Q: DEAR Nurse Posvar, I am 36 years old and already I forget things. It is so frustrating. I don’t have time to forget so I keep notes around to help me. Is this bad? What can I do to help my memory improve?
A: Brain health is something most of us do not think about until something happens to us or someone close to us. Just like with any other illness that arises. The horrible thing about illnesses is that most of the time it creeps up on us and by the time we are feeling it, we are in the danger zone. This is why health check-ups are highly recommended. It is reported that illnesses that are found early with routine health check-ups and treated have a higher cure success rate for certain types of illnesses. Early detection with any illness will improve quality of life for most families.
You are so young to have these challenges. Have you gone to the doctor to tell them of your concern? This is the best time to get everything checked. Knowing what is causing your symptoms is the best way to treat it. If the doctor is telling you stress is causing it, make sure all other factors are ruled out. Assess what your stressors are and really work on eliminating or managing them. I would recommend you getting a biofeedback health scan. If your symptoms are related to stress the health scan can detect areas at a cellular level. Diet, exercise and your mental state of mind will need adjusting to reduce stress.
You will also need to work on strengthening your memory with different types of memory exercise. Sometimes working with a professional is needed to help with memory training as structure helps guide and monitor for improvements. Two little tips I will leave with you is to brush your teeth with your non-dominate hand and Learning something new that you enjoy will also help develop new brain cells.
Q: Dear Ms. Posvar, My mum has lost a lot of weight and I notice she does not eat like she used to. Do people with Alzheimer’s stop eating?
A: There are many reasons why a person with dementia may stop eating depending on the stages of the disease. Some people can gain weight as they feel they have not eaten. Here is a basic list of a few things to try and you can get this list from the Alzheimer’s page.
• Try checking the food temperature -a person with dementia may not be able to tell if something is too hot for them
• Limit distractions – try to serve meals away from loud areas like TV and other distractions
• Distinguish food from the plate – sometimes a person with dementia has trouble with spatial abilities and unable to tell the difference from the table to plate. Some experts recommend using a yellow plate and another colour for the table cloth and avoid patterns.
• Keep the table setting simple – centre pieces such as plastic fruit is a distraction so avoid those things if they are an issue.
• Eat together – Research has shown that most people eat better when eating together
• Be flexible to food preferences – It is possible that a person with dementia may develop changes in their food preferences; like eating foods they never liked before or not wanting what they have always eaten.
• Keep in mind that he/she may not remember if they ate or not -it is common to say they have eaten already or say they have not. If they keep asking for food, try giving their meals split up through-out the day.
• Give the person plenty of time to eat – sometimes a person with dementia may need cueing to chew their food so it may take longer. Sometimes dental issues may be of concern as well
Brainy quote: Things turn out best for people who make the best out of the way things turn out.
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