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.
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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.
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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 agerelated 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
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West Mifflin | Winter 2016 | icmags.com 15