Sunny Health

Here is yet another reason to stay fit and slim.

In May this year, the UK Health Forum presented their research at the European Congress on Obesity in Liverpool, indicating that the risk of contracting dementia almost doubles with midlife obesity.

While no direct reason can be pinpointed for this link between obesity and dementia, it has been established by the French medical institute Inserm that obesity has a negative impact on memory and reasoning. Another theory suggests that proteins released by the fatty issue go into the bloodstream, and this affects cells in the brain.

Regardless, it is absolute that obesity takes a toll on health especially in old age. A healthy body means a healthy mind, and that is critical in the prevention of dementia. As Dr James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society says, "The best way to reduce your risk of developing dementia is to eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight."

Losing weight and staying active get increasingly difficult as one gets older, but that should not deter senior citizens. It is never too late to start getting fit and healthy, and it doesn’t have to take a lot of perspiration and strain!

Manage Emotions

One tends to get sentimental and easily emotional when you get older. And often times, negative emotions may cause one to turn to comfort food. Binging is a common problem for people who are stressed and unhappy.

Make sure you get sufficient sleep, as one is more vulnerable to stress and unhappy emotions when tired. Even if it is difficult to fall asleep immediately, go to bed at an early hour (preferably by 11pm). Try relaxation techniques to help you eliminate your mind from worries and fall asleep, such as deep breathing, listening to soft music, or putting calming fragrances in your room. Get your eight glasses of water early in the day and refrain from drinking and eating after 8pm. This reduces the frequency that you’d need to empty your bladder at night.

Boredom breeds loneliness and depression, and eating ends up as a common past time to fill the gap. Find other healthier diversions that make you happy, such as going for a walk, reading a funny book or even taking a shower. Consider taking classes at the community centre or going on day trips organised by your Residential Committee. These are often affordably priced, and you get to make new friends while learning something new.

Always think moderation, not complete elimination, in consideration of your favourite food, and you’ll feel more positive about cutting back.

Appropriate Physical Activity

It is most effective to combine three types of exercises – aerobic exercise for strength and endurance (e.g. walking, aerobics), calisthenics (e.g. stretching, bending) for flexibility and weight training (e.g. lifting dumb bells) to boost strength.

Walking is one of the best exercises for senior citizens, as it is not too strenuous but is effective at strengthening your heart, lungs, vascular system, bones and muscles. Three days a week, walk for about 30 minutes to 1 hour each day, at a pace that is comfortable but brisk enough to make you breathe a little harder than usual and perspire.

Alternatively, 10,000 steps a day (about 8 kilometres) is quite sufficient to keep you fit.

Swimming is a great option for those who suffer from painful joints from arthritis. The water keeps you buoyant, lifting stress off your joints. Its only shortcoming is that it does not help you strengthen your bones.

Lifting weights (dumb bells or even bottles of water) builds muscles, and muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue does even in state of non-activity. As you get older, you lose muscle mass and the need for calories, so calorie intake for a young person will be in excess for an older person, and this means you put on weight more easily.

In addition, lifting weights help to build strength in muscles, allowing you to perform more strenuous tasks on your own. Nevertheless, weight lifting is tricky if you have not been doing it regularly. The key is to start off slow, at a lower frequency and low weight. Be sure to consult a professional trainer for guidance, especially if you have existing ailments.

As with any age group, have a balanced diet and vice-free lifestyle. Consult the doctor before attempting any weight loss medication or diet plan. Stay active and keep your mind and body well-occupied with meaningful activities. Dementia is never part and parcel of the ageing process even if age is indeed a risk factor. Don’t let it deprive you of the joy you deserve in your golden years.


Sources:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/aging/senior-health-lifestyle/lose-weight-senior1.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/may/12/obesity-dementia-alzheimers-disease
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23159127

Last week's post was about the causes of dementia. As promised, this week's post will discuss how to spot dementia and seek treatment for it. There is no known cure for dementia to date. But the impact of the illness can be reduced or slowed.

There are typically three stages that represent the progression of dementia.

The early stage is Mild Dementia. The patient is forgetful, and he will sometimes repeat himself, be it verbally or by actions. He may present a slightly different personality from before, and become easily tired, gets worked up over little things and dislikes socialising with people, even his family. He also finds it difficult to plan his day-to-day activities due to his mood swings and poor memory.

