The Caring Corner®
Improving Your Quality of Life in Chapel Hill When You Have Alzheimer’s Disease
Living with Alzheimer’s disease can be difficult especially for your spouse and family who are often the primary caregivers. Alzheimer’s can affect memory, thinking, judgment and self-care. As the disease progresses, the family member’s abilities decline and change, but there are some healthy habits that will improve their quality of life. These are five tips to help them improve their quality of life.
Diet Proper nutrition is important for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Often an Alzheimer’s patient may forget to eat, have trouble feeding them self or become overwhelmed with food choices. These can lead to poor nutrition, weight loss and behavioral issues. By serving a heart healthy diet low in fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol, you can can improve their nutrition. Serve fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat dairy. Try to stay away from processed foods.
Exercise Being physically active can improve the well-being of Alzheimer patients. Exercise can improve memory, reasoning and judgment and reduce the risk of falls. Find an enjoyable activity or class that is mentally or socially engaging or even take a walk with a friend.
Social Interaction Staying socially involved with stimulating activities has been proven to improve the quality of life of seniors. Those who remain socially connected to friends and family can retain brain health. Volunteering has also shown to have many benefits like creating a sense of purpose and increasing longevity.
Brain Games Seniors need to keep their minds active with brain-stimulating activities like puzzles, word games and board games. Games keep the neurons and synapses working correctly in the brain and help to maintain and improve brain health and function.
Fall Prevention Nearly one third of all seniors experience a fall. Alzheimer’s can increase the chances of falling due to poor balance, changes in walking, poor judgment, visual misperception and physical decline. Encourage regular exercise to improve strength and balance and reduce falls. Also, remove common hazards that may cause falls like slippery rugs and poor lighting.
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