Dementia robs millions of people of their memories, independence, and dignity, but it also robs the rest of us of the people we know and love.
As per recent research, 10 million dementia cases are registered around the globe every year. Despite deep research & scientific progress over the last 25 years, addressing and combating dementia remains a global challenge. That is why, knowing effective ways of memory care assisted living for dementia patients is a must for caregivers.
So is there any way that we can tackle this epidemic? This blog presents an insight into dementia and the strategies to reduce the likelihood of dementia. So, let us get started:
What are the Risk Factors Leading to Dementia?
Dementia is characterized by a collection of symptoms that affect cognitive abilities, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity & judgment. It is often accompanied by a decline in emotional behavior or a change in social behavior.
Certain factors may lead to the development of dementia; let us look at a few:
Age
The chances of being prone to vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s disease significantly rise with the increase in age.
Family History
People with a family history of dementia or Alzheimer’s are at a high risk of continuing this family disease. However, it is not compulsory that the disease will certainly be transferred to the coming generation.
Addiction to Smoking and Alcohol
Being addicted to smoking has an indirect relation with dementia. People who frequently smoke are prone to various vascular diseases. These diseases become the underlying cause of dementia.
Researchers have also discovered that being addicted to drinking alcohol is a high risk of dementia.
Diabetes
People with diabetes are at a high risk for both vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetes can also lead to stroke or atherosclerosis, both of which contribute to vascular dementia.
Plasma Homocysteine
Excess of anything is not good. Homocysteine, a type of amino acid, can lead to vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease if its quantity is higher than the required level of homocysteine.
Cholesterol
The high concentration of low-density lipoprotein(LDL), also known as a bad form of cholesterol, can lead to vascular dementia. Not only this, but high cholesterol makes a person more prone to Alzheimer’s disease.
Let us see the ways to prevent dementia:
How Dementia Can Be Prevented? Effective Ways of Memory Care Assisted living
There are numerous ways to help an individual prevent dementia. But before that, you must know the signs of pain in seniors after memory loss. Once you understand these signs, you can prepare effective coping and preventative strategies for your loved one in memory care. Let us look at a few of them:
Maintaining Healthy Weight
People who are overweight often become the prey of blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease. These health issues can further increase the chances of developing dementia. However, being physically active and picking up healthy foods leads to a healthy lifestyle.
Be Socially Active
Social isolation makes a person more prone to a decline in cognitive abilities, which can further lead to dementia. Therefore, spending time with friends and family members and engaging in social activities can prevent loneliness.
Not Being Addictive to Alcohol & Smoking
Drinking alcohol within the safe limits does no harm. Moreover, being addicted to alcohol can worsen health issues like diabetes, stroke, memory loss, or high blood pressure.
One should avoid smoking, as there is no safe level of smoking. One should avoid even a single cigarette per day to prevent the risk of developing dementia and other diseases.
Taking care of the Senior Citizens
Senior citizens are more prone to developing dementia. Therefore, the adults should take care of them. Give them a safe environment so as to prevent any injury, especially head injury. Brain injuries can make the older ones extremely prone to dementia, therefore ensuring their protection.
Now, let us shed light on how dementia can be tackled:
Effective Ways to Combat Dementia: Let’s Tackle Together
Dementia is a disease that affects not only the specific individual but also the family members, caregivers, and society as a whole. Let us look at memory care assisted living ways to handle this problem:
Spreading Awareness
To reduce the social exclusion or discrimination done to dementia patients, various actions can be taken. Let us see a few:
- Educational awareness campaigns
- Ensuring accessibility to helpline numbers for dementia patients
- Organizing conferences locally to support dementia patients
- Developing a framework to monitor public knowledge via surveys
- Accessibility to a website describing advice and information about dementia at the local level.
Improving the Availability of Support at Home
In addition to medicines and care, certain programmes can be introduced to engage and stimulate dementia patients. For instance,
- Adjusting the house to make it dementia-friendly
- Availability of leisure activities for dementia patients
- Ensuring healthy diets of the patients
- Maintaining their routine of bedtime, meals, exercise, etc
Making a Good Time
Try not to make the dementia patients feel a liability over you. Praise their small actions of independence. Spending time with them is also a mindful way of assisted living with memory care. Listen to their favorite music or watch their dearest show with them. Engage them in activities like cooking, playing, mini workouts, etc. Make each day of their life happier than ever.
Improving Guidance for the Care Givers
Sometimes, it becomes difficult for the caregivers to handle the situations with dementia patients. In such cases, there must be a support group to help the caregivers emotionally and mentally.
Ensure that the caregivers also take care of themselves. They should eat well and exercise to stay healthy and active for longer. Practicing meditation can also be a good addition to staying calm and mindful.
Conclusion
Addressing dementia remains a critical global challenge despite significant scientific advancements in recent decades. As Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus rightly pointed out, dementia not only strips individuals of their memories and independence but also deeply impacts their loved ones.
By spreading awareness, enhancing support systems, and fostering a compassionate environment, we can collectively assist in making the lives of dementia patients better. We can also search for reputable memory care facilities near me for expert tips for our seniors and loved ones with dementia.
