Great starts are easy, the goal is to finish well
While my Daddy was still alive, my parents lived in a little cottage on several acres in the country. They loved living independently, but over time they began to need more and more help in order to remain ‘independent’. My sister, husband, and I made multiple trips daily out to their place to bring meals, dispense medicine, clean, and even a few fun things, which included singing, snacking, and reminiscing.
After caring for Mama throughout the last decade or so of her life while dementia relentlessly stole bits and pieces from both her abilities and memories, I am more committed than ever to do everything I can to strengthen my brain and hopefully prevent dementia from occurring in my own life. Of course, at the same time, I realize that there is an element of illness that is beyond anyone’s control. Regardless, I enjoy the healthy lifestyle that Wayne and I are pursuing and will continue it for as long as possible.
I love this time of the year. Autumn, Fall, Holiday season – whatever you call it. Cooling trends begin as days get shorter. Trees begin dressing in their fall finery before decorating the ground with their orange, red and yellow jewels. We recently enjoyed a road trip that took us through several New England states…
Those of us who have loved ones with memory loss, or want to keep ourselves from memory loss will be gratified to know that according to two recent studies, those who ate a cup of blueberries per day showed improvement in cognitive performance and brain function.
The biggest surprise of the study was that social interaction of dancing lowered the seniors’ risk of dementia by a staggering 76%. Sorta makes you want to do the happy dance.
So it turns out that sleep may not be overrated after all. The amount of sleep you get may have an impact on whether or not you get Alzheimer’s disease.
It’s called Emotional memory. It is the memory of the feelings associated with an event, as opposed to the facts of the event.
I gave my friend some advice that I have been finding myself saying over and over: If it is at all possible, record your loved one’s voice while you still have the opportunity.
Whether physically, or virtually, try to take a trip or two down memory lane to enjoy a journey of a lifetime.
The knowledge that you are losing bits and pieces of yourself throughout each day could be quite the struggle.