A growing amount of evidence suggests your lifestyle choices can significantly affect your likelihood of developing Dementia. In short, what's good for your heart is also good for your head!
Several studies suggest Dementia risk is lowered in those who live a holistically healthier lifestyle. A few of the top Dementia risk factors you may be able to manage include:
Let's take a closer look at a few proactive steps suggested to take to manage Dementia risk factors and how the Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center can help.
Get Physically Active
It is suggested that regular, moderate physical exercise can improve your mental wellbeing. Whether it's a brisk walk, playing tennis, cycling, dancing, swimming, or trying a hand at pickleball, moderate exercises should leave you slightly out of breath, make you a little sweaty, and increase your heart rate. Regular exercise entails physical activity at least five times per week for 30 minutes. Cardio exercise has shown to offer a full range of health benefits. What are you waiting for? Get proactive by actively reducing your Dementia risk factors.
Say Goodbye to Smoking
It should come as no surprise that smoking is suggested to be a Dementia risk factor. Fortunately, like other negative lifestyle choices, you can stop. Choosing to stop smoking can have positive effects on your holistic health. And it's never too late to quit.
Best of all, there is great access to smoking cessation support groups, medicines, and therapies. Even if you've been smoking for 40 years, stopping today will benefit your overall health and can help reduce your likelihood of developing Dementia.
Adopt a Healthy Diet
In addition to feeling better about yourself, did you know a well-balanced, healthy diet may help reduce your chances of developing Dementia, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity? Here are a few suggested actionable steps to improve your dietary habits and potentially limit your Dementia risk factors — starting with eating a balanced diet:
Stay on the lookout for hidden salt content, while limiting your intake of sugar.
Make sure you consume at least five portions of vegetables and fruit every day.
Include healthy proteins (like beans, oily fish, eggs, and meats) in your diet at least two times every week.
It is suggested to also eat less saturated fats and avoid foods high in cholesterol. High levels of the bad type of cholesterol — lipoprotein (LDL) — are strongly associated with increasing your chance of developing vascular Dementia, while other research has linked high cholesterol to a higher likelihood of developing Alzheimer's Disease.
Loneliness and Maintaining Social Engagement
Recent research from scientists at Florida State University suggests that loneliness is directly tied to an increased risk of developing Dementia. After analyzing the data from more than 12,000 individuals, it was determined that loneliness was associated with a staggering 40% higher risk of developing Dementia over a 10-year period.
Get Social & Mentally Engaged at Brain Fitness Workshops
However, you are not alone! The Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center offers fun and engaging Brain Fitness Workshops to help you stay mentally and socially engaged. Our Brain Fitness Workshops are ideal for older adults who are not diagnosed with a cognitive impairment but want to enhance and maintain their cognitive abilities.
Family members, partners, spouses, and neighbors are welcomed to attend our workshops. They are loaded with stimulating activities to get you thinking and keep your memory skills sharp. These sessions include activities and brain games that are appropriate for all ages!
Contact Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center
When it comes to preventing and/or managing Dementia, you are not alone! An entire team of support at the Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center is here for you. We are committed to making a positive difference in the lives of those impacted by Alzheimer's Disease and other related forms of Dementia — one person, one family, one community at a time. Until there is a cure, Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center is the solution.
We offer a full curriculum of stage-specific day programs for those living with Alzheimer's Disease and other related forms of Dementia:
We also offer a range of different solutions for caregivers, including:
Simply put, the Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center is with you every step of the way.
Contact us today to learn more about the programs and services we offer.