HEALTH & WELLNESS S P E C I A L S E C T I O N
judgment, and visual perception. At least
two of the aforementioned symptoms
must be severely impaired to indicate
signs of dementia. Usually the signs and
symptoms are progressive and get worse
over time. If caught early by a health care
professional, some symptoms can be
treated. One of the most common types
of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s accounts for 60 to 80
percent of all dementia cases. It causes
severe problems with daily tasks that
involve memory, thinking and behavior.
It is not a normal part of aging, but the
greatest known risk factor is increasing
age since the disease is progressive. While
it is most common in people over the
age of 65, younger-onset Alzheimer’s is
found in five percent of people as young
as their 40s.
According to the Alzheimer’s
Association, evidence shows that
incorporating the following habits will
keep you fit both physically and mentally:
• Heart Health – Obesity, high blood
pressure and diabetes—all risk factors
for cardiovascular disease—negatively
impact your cognitive health.
Cardiovascular activity increases blood
flow to the brain and body, reducing
the risk of cognitive decline.
• Helmet Up! – Brain injury is one of
the leading causes of dementia and
cognitive decline. Play it smart and
always wear a helmet to protect from
brain injury.
• Sleep Tight – Have you ever stayed
up late, only to find you’re forgetful
and mentally lethargic the next day?
Not getting enough sleep can result
in lower brain function, affecting
memory and thinking.
• Be a Social Butterfly – Staying active
with friends and loved ones may
support brain health as well. A recent
study from the Women’s Healthy
Aging Project found that babysitting
grandchildren could lower the risk of
Alzheimer’s.
• Challenge Yourself – Enjoy
crossword puzzles or painting? Keep
your brain challenged by doing
something new each day, whether it is
learning a new language, doing a jigsaw
puzzle or reading a book!
Eye and Ear Health
Hearing and vision are two essential
parts of our everyday lives. Yet there are
many individuals who let ear and eye
problems go unattended. Ear and eye
health is equally as important as taking
care of the rest of the body and should be
well maintained to ensure many years of
seeing and hearing the things you love.
Eye Health
It is important to visit your eye
care professional once a year for a
comprehensive eye exam. Although you
may think you are seeing fine, issues may
be lurking without any warning signs.
During a yearly visit, your pupils will be
dilated, or widened, so that your eye care
professional can examine the back of the
eye for damage or disease. It is important
to know your family’s eye health history
as well, since some conditions are
hereditary. Some of the most common
eye diseases include diabetic retinopathy,
glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related
macular degeneration (AMD).
• Diabetic Retinopathy: This type
1 or type 2 diabetes complication is
caused by damage to blood vessels
in the retina, the light-sensitive
tissues in the back of the eye. If left
untreated, diabetic retinopathy could
cause blindness. Early stages of this
condition may go unnoticed if an
eye care professional is not visited
yearly. As the condition progresses,
symptoms may include blurred vision,
impaired color vision, floaters, and/or
dark areas in your vision. Symptoms
may occur if there is too much sugar
in your blood, which can cause a
blockage in the blood vessels that lead
to the retina. Proper management of
diabetes is the best way to prevent
vision loss.
• Glaucoma: The second leading cause
of blindness, glaucoma is a group of
diseases that damage the eye’s optic
nerve. The risk of developing glaucoma
increases with age and if parents or
siblings have the disease. During an
eye exam, glaucoma can be detected by
measuring eye pressure, inspecting the
drainage angle of the eye, evaluating
the health of the optic nerve and
testing the visual field of each eye.
Depending on the type and severity of
the disease, glaucoma can be treated
through eye drops, medication or
surgery.
• Cataracts: A cataract affects vision by
clouding the lens of the eye. Chances
of cataracts increase greatly with age,
with more than half of all Americans
either having a cataract or having
had cataract surgery by the age of 80.
People in their 40s and 50s can have
cataracts, but they are typically small
and do not affect vision. Cataracts are
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