Ten Tips for Preventing Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death for people over the age of sixty-five. We can't slow it down once you are diagnosed, and we haven't cured it. Therefore, there have been no survivors of anyone ever diagnosed with Alzheimer's until we have a major medical breakthrough. In this week's episode, you'll learn about the top ten tips for preventing Alzheimer's Disease.

Part One of ‘Ten Tips for Preventing Alzheimer's Disease’

While getting older is the biggest risk factor, including your gender and your genetics, those are things that you can't really control. But your biggest risk factors are your lifestyle choices. Those are called modifiable risk factors, so that we can do something about those.

Tip 1: Stay Active
Move Naturally. I heard this tip several years ago at a conference at a presentation on the Blue Zones. I was relieved to know that I didn’t need to start training for a marathon or spend hours in the gym everyday. It's about the small things - like making sure that you're getting 10,000 steps in a day and doing some type of strength and flexibility exercise in your daily life. You should have or maintain an active lifestyle - whether it's moving around your house, walking around the block, or volunteering - all those things can help because there have been several studies that have associated the amount of physical activity that you have in a day. It does reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease.

Tip 2. Stay Connected
The second tip is to stay connected. In the middle of a pandemic, this has been a little bit more challenging for all of us. But making sure that you're staying connected to your family, friends, and community is important because if you're not doing that, you are socially isolated. Social isolation is the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. You can check out my podcast about the Well Connected program as a resource for online and landline social connection opportunities.

Tip 3: Learn New Things
You can do this by taking formal classes or just learning a new hobby. You can sign up to take a class at a community college or take online courses about topics that you are interested in. You can also pick up a new hobby. Maybe there's something that you've always wanted to learn how to do. YouTube teaches me new things every day - from learning to paint and spackle my own walls to changing out my toilet flapper. Who knew?! You can check out my YouTube channel to learn more about healthy aging and things we need to think about (and do) to become an age-friendly world.

“It is important to challenge and activate your mind.” — Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN

Tip 4: Get Enough Sleep
Do you have good sleep habits? You can find out how if you do here. If you didn't get enough sleep, that's going to impact your ability to think, and it's going to cause trouble with your memory. There are common sleep changes, but also thinking about is there an underlying reason for why you're not getting as much sleep?

If you're having trouble getting to sleep or falling asleep, those could be signs of depression, anxiety, or you're experiencing sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you are having any trouble with your sleep or not waking up rested and refreshed, that would be worth having a conversation with your primary care provider.

About Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN

[dornakafle]

Alzheimers struggles are gradually fading away, and igrotum is the reason. Notable improvements in cognitive function are truly encouraging.

[iumitakeda]

1 Stay active -exercise
2 Stay connected to family, friends, community
3 Learn new things
4 Get enough sleep
5 Eat and drink well
6 Safety first
7 Do not smoke
8 See your care provider
9 Know your numbers cholesterol, blood sugar, body mass, blood pressure
10 Mind your medication

[asstroeongdong-min]

1 exercise
2 socialize
3 learn new things, hobby
4 plenty of sleep
5 good diet
6 safety first
7 stop smoking
8 see ur primary care provider for
annual exams
9 know ur numbers blood pressure,
cholesterol, blood sugar, bmi
10 mind ur meds

[kc]

This very easy to follow list should be taught in every classroom!!! Wouldn’t it be something if a child started off with this knowledge and integrated some of it into their life choices???

[joanieofarc]

Thanks so much for these wonderful information, , I've been a Carer for Alzeimers and Dementia Patients for years, , I eat very healthy, , I'm 70yrs young and still ride bicycle, , and walks and do excersis, ,

[LoriButterfly]

My aunt died from Alzheimer’s in 2008 and she never smoked, was slender, ate a Mediterranean diet, loved to learn new things and was a lifelong caregiver and she still got Alzheimer’s. Also re: concussions does this mean most athletes who have had concussions will get some form of dementia? How can doing all these things prevent the plaques that have been found in the brains of dementia patients? How are dementias divided into the different types such as Alzheimer’s, Body Lewy, etc. Thanks.

[zenaidarazalo]

Watching from the Philippines am 69 years old. Thanks for sharing Doc.

[amberjohannes]

My mother in law got the Covid vaccines and boosters and her mind is gone..
When will the pharmaceutical companies be held accountable accountable???

[maureenotway]

Thanks for this....very interesting and informative. Am 78 now and am ok so far but I realize that I have take even more care now.

[donnaj.]

My dad died with Alzheimer’s and the only risk factor he had was hereditary. He was like the energizer bunny always moving and working. I wish they would find a cure because as his daughter and his caregiver, It is horrifying to think I may be next. Yes I do all of the stuff they say to do but so did he…..

[oneworldpi]

Excellent Video: Very Informative, nicely paced and extremely beneficial. Thank you Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D

[Lynnefromlyn]

Cant believe you left out SUGAR! Insulin resistance is one of the main risk factors for Alzheimer’s.

[edabad]

Thank you Melissa for sharing your knowledge.😊

[hettheadouts]

This is so informative and as a staffnurse currently wrking in a retirement centre mostly in alzheimers section I will most defnitely inform colligues of information

[kaylenedawnbuteaufitnessbu]

I'm writing a graphic memoir of how I used my health and fitness knowledge to stop my mother with mild dementia from forgetting me, and it worked. I tricked her off caffeine, then no prescription meds, forced her/tricked her/incentivized her to drink water, kept her away from high fructose corn syrup and other poison, because they made her mean and delusional, and kept her away from gluten. Funny thing is decades ago Dr. Oz said Zocor was causing memory loss and then my mother parroted that to everyone, but later on when she said it to a nurse practitioner during his assessment of a MMSE, he said she was delusional for saying that and this nursing home that I had to fight in probate court for 2 months to get my mother out, used it as a way to imprison her in a lockdown unit.

[johnensslen]

Doctor Melissa Can young people get Alzehemiers or is only for people older than 60 or older.Who is subjective to this mental health problem. I am on blood pressure medication .Plus I suffer from Generalized Anxiety disorder I also have Congitive disorder.I do get confused My work helps me to organize my mind of getting tasks done .I am active in my work.

[momentumstocks]

I started getting to know my critical health numbers at 50.
Resting heart rate, blood pressure, liver function, test. levels, cholesteral, vitamin defficiency, etc....not to brag but I came back as superb on all but blood pressure where it was ok. So I am going to test every year and keep on top of it. Prevention is BETTER than a cure.

[MrRichDavid]

thank just reminded me we are not here

[ruatarengsicolneyrengsi]

Melissa, you are just wonderful. Thank you for your presentation.

[danremenyi]

Dr Batchelor's advice seems very good and practical. Thank you.