One of the most common maladies affecting older people is dementia. It is a condition in which the afflicted person suffers from serious loss of cognitive ability. In some cases, this ailment is static. But mostly, it is progressive resulting into long-term, gradual deterioration of memory. Just imagine if one day grandmothers can no longer recognize their children or grandchildren. It’s really a sad scenario.
There are lots of preventive measures being proposed to fight off dementia including healthy lifestyle. For grandmothers out there, you might be looking for activities that can help reduce the risk of dementia. But the truth is, you might have been doing things at home which help lessen the threat of dementia. Wonder what they are? Here is a list of simple home activities that can prevent this ailment.
Cooking and Kitchen Activities
By simply doing kitchen activities, you are building a wall against this malady. Remember when you are cooking, you are using your mind to remember the ingredients and quantity. The state of recalling the procedure on how to cook a dish is a perfect means to sharpen your memory. Even if as simple as making salad is already helpful. Peeling vegetables, slicing meat and assembling kabobs are likewise great activities since you are using hand and eye coordination.
Scrapbooking
Collecting pictures and sorting them are good memory boosters. As you gather the pictures, undeniably, you can reminisce when they were taken and what is the occasion. That is why this activity is highly advisable for older people specifically adult women. Go on! Gather all those old photos and stick them on a scrapbook (there is a ready-made scrapbook you can buy). Put a label on each picture so you will have those info later on. Assemble the pictures by date, type, subject or in whatever order you like. Scrapbooking will not just help you remember memories about the pictures but can let you recollect who are with you as well.
Organizing
You might wonder how organizing help prevent dementia. A simple answer to that is you are using your mind in doing such activity, meaning it is sharpening your memory. For instance, if you are arranging silverware inside the drawer, you are using your brain in sorting the spoons, forks and knives. And so, when you are going to use any of the silverware, you know where to get them. Being able to remember where you place these items can already minimize dementia risk.
Another organizing activity you can do is arranging cans, bottles and jars by size or kind.
Gardening
Do you have this what so-called “green thumb”? Maybe not all, but most grandmothers enjoy gardening. It becomes a pastime specially in the morning and afternoon where grandmas usually give them water. How this activity helps lessen dementia? Being physically active means you are using different parts of your body. In gardening, there are different things you do such as bending, sitting, cultivating, transferring plants, pulling weeds, etc. Additionally, you are using your mind to carry out these activities.
So, there you have it. The above mentioned activities you usually do at home might seem ordinary. The thing you might not realize is that they have hidden health benefits specifically in keeping yourself from being a sorry victim of dementia.
Stay healthy!
About Me: Ashley aims to share helpful tips related to family health and safety of each family member specifically children and seniors. That said, she makes reviews of the latest medical and health-related equipment, like medical guardian, to share her view points. Follower me on Twitter at @AshleyOconnor82 or Google+.