With memory care in Richmond, VA growing exponentially, it’s no surprise that more and more people are looking for ways to slow down or even reverse dementia. In this blog, we will discuss how a healthy lifestyle can help you and your loved ones live well in memory care.
Eating A Well-Balanced Diet
One of the best things you can do for your loved one is to provide a well-balanced diet. This means eating various foods from each food group and ensuring you get enough of everything.
Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, and fish are all good for brain health. Vitamin D found in milk, and eggs may also help reduce memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia by increasing blood flow to the brain.
Mental Stimulation
There are a variety of ways you can stimulate your loved one’s mind, including:
- Reading books, magazines, and newspapers
- Doing crossword puzzles and other word games
- Playing musical instruments or singing
These techniques have been shown to improve memory in adults with dementia. However, it’s important to note these activities should be relatively easy for your loved one. If they become frustrated or confused by the activity, it will not benefit them. Instead, try to choose easy games that are still engaging enough to stimulate their minds. It also helps if you play these games with them so that they can ask questions if needed!
Staying Physically Active
It can be difficult to stay physically active, but it’s not impossible. Make sure you know what physical activities are best for your loved one. If they have trouble walking or moving around quickly, swimming might be better than walking or jogging.
Swimming helps build upper body strength and provides cardiovascular benefits that improve circulation throughout the body. Speak to someone at your senior-friendly independent living community about offering classes on how to swim safely and effectively to ensure everyone stays safe while also having fun!
Social Interaction
Social interaction is not only significant for mental stimulation, but it can also help with memory and problem-solving skills. Interacting with others can be done in groups or one-on-one with family members, friends, or neighbors. It can take place in person or online, but the important thing is to keep your loved one active and engaged in a meaningful way.
Forming A Routine
One of the best things you can do to help your loved one with dementia is form a routine. Having a routine that they know they can look forward to each day will help slow down the progression of their illness. For example, you could make it a point every morning for your family member with dementia to walk outside with you on the front steps and then take them back inside for breakfast. After breakfast, you could bring them into their favorite room (or a different one) and play music or read stories together until lunchtime.
After lunchtime, it may be time for an afternoon nap! If not, why not go outside again? This time, there’ll be more people out than before and maybe even other residents from your community will join in on the fun!
Try making sure everyone knows about these fun plans ahead of time so that everything is remembered when it comes time for them to happen.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that there’s no known cure for dementia. But adopting a healthy lifestyle and taking care of your loved one can help slow down the progression.
