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
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!
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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
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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
headlights or lamps, poor night vision, double vision, or frequent
prescription changes in eyeglasses or contact lenses. Early
detection can improve cataracts through new eyeglasses, anti-glare
sunglasses or brighter lighting. Surgery can also be done to
remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial lens.
u Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD): One of the
common, but lesser known eye conditions is AMD. A leading
cause of vision loss among people 50 years of age and older, AMD
affects the macula, the millions of light-sensing cells that
provide your eye with sharp, central vision. Age is a major risk
factor for developing AMD, with most cases occurring after the
age of 60. Genetics, race, and smoking can also affect risk for
AMD. A comprehensive eye exam can detect AMD through
dilation and testing. Your eye care professional will look for
yellow deposits beneath the retina to determine if you have AMD.
Intermediate and late AMD can be treated with daily intake of
vitamins and minerals that can slow the progression of the disease.
Therapy and surgery can also be considered for types of advanced
neovascular AMD, which typically results in severe vision loss, to
stop further progression.
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