Preventing Dementia
Page contents
- How to Prevent Dementia: A Complete Approach to Fight Dementia
- How to Prevent Dementia: The Proactive Approach to Avoiding Dementia
- Can you Prevent Dementia? Understand the Risk Factors!
- How to Reduce Risk of Dementia: Lifestyle Changes that Make a Difference
- Living with Dementia? Let’s Work on Dementia Prevention
How to Prevent Dementia: A Complete Approach to Fight Dementia
Dementia is widely considered the most feared condition for older adults anywhere. Once it sets in, we cannot stop or reverse it using any medications available despite billions being spent in the past few decades to try to find a cure.
But what if we told you there are ways to reduce your risk of ever getting this dreaded disease in the first place? Once you spill your cup of juice in the sand, it’s impossible to get it out. So let’s just not spill the juice in the first place. Let’s work together and deter dementia.
The real problem is that nobody is telling you what this approach is. Generic advice on eating healthy and being active is not nearly as effective as a careful, customized plan that is focused on you and your individual risk.
Co-founder Dr Raza Naqvi has helped thousands of individuals and their families with dementia. However our reactive approach of trying to pull people out of a raging river or throw them a flotation device to keep their (and their family’s) heads above water just isn’t cutting it. What we really need to do is move upstream and figure out what it really is that is pushing all of these amazing people into the river in the first place. We really can prevent this dreaded disease.
Here at Deter Dementia, we want to personalize your risk reduction and keep your mind healthy and strong for as long as you live. And on that note, we know that all of the strategies used to deter dementia also have great evidence to extend healthy life as well.
Whether you’re worried because a family member has developed dementia or you’ve been hearing more about the ‘rising tide’ of dementia in the coming decades, we have a program that will help you optimize your brain health. Even if you’ve already started to show some signs of cognitive decline, we have amazing evidence that with the right approach you can absolutely extend your healthy brain life with careful and strategic moves. The sooner you start, the more brain cells we strengthen and save.
So let’s work together to live longer, live healthier, and deter dementia.
How to Prevent Dementia: The Proactive Approach to Avoiding Dementia
If you are someone with a family history of dementia or are just getting older, then you probably are concerned about your chances of getting dementia. Dementia is a disease with many different causes but no clear prediction tools yet developed to know who it will affect with any certainty. Anyone can be affected by dementia regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, lifestyle or genetic history. However, some risk factors increase the likelihood of dementia. And our approach is to work diligently to reduce the risk of dementia by addressing these risk factors systematically and thoroughly.
Can you Prevent Dementia? Understand the Risk Factors!
Dementia affects the mind’s ability to function optimally and often leads to dysfunction in other parts of the body over time. The disease can start at any age but risk certainly is higher as we age. There are many things that people can do to affect their risk both positively and negatively. Here are some risk factors for dementia:
Some risk factors for dementia are inevitable or cannot be controlled whereas some can be avoided by making changes in habits as early as possible.
- Dementia is more likely to affect an older person. However, dementia is not a normal aspect of aging as some may think. There are many vibrant and cognitively healthy individuals living into their 80s, 90s, and well past 100.
- There are very rare types of dementia that are heavily influenced by genetics but these account for a very small proportion of all dementia that affects individuals.
- It is actually a combination of environmental and lifestyle factors that influence dementia risk the most, along with genetics for some individuals.
- Studies indicate that air pollution may have an impact on the brain and raise the possibility of dementia as well.
How to Reduce Risk of Dementia: Lifestyle Changes that Make a Difference
In the world of dementia prevention, it is essential to understand what causes dementia. After understanding the underlying dementia causes, one can make changes and adapt habits that can push dementia farther down the road or escape it altogether!
