A Guide to Alzheimers Disease and Prevention
Alzheimers disease is known as being the most common form of dementia among older people, dementia being a type of brain disorder that seriously affects a persons ability to be able to carry out normal daily activities. Alzheimers disease tends to progress rather slowly, as first it involves parts of the brain that control such things as thought, memory and language.
Then over time the symptoms begin to get worse, and people may begin not to recognize family members and friends or have trouble speaking or writing. They may even get to the point where they forget how to do seemingly simple tasks, such as brushing their teeth or combing their hair. It is a disease which typically affects people over the age of sixty, although this is not definite, and your risk is higher of developing it if a family member has had the disease.
Alzheimers Disease and Prevention
When it comes to Alzheimers disease and prevention, although there is unfortunately really no surefire way of preventing yourself from getting the disease, there are certain things that you can do in order to attempt at avoiding it as much as possible. For instance keeping your heart healthy is very important in terms of Alzheimers disease and prevention.
Scientific evidence has shown that there is a relationship between the health of your brain and the health of your cardiovascular system, and in particular it seems helpful to focus on diet and exercise here. Regular exercise is crucial, and thirty minutes of exercise a day should be a sufficient amount in order to keep the heart and brain healthy.
You also want to try and eat a diet that is low in cholesterol, saturated fat, sugar and salt, and high in dietary fiber, such as oats and beans, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other complex carbohydrates. Limiting your alcohol intake is also very important, and this means limiting yourself to one or two drinks a day at the very most. A small amount of alcohol may be related to a healthy heart, and one study even showed that red wine might actually work to decrease your risk of developing Alzheimers. However at the same time you do not want to overdo it.
As well in regards to the Alzheimers disease and prevention matter, you want to socialize as much as possible, and this is actually one of the most important Alzheimers disease and prevention steps of all, because active involvement with your family and friends can lower your risk of dementia, and besides stimulating your brain, it lessens depression that can result from isolation.
How To Prevent Alzheimers
As the diseases degenerative traits continue to worsen, occupational therapy may provide some aid, but over time, the patients ability to perform simple, daily tasks will degrade to the point that occupational therapy for Alzheimers Disease will no longer be productive.
This is a plaque like substance that is found on the brains of Alzheimers sufferer. When the disease has reached a certain height in it attack on the brain, the person will require almost constant care. Your family member may begin to have difficulty recognizing family and friends, and he may confuse a brother with a nephew or a spouse with a cousin. As more medications come into the medical world that can help Alzheimers patients to function for longer periods of time, one can only hope and pray that a cure will not be too far behind.
As the disease progresses they may not be able to recognize even the closest friends and family members, and this is often the hardest part for you to have to see as you watch the disease take over their mind and body.
But by then, the disease is already present. This is because these are the people who are going to have to care for and support the patient. Be aware of the symptoms of Alzheimers and communicate any concerns with your health to your physician.
These first signs can include a shorter attention span and a difficulty completing tasks.
Help him to select clothing to wear and food to eat by offering a small number of choices. There are a variety of other tests that doctors have had their disposal to help diagnose Alzheimers disease. Alzheimers was first discussed in the early 1900s the disease was brought to the attention of the medical community by Dr. |