5 Helpful Caregiver Tips for a Loved One with Dementia

Orig Post agingcare.com | Re-Post Careprodx 4/14/2016

As our parents and grandparents age, it is normal to begin to notice a decline in health, mobility and many other things. However, memory loss, difficulty with problem solving, and confusion are a few signs that may indicate various types of cognitive impairment.

Only a doctor can determine whether a loved one's memory problems or confusion is Alzheimer’s or something else, and that same doctor will be the one to prescribe a course of action for treatment. There are, however, things that you can do to help your loved ones stay as sharp and healthy as possible during the onset of Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.

Take a closer look at the top recommendations on delaying the mental decline associated with Alzheimer’s, from the Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association:

1. Make sure they are eating right.

Do you remember when your parents told you to eat your vegetables? For the sake of their health, now is the time for you to do the same for them. Encourage your parents to consume a healthy diet filled with fruits and vegetables. Additionally, try to replace red meat, which can be high in harmful saturated fat, with fish, which contains helpful omega-3 oils. A healthy diet can go a long way toward warding off Alzheimer’s. In a report released September 2015 the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation states, “No clinical trials have been sufficiently large and long enough to test whether DHA supplements or fish can reduce the risk of developing dementia per se." However, eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of developing additional health problems including heart disease, heart attack, stroke, cancer and diabetes, which can be complicated to handle in addition to dementia.

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