Currently, the number of people with dementia has increased by more than 40% of people aged 85 and older are found to have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Although dementia is not as dangerous as other serious diseases, it greatly affects daily life for both the patients themselves and their caregivers because most people realize they have dementia only after they have already forgotten a lot. Therefore, if we understand this disease, slowing down dementia early can help us live better lives.
Let’s look at ways to care for the brain to slow down dementia
- Exercise Whether young or old, exercise is important. Taking elderly people to do light exercise, such as Tai Chi, walking, or jogging, is good. Besides strengthening the body and stimulating the brain, it also helps reduce the risk of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs), which are causes of dementia.
- Engage in regular brain development activities It is said that people who regularly use their brains experience slower cognitive decline than those who do not. Therefore, exercising the brain by reading books, playing brain-training games, writing, or learning languages helps keep the brain active every day.
- Socialize and communicate with others Often, we see elderly people gathering and chatting at grocery stores or what we call a coffee club. This behavior of gathering and exchanging knowledge and opinions among the elderly is beneficial because it helps develop thinking skills and uses the brain to communicate with others.
- Stop using addictive substances – cigarettes, alcohol, and other addictive substances weaken the body and cause many other serious diseases. These substances also affect the brain, potentially causing faster cognitive decline and brain dysfunction than normal.
- Eat nutritious food In addition to regular exercise, controlling diet and eating a balanced diet with all five food groups definitely benefits overall health. Especially for the elderly, it is important to watch fat and cholesterol intake because they affect blood vessels, including those in the heart and brain, which indirectly increases the risk of dementia.
