Chapter 8: How Seniors can Preserve Brain Health
Aging is inevitable. No matter how meticulous you’re with practicing healthy eating habits and regular exercise, you’ll still grow old. So, the best you can do is to slow down the process and ensure that you don’t fall sick often during that period. This chapter will explore some common brain dysfunctions that are associated with aging and how older adults can preserve their brain health and brain power.
Common Neurological Dysfunctions Among the Elderly
There are many diseases and dysfunctions that are associated with aging. Some of these dysfunctions affect brain health and brain power, reducing the efficiency of brain functioning. Below are some of the common brain dysfunctions associated with aging:
Alzheimer’s Disease
This disease is a form of dementia that progressively destroys brain cells. If it’s not stopped, it can eventually interfere with a person’s most basic physical and mental functions. Research on this disease is still ongoing, and its exact cause is still unknown. Still, the good news is that it can be prevented through lifestyle changes such as good eating habits.
Myopathy
The symptom of this disease is a characteristic muscle weakness. This weakness is most severe in the upper arms and thighs. So, basically, it is a disorder of the muscles as a result of some parts of the brain malfunctioning. The miscommunication in the brain parts leads to the inability of the muscles to function as expected.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive movement disorder that often leads to malfunction and death of essential nerve cells in the brain. People battling this disease can find relief through medication. In the absence of all other cheaper and less invasive options, doctors recommend surgery for such individuals. This disease can be devastating because it can make a person unable to live without the support of others.
Stroke
This isn’t the kind of disease anyone wants to be associated with. Still, many people are battling this medical condition around the world. It’s a dangerous and life-threatening disease that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly interrupted. Warning signs include arm weakness, face drooping, and speech difficulty.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a progressive disease that affects motor neurons, which also leads to the deterioration of the functions of the muscles of the body. Research on this disease is still in its infancy. In the meantime, it can only be prevented. There’s no known cure for it once the disease shows its recognizable symptoms.
Myasthenia Gravis
Myasthenia Gravis is a chronic autoimmune disorder that blocks the signals from the nerves to the muscles and makes the muscles unable to move. A trademark of the disease is muscle weakness, which increases during periods of activity after you have been resting for a while.
Muscular Dystrophy
This is a group of progressive muscle disorders that has a genetic basis. The symptoms include a weakening of the muscles closest to the trunk of the body that later progresses to severe muscle deterioration and muscle contraction.
Neuropathy
This is a nerve disorder, which leads to symptoms such as weakness and numbness. These symptoms are often seen in the hands and feet. This dysfunction can be a product of systemic diseases such as diabetes. It can also be due to the side effects of medications. People suffering from this illness will find it difficult to cope with their daily activities.
Tips for Preserving Brain Health for Seniors
There’s no good news in highlighting brain dysfunctions without highlighting how you can prevent them. Prevention is always better than cure. Below are some proven ways that can help older adults to preserve their brain health and brain power to a reasonable extent:
Daily Walk
Mentioning exercise might sound complicated. It’s as basic as taking a thirty- minute walk. This simple and light activity has a tremendous impact on both your physical and mental health. According to the director of the Memory Disorders Program at Georgetown University Medical Center, Scott Turner, physical exercise has the greatest evidence for preserving memory and mental function, especially for older adults.
Exercise can prevent memory loss because it helps in preventing the things that lead to it, such as diabetes, obesity, stroke, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. According to research, physical activity also triggers the release of a protein known as BDNF. This protein promotes healthy nerve cells in the brain, thereby giving your memory a boost.
Engage Your Brain
Growing older isn’t the reason to stay away from activities that are brain- tasking. According to the director of the geriatric psychiatry division at Duke University School of Medicine, Mustafa Husain, mental exercise is as important as physical exercise. Activities such as playing cards, joining a book club, watching a football game with friends, or leveraging a brain- training app can also come in handy.
Go Mediterranean
Your eating habit is vital at any stage of your life. However, it becomes more crucial as you grow older. There are some things your body would be able to handle when you were younger that will be more problematic in the later periods of your life. So, if you have not been doing so, you should incorporate more Mediterranean diets such as fruits, vegetables, and fishes in your meal. Research has proven that individuals that have this eating habit are 20% less likely to have thinking and memory issues.
Maintain Social Connection
It can be lonely for older adults, especially during the periods when the “nest is empty.” In other words, the period when the children have gone to live in different places away from the parents can be lonely. Still, it’s crucial that an aging person maintains social connections in various ways in order to preserve mental function and memory. Social interactions improve your mood. Besides, depression itself is one of the causes of memory loss.
Leverage Mnemonics
No matter how much you exercise and have good eating habits, your memory strength cannot be the same as you grow older. So, it’s vital that you take advantage of memory tricks that can help you to remember faster. For example, a quick way to remember the names of all your children is by using an acronym such as JIFE is your kids are John, Ivy, Frank, and Esther. You can also post sticky notes on your computer or places you can easily see them to remind you about some important things you need to do. This approach will save you the stress of trying so hard to recall certain things. You should also try to rehearse something new you have learned to help you to store it in your long-term memory.
Go for Medical Checkups
You don’t have to be sick before you go to the hospital. Have a culture of visiting your doctor once in a while for a routine checkup. This might help you to discover any brain problem on time so that treatment can start as soon as possible. If a disease is discovered on time, you have a higher chance of recovering from it. Besides, medical conditions such as diabetes, vitamin deficiency, and thyroid disease can lead to memory loss. So, if they are detected early, you might save your brain from permanent damages.