Focus on Brain Health Today
We all forget things as we get older. Many people have memory loss that does not impact their daily lives. However, memory impairment that worsens over time may signal the onset of dementia.
Like so many, I have a devastating personal story of loss related to dementia and Alzheimer's. Losing a loved one a tiny bit each day made me ask, what am I doing to build better brain health?
According to Alzheimer's Disease International, someone in the world develops dementia every three seconds. There were an estimated 50 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2017. This number will likely double every 20 years, reaching 75 million in 2030 and 131.5 million in 2050. The Alzheimer's Association also notes that dementia-related deaths have increased by 145% between 2000 and 2017.
While the exact causes of dementia are not clearly understood, recent research indicates that modern environmental and lifestyle changes combined with increased life expectancy are negatively impacting our brain health. Scientists have also recognized that dementia and Alzheimer's are disease processes that begin in the brain and body up to 20 years before symptoms arise. So while we may have longer lives, we need to take action now to improve its quality.
Many of the changes we can make are relatively easy and have been shown to delay or prevent the onset of dementia. Below are a few links to prevention resources and strategies
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/research_progress/prevention
https://sharpagain.org/roadmap-to-clarity/
#brainhealth #dementia #alzheimers #takeactionnow