Top Three Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy

The thought of developing dementia is daunting.  It's currently on par with how people felt about the C word ten to fifteen years ago.  Our perceptions of cancer have changed with the advent of treatment, but dementia is a whole different beast.  How do you deal with dementia?  It doesn't attack your body, at least not directly.  It affects your mind and memory.  How do we handle a disease that attacks an organ that makes up the very core of who we are?  I have often been anxiously asked, "what can I do to prevent dementia?".  In fact, I've been asked it enough times to dedicate a post to it.

Well, while the short answer is nothing in terms of definitely preventing the disease, like a heart attack, there are certainly lifestyle choices that can help reduce your risk of developing dementia. I decided to scrounge through the current medical literature to see what is being said.

Rule of thumb, what’s good for the heart is good for the brain.

It’s a simple and easy way to remember the sort of lifestyle choices that can make a difference.

Chocolate and Perfume

I’ve been reading a lot about long-term care facilities (or nursing homes, both terms used interchangeably in Canada) and quality of life lately. It is particularly poignant for people with dementia for whom housing options are currently pretty limited. There are really three main categories: home care, assisted living and long-term care. While there is a motley assortment of options in-between, these are generally not equipped for people with dementia and currently have limited capacity. In fact, for most, long-term care is often the only option by default if no caregiver is available for home care because one of the requirements of assisted living (in BC atleast) is that you be able to make decisions about your own care. The hope is that this landscape will change soon, but it is the current reality.

Love is Better than Anger. Hope is Better than Fear

Back from a happy but somewhat arduous life event, today's blog is dedicated to the charismatic (and handsome) leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, Dr. Jack Layton.

I'm sorry for the lack of recent posts.  I'm mired in a major project that does not give me free time, but will return to my usual posting schedule as of next month, I promise!

Sweet Dreams

The upcoming elections seem to be the most entertaining I've seen with regard to Canadian politics in a long time! Mind you, there's the usual hair pulling and mud slinging, but god bless their hearts, Canadian politicians just don't take the same blows below the belt that American politicians do. 

The Moment of Need

I'm terribly sorry I've been a horribly tardy blogger.  Its been a bit of a challenging two months which haven't left me much time to continue the digging to China (or the Health Ministry, whichever comes first) that I meant to do.  I hope to be able to update soon but in the meanwhile I wanted to spread the news about this amazing book that my father gave me.  We discovered it fairly recently, but its been out for a while and the author, Lisa Genova has recently released a new book I haven't read yet.  The name is 'Still Alice' and it really gives such poignant insight into what it feels like to have Alzheimer's Disease from the inside looking out.

The Saga Continues...

And so, leaving no stone uncovered, the saga of the ADTI investigation continues.  After my last post, I had a few heavy questions that still needed answering: 1) why has there been so little publicity around the ADTI considering the potential benefits for those diagnosed with AD? 2) what were the doctors' response? 3) what are the research projects being  designed around this initiative?