SPECIAL SECTION: HEALTHY LIVING
Brain Games
As you age, your brain continually changes. Maintaining a healthy
lifestyle is important to your body and your mind. Just like it is important
to exercise daily to keep your body in shape, it is equally as important
to exercise your brain. Memory loss doesn’t occur simply due to aging,
but because of brain injury, illness or disorders. Many of these issues are
due to unhealthy habits or poor lifestyle choices that could be otherwise
avoided.
Dementia is one of the most common categories of brain diseases.
A common misconception is that dementia is actually a disease, but
it is not. Dementia is a term that defines a decline in mental ability
severe enough to interfere with daily life including impaired memory,
communication and language, ability to focus, reasoning and 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 of dementia are progressive and get worse over time. If
caught early by a healthcare 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, as 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
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cognitive health. Cardiovascular activity increases blood flow to
the brain and body, reducing the risk of cognitive decline.
u 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.
u 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.
u 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.
u 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 cared for 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 diabetic 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.
u 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.
u 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 detected by blurred vision, faded colors, glare from
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