Inside Danielle's mind

I am so scared of getting Alzheimer’s, or anothe form of dementia.  Possibly because I have worked in a nursing home and have seen what those diseases can do to a person, and partly because different studies, Alzheimer’s Association website, have said that I have a greater chance because of my traumatic brain injury, and the fact that I was in a coma for so long.  Being unconscious for such a long time, resulting in a severe traumatic brain injury.  As the Alzheimer’s Association states in this article.

Although, there have been articles of preventative methods, such as medical blogs like Sparkonit.com stating that drinking green tea can help.  This method has been used in centuries past, in different ancient cultures.  I read this article and try to have a cup of green tea a day.  Although not very much research has been proven to support the fact of prevention of dementia, the brain’s ability to support connectivity to increase is a known fact.  Drinking any form of green tea, be it the traditional way, or absorbing it through supplements, in soda all have been shown to be successful in increasing memory.  The University at Basel in Germany, researchers have gathered that the use of green tea has positively effected the connectivity in brain reactions between the parietal and frontal cortex synapses of the brain.

Sparkonit.com also has published an article stating about the quality of sleep and how detrimental it is to the possibility of acquiring dementia.  Sleep plays a large part in controlling the rate at which the brain ages.  A non-profit website promoting the cognitive and emotional health, helpguide.org  emphasizes the importance of quality sleep as one factor of preventation and staying healthy overall.  The quality and amount of sleep that a person with a Traumatic Brain Injury is supposed to get varies from 8-10 hours.  Healthy adults require a minimum of 7 hours of sleep for optimal performance.  I am greatly in trouble for that- I would get caught up doing something until 1230, and then I would rise between 7and 730 am to take care of Chazz, my devastatingly cute dog.  Some of the times I would nap, from 9am-1130, but then I would feel lazy, so I often try not to nap for that long.

The other ways to lessen a person’s susceptibility of getting this, and just for total overall brain health, regular exercise, mental stimulation, social stimulation, a healthy diet and stress management.

I have just stopped working at a nursing home, and fear Alzheimer’s type dementia and other forms of conditions because I’ve been exposed to the later stages of dementia, and how hard it is to deal with.  Not only for the person that it is happening to, but also for the family members that are visiting and watching their loved ones deteriorate.

We all have to die; and the way of it is out of our control.  There are only preventative measures.  Mental stimulation can include reading, sudoku puzzles, even reading the newspaper or scholarly articles.  The social stimulation can be as easy as walking the dog to get out of the house, talking to some neighbors and it can also promote an increase in exercise.  Walking and playing with a dog can definitely accelerate heart rate.  Dogs are also great stress relievers, there are many therapy dogs that light up a hospital, nursing homes or other inpatient settings.   Eating a healthy diet is as easy as getting enough sleep; just a few lifestyle changes.  And getting a dog always helps.