Preventing Dementia

As the number of older Americans is rising, the number of people with dementia is predicted to increase. Dementia describes an overall decline in memory and other cognitive skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. 

Dementia usually occurs in older age so the risk of dementia increases as a person gets older. Some causes of dementia include chronic alcohol use, low vitamin B12 levels, use of certain medications such as some cholesterol drugs, and some infections such as HIV and Lyme disease. 

Studies have shown that incidence rates of dementia have decreased in the USA, most probably due to healthy lifestyle behaviors and higher levels of education. Lifestyle modifications to optimize cognitive function include optimizing sleep, adequate exercise, treating hearing or vision loss, minimizing stress, maintaining normal blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels, and eating an anti-inflammatory diet: a mix of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and seafood, unsaturated fats such as olive oil, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, and limit other fats and sugars. Lots of activities can help keep your mind active, including reading, playing board games, crafting or taking up a new hobby, learning a new skill, working or volunteering, and socializing.