DEMENTIA AWARENESS

The best gift to your future self – is YOU!

In a world that seems full to bursting with humans all shouting about “Right now!” and “Change today!”, it can be hard to find the right words to help people to think about the far off (but not that far) future. When we talk about dementia, most evidence suggests that informed preventative thinking and acting, right now, is the wisest choice and most significant action we can take for a brighter tomorrow.

So, how do you get someone to shift from only thinking about right now, when right now feels like the only thing, to thinking about and making good decisions for their future selves?

There are some risk factors that may surprise you when considering the future of your brain health. You probably know that: having a family history of dementia; being overweight; smoking; leading a sedentary lifestyle; having issues with your blood pressure and/or blood sugar might play a part in your brain health as you age. But, did you know that: not sleeping enough or sleeping too much; having sleep apnoea; and stress – can also present some major risks for dementia later in life.

Just becoming aware of these risks might be enough for a few people to start thinking about making some positive changes for their future selves, but just saying ‘these are risks’ is not going to change how most of us live. Knowing the risks is not enough to know what to do about them. What is far more helpful is getting some tips on just what action to take and being truly motivated by just how much of a difference this action might mean down the track. We know positive support to change behaviours is the most likely way we achieve permanent success, and, also, feel good along the way. Feeling good about change is important.

It is heartening to know that the more action you take now, the astoundingly lower your chances of developing dementia later in life. We’ve made an infographic that really shows how the real changes you make today might mean huge differences for you tomorrow. Knowing more about these possibilities might be just what you need to kick off a bright new way of life and really ‘dementia proof’ your beautiful brain. The best thing about these tips is that they can also have great positive effects for those already on their journey with dementia.

Let’s take a look:

MENTAL CHALLENGE

It is never too late to rise to the challenge. Brains have the ability to grow, repair and rebuild for your whole life – you just have to feed them the right things. New learning is a way to stimulate this brain change. The earlier you make challenging mental activities a priority the better, as this actually improves your brain’s ability to learn new things later as well. It is not about doing the same old things – it’s all about the new, the different, the interesting, the fascinating…something that pushes you out of your cognitive comfort zone in a feel-good way. If it feels overwhelming to start - that’s normal, trust it gets easier and even fun the more you try and succeed.

A very large Swedish study, over a whopping 44 years, has revealed those with a high level of mental activity had a 46% reduced risk of developing dementia. Astoundingly, if your early years were not as enriching in a brainy way, increasing your level of challenging mental activity in mid-late life can make an even bigger difference. How’s that for motivating?

DIETARY CHANGES

We think about it so many times a day, do we need to think about it in a new way? FOOD!!!

What we put in ends up being quite literally what we are made of – from our bones to our brains. The dietary guidelines for dementia, both prevention and as part of treatment, is very specifically:

MED + DASH = MIND

‘What!?! Another bunch of health letters that don’t mean anything to me’ - you’re thinking.

‘How do I put THAT on a plate?’ – you ask.

Well, it is: a simmer of the traditional Mediterranean diet and lifestyle; blitzed with the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension); to get, voila! - The MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) Diet.

‘Still, what a mouthful, and I’m none the wiser!’ – you say…

Basically, the focus of the MIND is: green leafy vegetables; vegetables in general; berries; nuts; olive oil; whole grains; fish; beans; poultry and red wine. See, not so bad, loads of yum potential in there.

What’s more this diet, if followed with gusto for 5 years, could reduce your risk of dementia by half! Some of the changes might initially feel a bit much for the daily meat and three veg’ers out there, but please take the plunge, experiment with some of the new takes on these old ways, lively up the old tastebuds, you’ll no doubt be pleasantly surprised.

SLEEP

Maybe there is something lucky about the number 7? Perhaps the fortune is more about how long we sleep than the gambles we take on lotto. Somewhere between 6-8 hours is the ‘sweet spot’ when it comes to shut eye. If we snooze too much, or equally not enough, we risk a massive 35% increase in cognitive decline. In fact, sleeping for longer can be an early warning sign for neurodegeneration.

For those battling with exhausting sleep apnoea, or even if you have a sneaking suspicion something is disrupting your slumber, chat to your GP and book in for a sleep study. There are clear relationships between sleep apnoea and both Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, just how significant may be as much as a 500% increase in risk.

A good night’s sleep, with the right amount of continuous air to breathe, may offer those with dementia a clearer tomorrow. A tomorrow where even just a little more clarity each morning may be lifechanging for both the individual and their loving Carers.

EXERCISE

When the difference in your level of protection against dementia could be as massive as 90%, it’s only logical that there is going to be some sweaty work on your part involved. Striving for a goal of peak physical fitness right now might feel like it is out of your league – but, it does not actually take that much exercise to start seeing some positive change. Increasing just your walking habits to a total of 1.5 hours per week at an easy pace (maybe 3 gentle half-hour walks a week) can improve cognitive performance. These improvements may be possible even with an existing diagnosis of memory impairment. High levels of protection though, require high levels of cardiovascular fitness in midlife

Setting a big goal and reaching a high level of physical fitness is achievable with a plan and support. If you’re looking for examples of cool, honest, older people who prove that accomplishing the ultimate goal of a high level of fitness even in later life is do-able, look no further than here:

STRESS

It doesn’t have to be all stretchy pants with ‘Ommmm’s’ and ‘Ahhhh’s’…your ways to de-stress will be as unique as you are, you just have to make the time to do them. Making stress management a priority can protect your brain, and your body, from unnecessary aging. A big stressful event, like losing your job, can not only impact you now, but may equate to a 1.5 year loss of brain age. This might not seem that much, but when you start adding up all your stressful life events and tally up the years, the possible number of years lost may be far larger than you first thought.

So…take that walk along the beach; go to that meditation class; sign up for that biofeedback course; get out in the bush; meet a friend for coffee; get a foot rub; grow your garden; brew tea; pat your pet; breathe; smile; sing; run; cook; dance; dive; swim; float; bathe; laugh...

You’ll love the minutes, while you get back the brain years.

Who knows, you might even feel you get the gift of yourself back while you’re doing it.

Sadly, there is no magic pill, no natural remedy, that will undo possibly 30 years or more of sticky tangles, dirty deposits and damage in the brain. Without a doubt, we wish there was one wonder drug to undo what has been done, but right now there is not. Alzheimer’s type dementia is particularly messy and happens over a long time, it is also the most common single type and combination type of dementia there is. Alzheimer’s type effects up to 70% of all people with dementia.

Gains made in global research and understanding of dementia has resulted in innovative brain-based treatments that target the changes in the brain. The Perth Brain Centre has been helping people with brain-based challenges for over 10 years and has a caring team of health professionals from a variety of disciplines. We understand the complexity of your, and perhaps your families’, unique situation, and that there is no “one size fits all” approach to successful prevention and treatment of dementia. The Perth Brain Centre also values a proactive approach to long-term brain health. Detailed assessments, including special brain scans called QEEG, help to guide effective treatment programmes.

For further information about how brain-based treatments can help you or someone you know please contact The Perth Brain Centre (08) 65003277 or www.perthbraincentre.com.au.

About the author - Ms. Emily Goss (Occupational Therapist, Senior Clinician, The Perth Brain Centre).