By this stage, you should seek medical help. Otherwise, it rapidly progresses to Moderate Dementia.

Memory loss becomes more significant. The patient would repeat words more frequently. He forgets names of common objects and familiar people. He may forget what day today is, and he forgets about recent events. He also loses awareness about familiar places and would wander around and get lost. He neglects personal hygiene, forgetting to bathe or brush his teeth. He becomes even more irritable and agitated due to his helplessness.

The final stage is Severe Dementia. He is unable to remember many things that were part and parcel of daily life, such as performing familiar tasks and language, which results in him being unable to perform basic functions like going to the bathroom, dressing and eating. He is unable to speak coherantly, and he would not be able to understand other's speech. More tragically, he fails to recognise his loved ones.

Memory loss gets even more severe. While he may still be able to remember things that happened a long time ago, as in the case of 'Ah Keng's grandfather, he will not remember recent events, and he will often misplace his things, getting extremely agitated when he can't find them. He is unaware of his current location and time. He is unable to think abstractly. His judgement becomes flawed, and he may become a danger to himself, such as crossing the road when there is an oncoming car in sight. His mood and personality would have changed drastically. He loses initiative to do anything and virtually becomes a hollow shell. Death is the ultimate outcome when he eventually wastes away.

Don't wait until it is too late! If your loved one or relative starts developing symptoms presented in mild dementia, perhaps if you realise that your memory has become increasingly unreliable and people around you are telling you that you're acting strange, it's time to seek help from the doctor.


The doctor will assess and diagnose the problem. If the problem is indeed dementia, the doctor will refer you to other doctors with specialisation in dementia to help. The patient will be given medication to slow down the illness, perhaps be instructed to attend physiotherapy sessions to regain knowledge on body functions, and advice will be given on dealing with specific behavioural problems. There is an Alzheimer's Disease Association in Singapore that you can turn to for advice and support, as well as find camarederie among other fellow care-givers. You can visit their website http://alz.org.sg/ or call their helpline 6377 0700.

Here are some things you can do to help your loved one or yourself to slow the onset of dementia.

Caregivers should constantly remind patients of the reality around them. Talk to them, remind them of the current day and date, the names of people around them. Everyday, make it a point to make him look at the family photos and point out the names of the people in it.

Maintain a regular routine. If you take the patient out for morning walks, don't suddenly switch it to an afternoon walk. He will be confused about the time and his surroundings.

Look out for strange behaviour and find out what triggers it. If the patient attempts to leave the house whenever there is a pair of shoes on the door mat, remove the shoes. On the other hand, if the strange behaviour is not dangerous, let him carry on with it. It will keep him occupied, and some dementia patients get destressed if they are forbidden to do certain things. Take the cue from how 'Ah Keng' not only does not attempt to shake his grandfather into harsh reality, but even pretends to feed imaginary chickens with him.

Elderly people who find their memories getting worst should make use of memory aids like diaries, large cardboard signs, alarm clocks, calendars etc that are easily noticeable around the house. Frequently make lists of things you have to do. Don't rely on others to be your personal organizer as this will only encourage your memory functions to go unpractised and become weaker.

If the elderly person has normal mobility, ensure that he remains physically active through walks and simple hand and leg exercises. This will prevent him from succumbing to illnesses associated with a sedentary lifestyle and ensures that he does not lose memory of his mobility functions. But do watch him lest he loses his balance or hurts himself. If his mobility functions are clearly affected, he should attend physiotherapy for dementia patients.

Dementia patients can still lead fruitful lives if your love makes up for their lack of memory. No matter how busy you are, make time for your loved ones. They may appear not to remember you, but deep down in their subconsciousness, you matter to them, and they certainly prefer you over the maid or caretaker you hired for them. Never wait until it is too late, never wait until they are too ill to remember before you show them you care.

For many young people, moving to a new home is usually an exciting experience. More often than not, a new home means a more refreshing environment, more privacy, perhaps even bigger space. New is generally perceived as something novel and better.


Deciding what to move over

For some reason, having to blow out more candles on a birthday cake becomes a dreadful event each coming year. Maybe it’s the breathlessness we fear that might envelope us after wiping out all 50 candles, or the overwhelming sight of candles making up the entire cake topping. Yet just like how the candles are an inevitable reminder of those dwindling years, so are graying hair and blurring sight. Sometimes, even our bones crack mockingly, soundly reminding us of our dying youth. Ah! The signs of old age.

