Key pillars to Brain Health as identified by the GLOBAL COUNCIL ON BRAIN HEALTH** (videos on each pillar plus key points outline HERE!)
- MOVEMENT – EXERCISE REGULARLY
- Getting More Active – exercise examples, tracking tools, tips for motivation and more HERE from the National Institute on Aging
- Doesn’t have to be “fitness”
- For instance, clap and stamp feet while singing You Are My Sunshine
- Claire O’Connell BH&MM presentation video HERE
- Go4Life Exercise Videos HERE (10 minute workout, 15 minute workout, flexibility, lower/upper body strength, etc.)
- Tai Chi for beginners from Senior Planet instructor (check out all his videos)
- EATING RIGHT
- 1/2 your plate should be fruits and vegetables
- Mediterranean Lifestyle Dishes
- Food for Thought – SkimU video with Food Heaven dieticians (3/2022)
- Mindful Eating
- Harvard nutritionist on Vitamin B importance (and foods to consider)
- NEW ACTIVITIES – CHALLENGING THE BRAIN
- SOCIAL CONNECTION WITH PEOPLE
- Nice to have Zoom for seeing faces
- Get back out in public once COVID-19 threat is minimized
- GETTING RESTORATIVE SLEEP (see full listing HERE including these materials & tips)
- 7-8 hours gives your brain a chance to “clean things up” and regenerate
- AARP: Brain-Sleep Connection 28 page brochure HERE with excellent recommendations on pages 4-6 including
- do meditation, deep-breathing techniques when getting sleep is challenging
- limit daytime naps to 30 minutes and no later than mid-afternoon
- From the National Institute on Aging (NIA)
- MANAGING STRESS
- Angie Homoelle BH&MM presentation slides HERE
- Effects of Stress on Your Body (per healthline.com)
- 10 Ways to Relieve Stress (per healthline.com)
- 16 Ways to Relieve Stress (per healthline.com)
BRAIN HEALTH HELPS BELOW
FROM AARP
- Getting restorative sleep For more information on building and preserving memory and cognition, visit aarp.org/brainhealth.
- A healthy lifestyle alone doesn’t resolve the challenges that dementia poses for patients and their families. AARP offers an online resource center (aarp.org/caregiving) for those caring for vulnerable loved ones.
- In partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, AARP created the Community Resource Finder (communityresourcefinder.org), with links to programs, events, medical services and other kinds of assistance for dementia patients and their caregivers.
- Staying Sharp: AARP’s digital platform (aarp.org/stayingsharp) offers advice and exercises to help keep your brain healthy.
FROM ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION
DEMON DEMENTIA
“Demon Dementia” is dramatically increasing** and it’s estimated that 1 in 9 adults aged 65+ are experiencing dementia in the United States as of 2022. Thankfully, there are various resources available to assist:
- individuals who want to maximize Brain Health to minimize chances of demon dementia occurrence
- families with those experiencing dementia
- friends, religious communities, senior centers and others who seek to help
** some facts and figure here:
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- What is Dementia? (CDC)
- Alzheimer’s Facts & Figures (Alz.org)
- 3-minute video about Alzheimer’s HERE (shared by Shannon B.)
- What is dementia? (dementiafriendsusa.org)
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SPECIFIC SOUTHEAST CINCINNATI EFFORTS
- Brain Health & Memory Matters @ ATSC (Anderson Township Senior Center) – webpage HERE with details on various efforts, including the following
- Brain Health Series @ ATSC – monthly revolving topics, focusing on brain health key pillars (see more below**)
- Memory Cafe – monthly gathering for individuals experiencing dementia (and their care partners) to socialize, stretch, play games, enjoy music, do an activity and more…
- Summary of Cincinnati-region monthly efforts is HERE, including Memory Cafe efforts in 6 different locations!
- ATSC efforts overall
LOCAL AREA CARE SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS
- The Alzheimer’s Association has various resources
- The Caregiver Center at alz.org/care offers reliable information on early-, middle- and late-stage caregiving; respite care; care facilities; potential costs; legal documents; safety and much more.
- call their helpline @ 800-272-3900
- Tap into ALZConnected®, the first free online community for everyone affected by Alzheimer’s or another dementia, including people living with the disease, caregivers, family members, friends and individuals who have lost someone to Alzheimer’s.
- Created in partnership with AARP, the Alzheimer’s Association created the Community Resource Finder (communityresourcefinder.org), with links to programs, events, medical services and other kinds of assistance for dementia patients and their caregivers.
- Council on Aging has a resources database (www.help4seniors.org)
HOME CARE OPTIONS – CINCINNATI (HERE)
VISITING OTHERS?
- A one-pager with tips and principles on visiting those with dementia is HERE, including details on this song, Demon Dementia & Adaptive Angels (get password from Steve)
- One of the key aspects of visiting those experiencing dementia is using improvisation. Here’s a video primer…
SPEAKERS/TOPICS – CINCINNATI AREA
- Teresa Youngstrom – A Better Approach to Memory Care
- Shannon Braun (ERS) – Dementia Guide
- Kathy Farfsing (Montessori Dementia) – Finding What Remains Hidden
- Improving Short-Term Memory with Wes Grimes_ Speech Therapist
- Angie Homoelle – Caregiver Assistance Network Coordinator, Catholic Charities SWO
RESOURCES
- Order Free Publications | Publication Ordering System and Contact Report System (nih.gov)
- What Should be Included in a Medical Workup for Dementia?
