
An estimated 564,000 Canadians are living with dementia. The most common type of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, accounts for 65 per cent of the problems people have with thinking. Rates of the disease are based mostly on age. By 85 years of age, 50 per cent of the population will have memory issues.
Dr. Harry Zirk, Care of the Elderly Physician at the Grey Nuns Hospital, developed a list of 14 things you should do every day to keep your brain healthy as you age—a strategy that may help, and even improve, cognition.
Interacting with others is important for your mental health.
Mindfulness allows you to focus on something very specifically and calms the brain.
Try to sleep well every night. Have a paper and pen by your bed to write down things that concern you. If you’re tired during the day, take a nap.
Learning something new creates neurotransmitters and chemicals that help the rest of the brain function. Here are some things you might want to learn:
Drink three cups of green tea per day. You can have one with every meal or make a pot in the morning and drink it throughout the day.
Take two capsules of DHA oil a day or eat fish two to three times a week.
Resveratrol protects nerve cells from damage and the buildup of plaque that can lead to Alzheimer’s. Take two capsules a day.
Take a 2,000 mg to 4,000 mg tablet a day.
Take one tablet a day.
Take one tablet a day of a probiotic supplement like Align or Jamieson.
Have two tablespoons in your oatmeal, with peanut
butter on toast, or in cooking.
Take one 3 mg tablet at bedtime.
Burn essence of Rosemary Oil in your room.
Dr. Zirk and his team launched this program in 2015 and will continue to monitor patients' cognition from this point forward.
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