How to Keep Your Brain Sharp and Healthy as You Age

Everyone has that momentary memory lapse where you can’t remember why you walked into the kitchen, or you’ve misplaced your car keys.

This happens to everyone and it is normal.

But when memory loss becomes frequent and more intense, then it might be as a result of other health concerns.  Keeping your senior parent’s brain healthy and sharp is good for  their wellbeing.

Help your elderly loved one keep their memory bright and sharp with these easy tips

Stimulate their senses

The amazing thing about the sense of smell is that it has an interesting ability to help us remember. The same may apply for seniors when matching these two together.
When seniors smell a scent along with seeing a visual or image, the chances of remembering what they saw are higher. This differs if they only saw an image without the scent.

In other words, the sense of smell helps to remember things and using these senses together can be beneficial to seniors.

Repeat words, names and more

Another good way for seniors to remember names and places is to repeat and write them down.

The brain tends to connect and remember when something is repetitive. For example, if they wanted to remember the name of their doctor, they could write it down. Next time if they spoke to the doctor, they could address the doctor on his/her name.

Help seniors to manage their cholesterol and high blood pressure

Managing bad cholesterol and blood pressure is another way to keep the brain of elderly people healthy. Bad cholesterol (LDL – Low density lipoprotein) can harden cells and lead to cholesterol deposits inside the body.

This could affect the wellbeing of the brain and could lead to other health concerns like heart disease and stroke.

Help them to exercise

Exercise is important at any age but seniors often get left behind when it comes to exercise. Not to worry, there are plenty of exercises that are low impact and suitable for elderly people.

They don’t need to sweat it out on a high impact cardio workout.

Walking every day for 10 to 20 minutes is a good way to exercise their heart as well as their muscles. A healthy body leads to improved brain health.

Exercise increases certain proteins (neurons) inside the brain. This is excellent when looking to keep the mind and brain healthy and may also improve memory and thinking.

Help seniors to maintain a healthy diet

Certain foods are highly essential for the wellbeing of the brain. These include fatty acids like Omega-3 as well as vitamin B. At the same time, try as much as possible to cut out foods that contain preservatives, artificial ingredients, and trans fat.

Spend quality time with the family

It is incredible how being with the ones you love can have a positive affect on health. This is also the same for the wellbeing of a senior. The body, along with the brain will function better.

When we are happy, our bodies release good hormones like serotonin and dopamine. These can be experienced when moods are elevated as they spend time with the family, laughing and being happy.

FAQ

    1. How do I know if my senior parent has dementia or simply a lapse of memory?
      Illnesses like dementia and Alzheimer’s takes over their lives and affects everything from cognitive function, to severe and frequent memory loss.
    2. How can seniors improve their mental health?
      There are many ways to improve mental health for senior folks including playing games that requires a lot of thinking. Enjoying a hobby also helps, as well as, caring for a pet.
    3. Can you reveres brain ageing?
      While reversing brain age might be near impossible, there are ways to prolong or delay the onset of brain age. Your senior loved one can exercise more frequently, eat healthy, and do breathing exercises.
    4. How can seniors improve their memory?
      There are many natural ways for you to help your elderly loved one to improve their memory. It is also very important to help them manage chronic conditions in efforts to reduce memory loss.
    5. What are the best foods to manage memory loss?
      Omega-3 or fatty fish, berries, broccoli, turmeric, and dark chocolate are just some of the foods that can help combat  memory loss.
      At Brooklyn Care frail care facility, your elderly loved ones are in good hands.
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