Johnson County Alzheimer’s Disease Experts Provide Brain Health Tips To Return To “Pre-Pandemic Normal”

When Johnson County resumes over a year later through the COVID-19 pandemic, Heart of America Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association Prairie Village calls on people to prioritize brain health.

For many, it means “normal before the pandemic,” “new normal,” or returning to the current normal meaning for families with loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

“It may be more important than ever to engage in good brain activity following unprecedented stress and anxiety for over a year,” said Juliet Bradley, Kansas Communications Director, Heart of America Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Said. “Chronic stress, as experienced in current pandemics, reportedly can affect memory, mood, and anxiety, as well as brain inflammation and other effects that can affect brain function. It can also accelerate the condition of damage. “

The Alzheimer’s Association offers five tips for promoting brain health and restoring mental health:

1. Recommit to the basics of brain health. evidence It has been suggested that during the pandemic, healthy behavior became the backseat for many Americans. Some of these basics include lifestyle changes for diet and exercise, and the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
2. Return to normal at your own pace. Some people want to return to their “normal life” after a pandemic, while others feel anxious. Take small steps, set boundaries as needed, and communicate your preferences to others in your social circle.
3. Help others. Studies show that helping others in crisis can be an effective way to reduce stress and anxiety.
4. Unplug and disconnect. Technology has helped people stay connected through a pandemic, but it also creates fatigue. Set a time limit on your screen to prevent your smartphone from being carried anywhere and disconnect at bedtime.
5. Control your stress before it controls you. Long-term or recurrent stress can exhaust the brain and cause serious health problems such as memory loss and an increased risk of dementia.Check these out Chip Manage caregiver stress in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Joseph Lange, a resident of Overland Park and a volunteer community educator at the Heart of America branch of the Alzheimer’s Association, agrees with these tips, learns new things, volunteers, and helps others. He said it is an important activity to help with brain health.

These activities also help patients and caregivers reduce anxiety and stress as well.

“All of this is to enable caregivers and care recipients to manage their anxiety and at the same time perform cognitive and brain movements and communicate from a social perspective. Good thing. Others handle what they are saying to you and the way they are telling you, “he added. “These are all to keep your mind active.”

Be tested for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

On the other hand, those who avoid or cannot see a doctor during a pandemic should consider prioritizing it this year in order to be tested for Alzheimer’s disease.

“Obviously, being able to provide our information to the community is very harmful, but it is also harmful for people who may be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease to go out and be diagnosed,” Lange said. I will. “In the early stages of the pandemic, you couldn’t really see a doctor. And it’s very important to be aware of the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and get an early diagnosis, and in the future. Because you can make a plan for it. “

Lange, who cares for her aunt in Omaha, Nebraska, who was diagnosed with dementia, said early diagnosis helps families work together to plan care.

click Here Additional information on 2021 facts and figures regarding Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.