Food for thought

One of the great fears of growing older is dementia – a disease which apparently affects one in six people aged over 70. To date, society’s attitude towards it, based on our inadequate scientific knowledge, has been that it is unaovidable either because it is genetically pre-determined or because it can neither be predicted nor avoided through taking positive preventative action.

Now a new “early-warning” test has been developed by the not for profit organization, Food for the Brain, to identify mild cognitive impairment which may be related to the early development of dementia. The test follows a recent major study by Oxford University which demonstrated that taking an inexpensive vitamin pill could cut the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s disease by substantial amounts. Taking the test, which is free and available online, is recommended for anyone over 50 who may suspect that they are starting to suffer memory impairment which is greater than that related to ageing alone (those “senior moments” of which we are all so aware).

As would be expected with any new health-related development, there is some debate amongst the medical fraternity as to whether inaccurate results from the test may cause unneccesary alarm and subsequent pressure on GPs from those who may be worried that they are affected by dementia. On the other hand it is already known that, as with many diseases, far too many people bury their heads in the sand and ignore symptoms until it is too late to take the action which may help slow down its rate of progress.

No doubt the debate will continue as further evidence emerges. For now, if nothing else, this test acts a useful reminder that, as with every aspect of our health as we age, it is down to us as individuals to take responsibility for doing everything possible to avoid diseases that threaten our future quality of life.

The Cognitive Function Test is available at www.foodforthebrain.org

Looking after your health – who can you trust?

We all know that looking after your health and taking preventative measures to ward off degenerative disease and decay is a priority for the over 50s. But sometimes conflicting advice makes it all seem far too difficult. How much alcohol is recommended? Are eggs good or bad for cholesterol? Should you take aspirin or avoid it? The list is endless and in the media, opinions change day to day.

A recent “sit up and take notice” piece concerned the health-giving properties of green tea which has long been promoted as a virtual wonder cure for all known ills. This time, however, reports were suggesting that merely drinking one cup a day would be enough to reduce your risk of dementia or cancer. Sounds fantastic – but is that true or not?

As ever, our advice is to check it out on a great website devoted to all things medical and health related, the “NHS Choices” website which you can access here http://www.nhs.uk/Pages/HomePage.aspx ).  It gives full, scientific, unbiased advice and commentary on all such research studies and is worth checking out whenever these big claims break in the news.

For the record, the green tea claim apparently isn’t quite that straightforward as it was portrayed, see here.

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/01January/pages/green-tea-and-alzheimers.aspx

Things can work better if you let them

Last night’s BBC2 TV programme, “Can Gerry Robinson Fix Dementia Care Homes?” made interesting viewing.  Dementia, and the care of those who suffer from it, is an increasing problem and a fate which may befall any one of us (with the rider for the over 50s of “any time soon”).

What this programme showed was not lack of care per se in terms of uncaring staff or particularly poor care environments. Rather it revealed how lack of perception on the part of care home owners and staff, and perhaps too great an emphasis on bottom-line profitability results in standards of care that are inadequate and inappropriate for the needs of those being cared for.

Of course it’s all too easy from the comfort of one’s armchair, watching made-for-telly depictions of “reality”, to see how things ought to be done without understanding much about the underlying issues.  But what Gerry Robinson did say that struck a chord, was:

“There is another way. There are things to do that will work if you let them”.

This applies to so much of human behaviour. All too often in all sorts of arenas we are all guilty of taking a “That’ll never work” and “Nothing can be done” attitude, rather than stepping outside of our own comfort zone to see what things can be done that will work.

Memories Matter

Sir Michael Parkinson, Tony Robinson and Sir Terry Pratchett are among the celebrities joining party leaders Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg in launching the Alzheimer’s Research Trust campaign, Memories Matter.

Members of the public are invited to share their unforgettable moments – good, bad or otherwise – at the Alzheimer’s Research Trust website www.memories-matter.org or on Twitter using the #memoriesmatter tag. Memories from the public will be placed on the Alzheimer’s Research Trust’s Memory Wall, which will tour the country from September.

The Alzheimer’s Research Trust’s major new campaign draws attention to the memory loss experienced by the 700,000 people in the UK who live with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and how we could halt this: through research into new treatments, preventions and cures.

Here at in my prime we are constantly drawing attention to the many issues which are facing us all as we grow older and how they are intricately woven together but not yet fully understood. Life expectancy is increasing dramatically but that does not mean that the quality of our lives in later years will be all that we would wish. We need help in finding ways to overcome such debilitating conditions as Alzheimer’s and dementia whether it is through medical intervention or the continued mental stimulation that work, hobbies or our social interactions provide.

Check onto the websites included here and see if you can do your bit.

www.memories-matter.org

www.alzheimers-research.org.uk