When you are younger, you are often convinced you will stay that way forever. It might seem a tad obvious but the idea of getting older, specifically the idea of what goes into getting older and how it will really physically feel, does not really click when are really young. You have nothing to compare the experience of getting older to so you just tend to assume it’s far away and it will never happen to you. Though it is an age old dream that we might be able to stay young forever and though one day it might be a reality, in modern times we still have to face the issue of getting older and what getting older entails. Whether it’s learning how to practice memory care activities for seniors, how to know dementia stages, understanding assisted living or the retirement home or Alzheimer’s care, taking steps to prepare yourself for getting older is important should not be overlooked. Memory care activities for seniors might not seem like a fun activity but anything to help prepare for that stage of your life is a good thing. One of the hardest things about getting older, after all, is trying to keep your mind sharp in an aging body. But how can we better understand dementia, Alzheimer’s and other mental issues that affect older people and how can we better prevent these things from happening to us or our loved ones? Are there steps we can take? It turns out there are, more or less, but recognizing the warning signs comes first.
First Signs of Dementia
There are a few first warning signs of dementia, all of which are slightly different and affect people in different ways. First, there is a tendency for the memory to begin to slip. Now, in movies and television shows, this is typically made out to be a big dramatic act that will suddenly wipe all memories and sense from the person’s head. Suddenly, they wake up and can’t remember who they are or where they are. Rest assured, this type of sudden and total amnesia is not at all how most dementia works. If someone wakes up and remembers nothing about who they are or where they are, then there is very little that memory care activities for seniors is going to do for that person. That’s more an immediate medical diagnosis type of situation. The types of dementia are different but they all start out with smaller things like forgetting names or numbers. Even addresses might be affected. If you or your loved one finds their memory beginning to slip like that, be on the lookout and talk to someone.
Physical Ailments
Although dementia is largely mental there can be physical signs of dementia as well. You or your loved one might grow a bit weaker or have trouble with ambulation in a proper way. This is a bit of a trickier diagnosis as when you get older there tends to arise problems with mobility anyway but these smaller issues can dovetail into the larger issues of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Pay close attention to the amount of mobility an aging relative might have and whether it starts to go downhill. If you notice this, some preventive measures might be able to be taken before it gets worse.
Methods to Prevent Dementia
Though unfortunately there are no cures for dementia, there are several methods for aging people to stay active, healthy and stave off stagnation in both body and spirit. Memory care activities for seniors is one we’ve already mentioned as it has been proven that keeping the mind sharp is one excellent way to stave off mental stagnation. Reading, studying or playing games is another way, all of them great methods for engaging the brain and forming new thoughts and new patterns of behavior. Think of it as personal growth even in the later years of your life, a type of rebirth that is desperately needed for a lot of people. Getting older is hard, there’s no doubt about that, but as long as you can stay engaged with your mind and the world, there’s no need for slow decay.
