As the brain ages, it becomes all the more important to keep it active and healthy.
While there currently is no known method to prevent or avoid cognitive degradation or Alzheimer's disease with certainty, research has uncovered a number of strategies for coping with the natural changes that the aging brain undergoes.
The good news about head-healthy foods is that they tend to be relatively tasty! Blueberries and other fruits contain antioxidants that help clean out the brain and improve neurotransmission, while nuts like walnuts and almonds contain omega-3s which can lower inflammation and so extend the life of nerve cells.
Fibrous foods like whole grain oats can also help clean out the plaque in the arteries that feed the brain, and a combination of these healthy snacks, instead of candy or other sugary snack foods, can help lower blood sugar levels. Healthy blood, in turn, promotes the proper functioning of nerve cells.
Everyone loves music, and it can even challenge and stimulate the brain. If your loved one combines it with dancing, so much the better! This, besides being great exercise, uses parts of the brain that govern spatial and motor functions, while challenging it with new skills and movements.
Speaking of exercise, studies have shown that just walking 20-30 minutes can stimulate the brain and lower blood sugar.
Instead of just using a treadmill, though, encourage your loved one to get out of the house and explore their neighborhood or better yet, new neighborhoods. This keeps the mind fresh by presenting it with a constant stream of new places and activities to discover and process.
Senior volunteering can be great for your older family member’s health.
For maximum brain benefit, seniors should join volunteering activities that challenge them to remember facts and figures and to communicate these to others.
Volunteering as a tour guide can, in many ways, be an ideal way to do this. If it involves a good amount of exercise in the form of walking, too, so much the better.
Simply making an effort to reorganize the world around them can have a positive impact on your loved ones' mental health. Try to get them involved in planning their own day. You can help them do this with calendars and other time management tools.
It can also be a great idea to simply redecorate the home from time to time. This will exercise the brain by making it process space, color, and other relationships, while helping your loved one take control over their environment.
Games and puzzles provide a classic challenge for the mind. In many cases, too, they're social and fun.
If your loved one feels comfortable with digital technology, you shouldn't discount video games, either, as they can provide puzzles based on timing and hand-eye coordination that traditional games cannot so easily provide.
Stress feeds the brain with chemicals that inhibit nerve growth.
Getting enough sleep, or even trying meditation, can be key strategies in reducing stress.
If you're loved one seems to be stressed out, you can also recommend relaxing activities like taking a bath or getting a massage. You can also give them tulsi or ginseng tea, both of which help prevent the production of the stress hormone, cortisol.
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