What activities could I do with my mom to prevent her from getting the disease?
My grandmother got diagnosed with this disease about seven years ago. We noticed that she was going down hill really fast because she started forgeting my name and she kept saying she wanted to go home when she was really at her home that she has been in for more than a decade. I really want to know how I can prevent my mother from getting this disease. I will not just watch my mother go down the same path as my grandmother went because it is not just hard to have this "Long Goodbye" with my grandmother but I am not going to look at my mom the same way she currently looks at hers. Any help will be greatly apreciated!
There are no guarantees, of course, but what is good for the heart is considered good for the brain. You may want to read http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/62/32720/heart-healthy-good for some tips. Fish oil, antioxidants, exercise and learning new things are all considered good for the brain. You could try to interest your mom in a better diet. You could offer to exercise with her. You could challenge her on some computer games or other things that would encourage her to keep learning.
If she is still the caregiver for your grandmother, she is under stress from that. Helping her stay healthy will be good now and could help her in the future. So, anything that helps her general health is a good step. If weight is a problem she may be at risk for diabetes or high blood pressure which could raise dementia risk.
The idea is to help her stay generally healthy, especially in ways good for her heart, and then keep challenging her to learn new things. If you join in the activities with her, it will seem more like you want to spend time with her than that you are just nagging. This would be good for both of you.
I hope you can get her to take some steps
Take care,
Carol
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Hi, Mikepal,
I just had the opportunity to hear Dr. David Snowdon (the researcher who has done one of the most definitive studies about Alzheimer's) speak. He said the best thing to do is exercise (particularly cardio). In fact, he said if it was a choice between doing a crossword every day and exercising, opt for the exercise.
The other things that Carol mentioned also have been shown to be helpful by research - controlling stress, trying new things, building a community of strong relationships, and diet (especially by following a Mediterranean diet).
Hope this helps! Keep us posted!
Dorian
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