As seniors look forward to longer life expectancies than members of previous generations, they strive to age in good health. A critical component of remaining happy with age is keeping the brain young. Here’s a list of some of the best ways your aging loved one can keep his or her brain active and healthy in the golden years.
Getting Proper Nutrition
Proper nutrition can dramatically enhance the brain’s function. A healthy diet that contains plenty of fruits, fish, vegetables, and olive oil can fight disease and boost cognitive function. Walnuts and salmon, which contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, are recommended for excellent brain health.
Exercising
By engaging in age-appropriate exercise, your parent can prevent the loss of memory and cognitive skills. However, it’s important to ensure safety at all times, so seniors should always consult with their healthcare professionals before starting new exercise programs to ensure they’re both safe and appropriate.
A professional caregiver can ensure your loved one eats healthy meals, exercises, and enjoys a higher quality of life. Seniors who want to remain healthy as they age can benefit in a variety of ways when they receive professional in-home care. Home Care Assistance is here to help your loved one accomplish daily tasks, prevent illness, and focus on living a healthier and more fulfilling life.
Reading & Writing
Reading and writing can stimulate and exercise a senior’s brain. Whether it’s reading a newspaper every day or writing emails to family and friends, these things can be just as important for the brain as a program of exercise is for the muscles. In addition, these activities can help your loved one stay more closely connected to family and friends.
Remaining Socially Engaged
One of the worst things your loved one can do is become socially disengaged. Not only can isolation contribute to the loss of mental function, but it can also lead to depression and other emotional problems. By joining hobby groups or simply remaining engaged with neighbors, your loved one can enjoy the mental stimulation that’s so important to the brain’s long-term health.
Engaging in social activities is one of the best ways to promote healthy cognitive function. For families living in Amarillo, respite care can be a wonderful solution when their aging loved ones need companionship and socialization a few hours a week or just need minor assistance with daily household tasks. At Home Care Assistance, we thrive on helping seniors maintain their independence while living in the comfort of home.
Developing New Hobbies
A major part of keeping the brain active is to continually challenge it with new things. Developing new hobbies can expose the brain to changing events that maintain its cognitive capabilities. In addition, hobbies can help your parent remain socially active as he or she develops a larger circle of friends while also having fun and doing activities he or she enjoys.
Working with Healthcare Providers
Remaining in contact with a healthcare provider can be an excellent way to maintain healthy brain function. Discussing memory lapses or other symptoms and concerns can let the doctor know about potentially dangerous changes. Most importantly, the physician is in an excellent position to recommend individualized treatments to maintain your parent’s mental capabilities, which can give you added peace of mind.
A trained professional caregiver can be an ideal resource when you’re trying to help your loved one lead a brain-healthy lifestyle. Not every senior has the same care needs, which means they don’t all need the same type of home care service. Amarillo families can rely on Home Care Assistance to provide individualized care plans to meet your elderly loved one’s unique care needs. Our holistic Balanced Care Method was designed to help seniors focus on healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining strong social ties, and our Cognitive Therapeutics Method offers mentally stimulating activities that can stave off cognitive decline and delay the onset of dementia. For more information about our flexible, customizable home care plans, call one of our compassionate Care Managers today at (806) 803-9991.