzzles me very much , everytime a friend or colleague falls prey to Dementia.. when I know they've done evrything they potentially could to keep their minds healthy.. and still become a victim..

As Dementia is just an umbrella term for a whole set of mental health infirmities..such as Alzheimers.. and many , many more.. it can't be possible to know how to ward them all off.. and from my point of view.. although making the brain work with puzzles etc, might be useful in the short term .. I really can't see ( at least from watching my own friends and colleagues)>. that it makes any difference in staving off certain dementias...in particular Lewy Body dementia, and Alzheimer's..

..and also not forgetting that altho' rare Demntia is also attacking the young!!
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I agree, @hollydolly, it is a very sad disease and there’s no guarantee any or all of these things is the silver bullet. I just choose to take care of what’s in my control, don’t worry about the future, and make each day the best it can be, whatever my health situation.
 
CinnamonSugar said:
I agree, @hollydolly, it is a very sad disease and there’s no guarantee any or all of these things is the silver bullet. I just choose to take care of what’s in my control, don’t worry about the future, and make each day the best it can be, whatever my health situation.
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precisely...that's all any of us can hope to do CS... and just pray we're not one of the ever increasing victims..:(
 
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This is totally heresay, anecdotal, or whatever you call it, but for a few years, my Mom was visiting several times a day, every single day, her parents in the nursing facility they were in. Grandpa was a troublesome resident (because of course he was), so Mom was constantly getting called to come back in, sigh. Anyway, Mom said that her impression of the other residents there was that the ones who appeared to be in the best physical health (could still walk totally fine, etc.) were the ones with the most memory, mental issues (anger over small things, etc.). And the ones who seemed to be the best mentally were almost always the ones using at least a walker or a wheelchair. Totally not a scientific study but she was in the place several times a day every day and that was her take on it.
 
Packerjohn said:
I fight any chance of dementia by reading a lot everyday, playing and singing with my guitar, going often to the library traveling as much as possible, daily walks and I cut my cable 20 years ago. I have watched many seniors sitting around all day, doing nothing but watching TV from morning to night and just giving up on life. A neighbour above me never gets up until it is almost 11 am. I get up at 5 am. Maybe dementia is in our genes but you can fight a lot of this but putting in new information into your brain. A brain is a like a muscle and needs to be exercised. Too many seniors give up on life and go around making excuses like, "I live for my grandchildren." They should also live for themselves because life is precious.
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Reading did not help Mom and one sibling that died due to Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. Mom would read these huge novels as did her siblings. I imagine she missed reading when she became sicker. Her last surviving sibling, a brother, is now in the late stages of Dementia. It is a cruel illness.
 
My girlfriend was tested today for Dementia. She is 69 and has Bi-polar. I wonder if all people with Dementia end up in a nursing home? Her sister told her she will be going into a nursing home. She was driving a car and did something today that freak me out. She was driving in wrong way in a parking lot and went into another parking lot across the street going the wrong way. I had to take over driving. She was acting like she didn't know where she was.

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There’s some good documentaries out there that touch on how music can help with dementia:

“Alive Inside” from 2014
And “I’ll Be Me” about Glen Campbell
 
CinnamonSugar said:
There’s some good documentaries out there that touch on how music can help with dementia:

“Alive Inside” from 2014
And “I’ll Be Me” about Glen Campbell
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yes indeed.. it would also seem that musician tend to get Dementia later in life than those who don't play or sing .. and also it's been found that sufferers who often don't respond to anything in the latter stages of the diseases, seem to respond to music... and sometimes for as long as 30minutes afterwards regain their memory.....however research has found that the music has to be from the patients own Era...

There's Youtube Videos out there on this same subject.....

 

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