- Technical Article
- From the conclusion of the article above: “All patients with dementia should undergo thorough history and physical with cognitive testing and neurologic exam. They should be imaged with non-contrast head CT or MRI. They should be screened for depression, hypothyroidism, and vitamin B12 deficiency. Any other workup (such as HIV testing, RPR, lumbar puncture, EEG, or additional imaging procedures) should be guided by clinical context, in many cases with the assistance of a neurologist (especially with respect to additional imaging studies and genetic testing for Alzheimer’s disease)”
- Geriatric Assessment and Evaluation Programs – listing of some Cinci-based programs
- Vascular dementia – diagnosis and care from Mayo Clinic
- Tools to Finish Strong by Compassion & Choices – this can help equip the Health Care Power of Attorney for making health care decisions during varying stages of dementia
WEBSITES / TOPICS
- Dementia Inclusive Cincinnati – Shannon Braun and Megan Bradshaw including this RESOURCES SECTION
- Dementia Friends – this link is for Ohio but with references to national materials
- Alzheimer’s Association
- Alzheimer’s Reading Room – A trove of more than 4,000 articles collected by a former caregiver
- Farrell Foundation – Provides productive activities for dementia patients
- Facebook “Too Young for Alzheimer’s” – information, stories, even jokes!
- Advice and videos to teach people whose loved ones have dementia how to meet them where they are with improvisational humor
- Power of lights/sound on an Alzheimer’s-addled brain?
- Sundowners Syndrome – description, plus what to do about this later-in-the-day issue!
- Phones for those on the Dementia journey
MOVIES / VIDEO
- Still Alice – A linguistics professor and her family find their bonds tested when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Alive Inside – The relationship between Music and Memory is described and shown in this movie
- I’ll Be Me – the Glen Campbell story relating to Alzheimer’s diagnosis and how he completed another CD and 100+ concert tour after being diagnosed. My buddy Jim comments that it’s amazing that though Glen needs the teleprompter for the words, he has the “guitar licks” down without any prompting (and melody of the song is still there too…)
- Ted Talk on Alzheimer’s – changing our brain’s destiny! (Lisa Genova – neuroscientist and author of “Still Alice”)
- Ted Talk from Australia – Preventing Dementia and Enhancing Brain Health | Henry Brodaty | TEDxBlighStreet
- Talking With Someone Experiencing Memory Loss (Presenter: Diane Waugh, BSN, RN, CDP Essential tips for communicating for someone with dementia. Nationally renowned presenter Diane Waugh shares her own experiences and the mistakes she made as a caregiver for her mother.)
- Dementia Friends: The River (Native American heritage with seasons)
- Bookcase – Dementia Brain Impact description
BOOKS
- The 36-Hour Day – in early skimming of the book, especially like Chapters 5 (Problems Arising in Daily Care) and 11 (You and the Person Who Has Dementia)
- Together by former U.S. Surgeon General , Vivek Murthy (loneliness issues)
- In Love by Amy Bloom – husband with Alz.: “decision to end his life on his own terms…beautiful tribute to their marriage, and a crucial reminder of the relationship between grief and love” ~ Time Magazine commentary “Best of Culture 2022”
STORIES / ARTICLES
- Improvising Conversation – a new improvisational approach: “Yes, and…” (Karen Stobb & Mondy Carter)
- Guideposts.org has some great FREE articles, for those who like faith-based prose
- Dementia focus HERE, including this one “7 Keys to Caring for a Loved One With Dementia”
- Alzheimer’s focus HERE, including lots of touching stories such as this one.. Guideposts Article – “A New Way to Love”
- Preserving Memories for Your Loved Ones with Dementia
- 75 Must-Know Statistics About Long-Term Care – Morningstar article
- Laughter is the Best Medicine (HelpGuide.org)
- UC study: Researchers question prevailing Alzheimer’s theory with new discovery
- 10 good songs for those with dementia
- Singing for the Brain – opportunities for Steve & Joyful Noise Boys longer-term with Memory Cafe @ ATSC plus some regional senior living locations?
- Playlist for Life – creating a song playlist to share with memory loss folks
- Tony Bennett article about experiencing dementia (AARP)
- How-falls-poorer-health-may-help-predict-earlier-diagnosis-up-to-9-years
101 Ways to Spend Time with Those Dealing with Alzheimer’s
10 Absolutes of communicating through Alzheimers (never argue, etc…)
SONGS
- Remembering is a touching song, sung by Ashley Campbell. Ashley is the daughter of singer Glen Campbell who struggled publicly with Alzheimer’s. The line “Daddy don’t you worry, I’ll do the remembering” is mighty touching
- Consider doing some silly songs with actions when in the company of someone with Alzheimer’s – he/she/they can frequently remember those words and/or do some of the actions. Here’s a song listing from a quick Google Search
HUMOR – check out THIS COMIC
RECENT RESEARCH RESULTS
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Can Walking, Reading, Crafting Curb Dementia Risk? (Neurology publication)
“Engaging in physical, cognitive, and social activities can all help lower risk for dementia, new research suggests. Results from a large meta-analysis showed cognitive activities, such as reading, participating in handicrafts, and playing games or a musical instrument, appeared to have the greatest effect. It was associated with a 23% reduced risk for dementia. Engaging in physical activities, including walking, dancing, running, swimming, and cycling, was associated with a decreased dementia risk of 17%; social activities, such as visiting with others, attending a social club or a class, and participating in volunteer work, was associated with a decreased risk of 7%. “Our findings suggest that leisure activities are inversely associated” with risk for all-cause dementia (ACD), vascular dementia (VD), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Lin Lu, PhD, Peking University Sixth Hospital in Beijing, China, and colleagues write.” The findings were published online August 10 in Neurology.
- Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab hailed as momentous breakthrough – 2022-11-30 (BBC)
LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL SENIOR RESOURCES, INCLUDING MATERIALS FOR CAREGIVERS? CHECK OUT THE WEBPAGE HERE
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