| Smoking | You're significantly increasing your chances of dementia in later life if you smoke. Smoking seriously impairs blood flow throughout the body, especially to the essential arteries in the heart, lungs, and brain. There's always time to give up smoking. The earlier you can reduce or quit smoking, the more brain damage you can prevent. |
| Obesity | People who are overweight often have poor heart health and unhealthy cholesterol levels. This can lead to chances of heart-related diseases and hence dementia. |
| Hypertension | Hypertension is one of the leading causes of Dementia. People who suffer from hypertension face a shrinkage in their blood vessels which results in low oxygen supply to the brain. |
| Brain Injury | A sudden hit, blow, fall or any other experience of traumatic brain injury can leave a permanent impact on the brain which will later show up as memory loss, disorientation, confusion and other dementia symptoms. |
| Alcohol | Alcohol consumption regularly for a prolonged period leads to a decline in the brain’s natural cognitive abilities. |
| Social Isolation | Depression and social isolation can significantly increase cognitive decline in older people. People with depressive episodes or emotionally traumatic experiences in their lives are at a greater risk of developing dementia. Therefore, engaging in social activities, chatting with your loved ones and spending quality time with people you care about can help deter dementia or prevent it. |
| Stress Management | Stress leads to high blood pressure which increases risk of dementia. Stress also results in depression and depression is a common contributor to the onset of dementia, especially in older age. |
| Dietary Changes | Stress leads to high blood pressure which increases risk of dementia. Stress also results in depression and depression is a common contributor to the onset of dementia, especially in older age. |
| Sleep | Improper sleep leads to a negative impact on the brain. People who frequently sleep less than 7 hours are at a greater risk of developing dementia. This is because proper sleep is required for optimal brain functioning and moderate hormone levels. |
| Hearing | Hearing loss is known to be associated with dementia and may be an early sign for many individuals. Early intervention is the key to effective management of hearing loss. It has been demonstrated that wearing hearing aids lowers one's risk of dementia to that of a person with normal hearing. |
| Exercise | Exercising regularly has numerous benefits and can deter dementia by several years or prevent it altogether. By exercising one can control their blood sugar level, blood pressure, manage weight effectively and have a positive impact on their mood. People who exercise regularly are also less likely to become depressed. |
| Diabetes | A person with diabetes faces abnormal blood sugar levels which affects the level of oxygen flow to the brain. Therefore, diabetes is a factor leading to dementia but not everyone with diabetes will suffer from dementia. |
| Mental Stimulation | Mental stimulation can help replenish cognitive reserve and enhance overall brain functioning. Getting involved in mentally stimulating activities such as puzzles, reading, brainstorming, talking, discussing ideas and other mind-opening activities can have a wonderful positive impact on one’s brain health. |
| Generic Health | Several medical disorders, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol can significantly increase the risk of dementia. A visit to the doctor is a crucial step in managing this. A poor diet can also lead to health issues, such as obesity, which has been connected to a higher risk of dementia. |
Living with Dementia? Let’s Work on Dementia Prevention
| Common Dementia Risk Factors | How to Combat These Risk Factors |
| Obesity | People who are overweight often have poor heart health and unhealthy cholesterol levels. This can lead to chances of heart-related diseases and hence dementia. |
| Depression | Talk to a loved one, a friend or a medical healthcare professional such as a psychiatrist. |
| Diet | Eat a healthy balanced diet with all the nutritious demands met. Follow diet charts by a medical professional |
| Weight | Check your weight to meet the BMI range. A weight loss of 5% to 10% can help lower your risk of dementia if you are obese or overweight. |
| Exercise | If exercising is tough for you, indulging in 15-20 minutes of light physical activity can help. |
| Alcohol | Alcohol consumption should be minimized or avoided altogether to prevent any brain damage. |
| Smoking | Reduce your smoking with the goal of quitting. |
Preventing Dementia
Dementia is widely considered the most feared condition for older adults anywhere. Once it sets in, we cannot stop or reverse it using any edications available despite billions being spent in the past few decades to try to find a cure.
But what if we told you there are ways to reduce your risk of ever getting this dreaded disease in the first place? Once you spill your cup of juice in the sand, it’s impossible to get it out. So let’s just not spill the juice in the first place. Let’s work together and deter dementia.
The real problem is that nobody is telling you what this approach is. Generic advice on eating healthy and being active is not nearly as effective as a careful, customized plan that is focused on you and your individual risk.
Co-founder Dr Raza Naqvi has helped thousands of individuals and their families with dementia. However our reactive approach of trying to pull people out of a raging river or throw them a flotation device to keep their (and their family’s) heads above water just isn’t cutting it. What we really need to do is move upstream and figure out what it really is that is pushing all of these amazing people into the river in the first place. We really can prevent this dreaded disease.
Here at Deter Dementia, we want to personalize your risk reduction and keep your mind healthy and strong for as long as you live. And on that note, we know that all of the strategies used to deter dementia also have great evidence to extend healthy life as well.
Whether you’re worried because a family member has developed dementia or you’ve been hearing more about the ‘rising tide’ of dementia in the coming decades, we have a program that will help you optimize your brain health. Even if you’ve already started to show some signs of cognitive decline, we have amazing evidence that with the right approach you can absolutely extend your healthy brain life with careful and strategic moves. The sooner you start, the more brain cells we strengthen and save.
So let’s work together to live longer, live healthier, and deter dementia.
