Senior Health, Finance, Nutrition and Lifestyle Resources - Specializing in Northwest Washington

These stats are pretty alarming. With such a focus on Alzheimer’s disease and the progression of the disease within our population, it is sometimes hard to pay attention to what is positively evolving in the dementia care market. However, new discoveries are suggesting that, taking a more preventative approach may better fight the battle against Alzheimer’s disease. Please note: Memory loss is only one form of dementia, as is Alzheimer’s disease.

The same risk factors that are correlated with heart disease and stroke, high cholesterol and blood pressure, a sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, and smoking, also attributes to the likelihood of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease. This is why the experts are weighing in to suggest that the prevention of Alzheimer’s, instead of treating the disease, is the best prognosis.

Growing up, my parents always used to tell my brother and I to “eat your vegetables.” The older I get, the more accurate I have found this advice to be. When paired with an active lifestyle, the effects can be especially genuine. Currently, this is the same advice the medical doctors and researchers are offering to those who are looking to prevent, or delay, the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Being in the memory care market, I interact with quite a wide array of residents within our building. From those who are in the first stage of memory loss, to those who are nearing the last stages, memory loss is a tough fact of life. However, at Somerset Memory Care, we do more than acknowledge Alzheimer’s disease as a fact. Instead, we focus on improving the everyday lives of our residents through the gentle care and best friends approach. This is a care model based on understanding the clinical implications of cognitive impairment. It teaches you to become sensitive to the client’s ecology, relationships, and living context, by giving the respect, reassurance, and the fulfillment that everyone deserves.

In this care model, we begin by simply validating each resident, every day. Our caregivers and staff, who are all specifically trained to care for those with memory loss, focus on giving the best care to our residents. After we carefully and positively interact with each resident, we work on how to incorporate this cutting edge research into possibly delaying the progression of the disease. We achieve this by actively utilizing healthy lifestyle choices: Engaging the resident into the next physical activity planned, assisting them in helping the staff make fresh, healthy snacks within the community, or even engaging the residents into a timely discussion about the good old’ days. As a result, we have noticed an upward swing in the resident’s physical health, as well as his/her emotional/physco-social status. Our team, along with the resident’s family, continuously reviews the resident’s medication charts and activity plans. We then determine if we should leave the plan as is, or whether there is a better alternative to the current care plan in place.

For example, when reviewing a particular residents medication list, we may be able to distinguish whether a statin friendly medication could be substituted for another. Several recent studies have suggested that statins, which are the same drugs used to lower high cholesterol, destroy the telltale sign of Alzheimer’s disease. That is, an increased level of amyloid , a sticky substance similar to cholesterol that forms plaque in the brain, creating lapses/breakages in the memory synapse phase, and hence, yielding memory loss.

We continuously remain cognizant of our dietary menus, and what food options we are offering to our residents. Research suggests that it is best to limit “free radical” damage. Therefore, we are not only focusing on how to increase essential nutrients and minerals, like vitamins E and C, but also to limit or even abolish the high fat diet sometimes correlated with assisted living communities. High fat diets, among other components, contain the type of fat labeled as isoprostanes, which is an indicator of amyloid plaque.

Walking through Somerset just yesterday, I overheard that familiar piece of advice I mentioned earlier, “eat your vegetables.” Only this time the phrase was expressed to one of our residents by her daughter, who was enjoying lunch with her mother. I guess this advice is truly timeless! Pair this with limiting your sugars, creating a low-fat diet, exercising regularly, and managing your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The outcome could possibly prevent, delay, or even prolong the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Jody Haines holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Promotion and Pre-medical Sciences from Montana State University and is also currently obtaining her Executive Masters Degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of Washington. She is the Director of Marketing at Somerset Memory Care Community. For more information, please visit www.somersetmemorycare.com or call 425-348-8800.