What a recent story from Consumer Reports suggested to do instead:
- Brain Workouts. Do something that will “enhance reasoning and memory-abilities” like learning a new language. They report that training can help processing speed and reasoning, but made sure to exclude “computerized brain games” from this recommendation.
- Exercise Your Body. Physical activity can delay or slow cognitive decline, but not prevent it. I noticed for my Dad with Alzheimer’s how much better he did day-to-day when we got him to the racquetball court. I think most of us recognize the feeling of well-being we get from exercise, even though we may curse it while we are in it.
- Manage Blood Pressure. Reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke help since they are major risk factors for memory loss.
However, I do see reports and hear from my colleagues how some new treatments are showing some promise with their clients. As I interpret it, the idea is to basically clean your body of toxins that might be impacting your memory. After seeing the number of kids with nut-allergies mushroom in the past two decades, I have been wondering how the ways in which we package and store food and the products we use on our skin might be impacting our health.
I’d love to hear from caregivers if you have seen good success with one of these newer treatments for your loved one. Curious.