Preventing Dementia

Ruthanne

Ruthanne

Caregiver
Location
Midwest
I saw a few tips on the news today about preventing dementia and they said:

1. Eat a balanced diet.

2. Exercise

3. Watch blood pressure carefully

4. Take Supplements

I have also read:

Watch cholesterol and keep it lower

Also, here is a link with some information:

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/research_progress/prevention

If anyone else has any ideas they are more than welcome! :sentimental:
 

I don't think anyone has the answer but certainly adopting a healthy lifestyle can't hurt.

I've wondered if dementia is a natural progression that we didn't often see until our life expectancy increased over the years.

If I develop dementia please just give me my pill and send me on my way.
 

There is some evidence that keeping one's mind active is helpful for keeping both dementia and Alzheimers at bay. For a while I invested in Lumosity, [FONT=arial, sans-serif] an online program and cell phone app consisting of games to improve memory, attention, flexibility, speed of processing, and problem solving. At least that was the claim.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial, sans-serif]I realized that there were many more productive ways I could keep my brain engaged, and that's when I decided to dive head first into technology and learn all I could and stay abreast for as long as I could. It's been hugely helpful in keeping my mind sharp, plus has aided my life by giving me all manner of tools to use, AND has increased my skillet with clients! A win all round![/FONT]
 
I've been taking a spoonful of Coconut Oil almost daily for several years now, the brand I use is Nature's Way organic, unrefined, cold-pressed, 62% MCTs. MCT oil, at least the brand that I tried, did not contain the Medium Chain Triglyceride "Lauric Acid", which is the key ingredient to help with dementia. More information here.
 
"....High cholesterol levels in the blood, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and obesity are the major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke. The risk factors for cardiovascular disease represent risk factors for both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia....".
 
Aunt Bea said:
I don't think anyone has the answer but certainly adopting a healthy lifestyle can't hurt.

I've wondered if dementia is a natural progression that we didn't often see until our life expectancy increased over the years.

If I develop dementia please just give me my pill and send me on my way.
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"I've wondered if dementia is a natural progression that we didn't often see until our life expectancy increased over the years."

 Good point & I agree....

I have a friend [now 79] who first started slipping into it about two years ago....he seems to be getting worse everyday. His wife [81] is starting to struggle , taking care of him. He has two G/daughters that are nurses, and they say there is just not much that can be done.

Hard to watch when it is a friend...A loved one must be even harder.
 
I think the brain is very similar to a muscle....if you Don't use it, you Lose it. As we get older, I think it is important to find ways to make us "Think". A good example might be the many word games, etc., that appear in this forum, or doing crossword puzzles, reading books, etc.....anything but sitting in front of the TV all day.
 
Don M. said:
I think the brain is very similar to a muscle....if you Don't use it, you Lose it. As we get older, I think it is important to find ways to make us "Think". A good example might be the many word games, etc., that appear in this forum, or doing crossword puzzles, reading books, etc.....anything but sitting in front of the TV all day.
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Thanks, as I may be a prime candidate for dementia I'll start using the word games more. Thanks again Don.
 
For years,I've done daily NYTimes crossword puzzle,they get harder as the week goes along.The crossword puzzle in USA Today is a bit harder than NYT
I also do wordsearch,find the difference puzzles,read a lot,take 3 walks/day{weather permitting] Sue
 
For a while, we saw ads for 'Brain training' games that were supposed to help prevent dementia, however I subsequently read that they were not effective - but you got good at doing the games. I think that staying active and occupied would help quite a bit.
 
My doctor gave me a little test of 10 questions which were easy to me to answer. He said I was fine and that I kept manual accounting books for a friend helped my mind function better. I like doing the accounting manually as I have to balance everything to the penny. Good exercise for the mind, he said. I also play solitaire on the computer several times a day.
 
Don M. said:
I think the brain is very similar to a muscle....if you Don't use it, you Lose it. As we get older, I think it is important to find ways to make us "Think". A good example might be the many word games, etc., that appear in this forum, or doing crossword puzzles, reading books, etc.....anything but sitting in front of the TV all day.
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I agree with you Don. Anything that makes us think, and is mentally challenging, does the brain good. Word games/puzzles are not only fun, but you can learn new things along the way. I know that I do.
 
Get me one also..
Aunt Bea said:
I don't think anyone has the answer but certainly adopting a healthy lifestyle can't hurt.

I've wondered if dementia is a natural progression that we didn't often see until our life expectancy increased over the years.

If I develop dementia please just give me my pill and send me on my way.
Click to expand...
 
This kind of bugs me, over the last 2/3 months I find myself wanting to just close my eyes and go to sleep in the middle of the day. I will take a walk, mix an extra strong brew of tea, but sometimes I just close my eyes and drift off to la la land. Good...Bad....or don't worry about or have my doctor test my heart. What would you do?
 
norman said:
This kind of bugs me, over the last 2/3 months I find myself wanting to just close my eyes and go to sleep in the middle of the day. I will take a walk, mix an extra strong brew of tea, but sometimes I just close my eyes and drift off to la la land. Good...Bad....or don't worry about or have my doctor test my heart. What would you do?
Click to expand...

I would enjoy my nap!:):playful::eek:nthego:
 
I suppose it's good to do puzzles and stuff to keep the brain "active," but I believe that if you are wired for dementia, there's really nothing you can do. Else why wouldn't there be a "cure"?
 
My doctor says a good nap is good for me. I don't sleep much at night as I like to read, play games, etc. So a nap works for me. My doctor calls it "second sleep" and is common for people like me in their 70's. I don't worry about it. I sleep when sleepy, eat when hungry and that's it. If I was working full time I would probably sleep better at night. But I go with the flow.
 
Here's the Mayo Clinic link to the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. I'm close to most of the dietary recommendations but refuse to limit cheese!

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...-diet-tweaks-cut-alzheimers-risk/art-20342112

Cultural groups that consume a lot of curries tend to have lower rates of dementia due to curcumin in tumeric, and a recent 2018 UCLA study shows again that there are measurable benefits. But the researchers used a more bioavailable than most supplements you can buy because turmeric isn't absorbed easily. And caution: It can have interactions with blood thinners and drugs for atrial fib such as Eliquis. I like the taste of freshly grated turmeric tea, and though I do take turmeric supplements, getting the good stuff from fresh food sources is best.

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/curcumin-improves-memory-and-mood-new-ucla-study-says
 
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I’m also for taking organic cold pressed coconut oil and keeping the mind active with jigsaw puzzles, books, computer games etc. Keeping the mind active helps.
 

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