How to Prevent Dementia
Scientists believe there is no guaranteed method of preventing dementia, although research into how the disease develops is ongoing. There is strong evidence that the illness is hereditary and it is inevitable for some people as they age.
Still, there is a lot of research which indicates that leading a healthy lifestyle can help prevent dementia, at least for a few years.
It can also prevent more serious physical health disease, such as heart disease, cancer, and strokes, which are fatal more often than not. At the very worst, living an unhealthy lifestyle is believed to increase the risks of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Ultimately, this will lead to you needing to be put in a nursing or invest in the best home health care in Chesterfield or Macomb has to offer.
How to Prevent Dementia.
Recent research suggests that untreated depression, loneliness, social isolation and a sedentary lifestyle all increase the risk of you suffering from depression. This adds to previous research which suggested that keeping your mind active by socializing, engaging in new hobbies can help ward off mental illnesses such as dementia.
The ultimate conclusion of the research was that the low mood, anxiety that occurs as a result of depression can make it harder for you to be motivated to engage your brain in the ways listed above. It also suggested depression can occur as part of the overall symptoms of dementia itself, making it somewhat of a vicious circle.
The best solution, it seems, would be to maintain an active social life with lots of hobbies and new activities involved. If you think you might already be suffering from depression, talk to your doctor. They’ll be able to identify your symptoms and may refer you to a counselor or therapist.
The new research suggested that staying socially and mentally active could decrease your risk of dementia by up to 30%.
Diet and Exercise
Many researchers have come to the conclusion that behavior that’s good for your heart and body tends to be good for your mental health as well. This means you can reduce your risk of suffering from dementia in old age by:
- eating a healthy diet;
- staying at a healthy weight;
- exercising on a regular basis;
- refraining from over-indulging in alcohol
- quitting smoking
A diet high in sugar and saturated fats can increase the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol diabetes and obesity, which are all believed to increase the risk of suffering from dementia. If you’re treated to home health care in Chesterfield or Macomb, one of their main jobs will be to ensure that you eat a healthy diet and stay at a healthy weight. This is one of the most important factors for you to maintain great physical and mental health in to your 80s, 90s and beyond.