There are different forms of dementia, the most common being Alzheimer’s. Dementia can occur at any age, but the risk increases with age. Women are affected more often than men.
Dementia: Rely on regular brain jogging
There is currently no treatment for dementia to cure the disease. However, the disease can be treated with medication and starts with the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain. Medicines are used that inhibit the enzyme that inhibits the breakdown of acetylcholine. Other medications are aimed at relieving the accompanying symptoms of dementia, such as restlessness, anxiety or sleep disorders.
Targeted brain jogging helps to slow down the decline in cognitive abilities. Leisure activities that the person with dementia enjoys are ideal. Recommended are for example dancing or making music. Also gardening or hiking stimulate the growth and connection of new nerve cells. The learning a language or refreshing old knowledge also have a positive effect on your brain.
An important prerequisite is that the person enjoys the activity and stays on the ball accordingly. Games like memory help to increase concentration. Sudoku and crossword puzzles are also beneficial.
Stimulate the senses of people with dementia
In order to further promote the brain, the long-term memory should be through sensory perceptions be stimulated. Important: The special memory exercises should not overtax or undertax the person concerned. A short unit daily is already sufficient. The following exercises can be considered:
See: Ask the person with dementia to look around and draw their attention to specific patterns or colors. Also helpful: look at old photos together.
Hear: Play noises or old, well-known songs and ask the person to guess.
Feel: To activate the sense of touch, ask the person to close their eyes and put something in their hands to touch. These can be objects from everyday life or things from nature such as a stone or a pine cone.
Smell: You create another link to long-term memory by addressing the sense of smell. For example, let the person with dementia smell their favorite perfume or their favorite flowers.
Taste good: Tasting also activates our gray cells. Ask the person to name the different ingredients in the dish. Another plus: eating together is sociable.