I’ve recently been obsessing about my own health, thanks to a frightful encounter with the mirror, when I noticed patches of my scalp, almost naked from hair, staring rudely back at me. It then dawned on me, that this was just a noticeable part of me that was aging. For all I knew, I could be wrinkling up inside! Be it for vanity or health purposes, I decided to embark on a healthier lifestyle. I started scouring through blogs and articles on health-related issues and what a comfort it was when I chanced upon an article by the New York Presbyterian Hospital, crying out “Message to Elderly: It’s never too late to prevent illness!” Just what I needed to hear.

While it had been discovered that majority of old people suffer from diseases like osteoporosis, or diabetes, cataract, sometimes even dementia, it doesn’t mean we’re doomed to a sad, live-out-of-the-tube life. In fact, there are ways we can enjoy those gray bits of hair and that wise-looking wrinkled face as much as we did our youth.

Remember back in the days when we were full of life, and mother’s nagging to down that glass of milk seemed like such a redundant chore? Well, for those of us who have been obedient, it might have saved us from developing the breakable bone disease, osteoporosis. What’s more, it has been proven that women are at a far more greater risk of succumbing to this illness because of the changes in estrogen level while leading up to menopause. Thereafter, they lose bone at an even higher rate, possibly 2 to 5% per year, after menopause. But this isn’t just a girl thing, as men are equally prone to this “silent disease”, though they tend to develop it later. The funny thing is, this is the one disease where those of a smaller body frame are at a higher risk of having their bones crack under their weight.

So for those of us who ran away from ‘milk-time’, how do we deal? Your bones determine how you stand up to the world. So exercise regularly to work those muscles that will maintain bone density and strength, even if it’s just a 10-minute walk in the park. Sit up straight if you don’t want to be mistaken for the hunched-back of Notre Dame. Fill yourself with vitamin d – an absorbent for calcium, and have a diet rich in calcium. You’ll see how grateful your bones will be for pampering them.

But don’t let it end there. Give your eyes some pampering too. After all, they get tired too after having seen the world for, what fifty years? So don’t be too harsh on them or yourself when they get a little blurry, or swell a little. Take it to the doctor’s where they’ll get some tender loving care and be given immediate attention. And while the sun may be a good thing, you wouldn’t want your eyes to be exposed to the glary light. Put on some shades, give your eyes a wash every now and then, and infections like conjunctivitis can be delayed, if not prevented. But if you experience a significant vision loss, a cataract surgery might just let you see the world through new eyes. Remember early detection can save you all the hassle.

This reminds me, just the other day while looking for something to while away my time, I came across this movie on the Hallmark channel. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, it’s called “More Than Meets the Eye”. It’s a story about a 32-year-old woman who teaches at a school for the blind. In a stroke of tragedy, she succumbs to blindness because of a muscular degeneration, and her luck spirals down when her husband dies soon after leaving her to care for their young daughter all alone. The story is moving and captivating all at once, and tells of the capabilities within each individual. I was awed just watching her strength and willpower to survive. Here’s the trailer of the movie to get you guys hooked on it:
http://www.joanbrock.com/more_than_meets_the_eye_movie_update.htm

And did you know that another notorious illness among the elderly that promotes eye problems is actually diabetes? In fact, according to a study by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness among adults, and what’s more, those with diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind than those without it. Worse still, diabetes tend to strike more, those who are 50 and above. Because as you age, your body’s immune system goes down and its capacity to produce the important metabolic catalysts diminishes.

However, all’s not lost. There are loads of therapies and products available to treat diabetes among the elderly. But the minute you experience symptoms like fatigue, weakness, or if anyone in the family has diabetes, seek medical attention! Most importantly, follow a diabetic food pyramid religiously, and adopt good eating habits. We are after all, what we eat.

So there, growing old means accepting life’s many challenges, and embracing it. No matter what comes our way, there is no reason not to wake up with a smile and a raring attitude to face the world. Let’s all age gracefully then, shall we? Do catch the movie when you have the time. I hope it inspires you as much as it did to me. Happy watching, all of you!

Till next time. Have a wonderful week ahead.