Lots of older adults are worried about the possibility of developing dementia, but there might still be something your senior can do to lower her risk. There are lifestyle factors that your elderly family member can control, and these can also play into her risk of developing dementia symptoms.
Stay or Become Active
Exercise does a lot for your senior’s body, health, and brain. When your elderly family member is able to stay as active as possible, she is more likely to be able to keep doing ADLs, or activities of daily living. Even having help from elder care providers to complete these activities counts. If your elderly family member is still able to exercise, even a little, help her to get started with a scalable exercise plan.
Adjust Eating Habits
Your senior’s body and brain need nutrients, especially her brain. Very often seniors get into a rut with food and maybe aren’t eating the most nutrient-dense foods. Eating plenty of protein, along with healthy fats, can fuel your senior’s brain and body. Talk to your senior’s doctor about supplements like vitamin D and fish oil, which can help to keep her brain and body strong.
Get Hearing and Vision Checked Regularly
Cognitive decline accelerates when someone loses their vision, hearing, or both. You can help your senior to stay ahead of that problem by encouraging her to get both her vision and her hearing checked regularly. Knowing that she’s losing the use of these senses, even by a little bit, can help her to put solutions in place that help her to maintain her cognition for as long as possible.
Talk with Her Doctor about Risk Factors
It’s also a good idea for your senior to talk to her doctor about her dementia risk factors if she has not already. Her doctor can help your elderly family member to put a plan together that addresses any issues that are addressable at this stage. Having risk factors does not mean that your elderly family member will definitely develop dementia but knowing if her risk is high gives her a chance to do what she can.
Dementia doesn’t have a cure at this point, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing that you or your aging family member can do. Take the time to look at all of the factors you can look at and see what options your senior has.
If you or an aging loved one is considering elder care in Palmetto, FL, please contact the caring staff at Home Helpers of Bradenton. Call today: (941) 499-5946.
