Dementia is the condition that the majority of elders are afraid of as it makes them forget even their day-to-day tasks such as combing hair, recognising their home, etc. For some people it goes even beyond – they will forget even the name of their children or spouse.
Surprisingly a grandma with dementia plays beautiful music on her piano. As she has dementia, she has forgotten the names of people, her everyday tasks, and even her home. Still, she can play tunes on her piano.
As already said it is characterised by memory loss and this video of her surprised everyone on social media platforms.
You may also be shocked by this, thinking “is this possible for dementia patients to do so?”
Yes to a certain extent…
Dementia is misunderstood as a condition resulting from ageing and is untreatable. It is caused by damage in the brain cells and their connections in the brain, thus resulting in a decline in cognitive functions like learning, remembering, thinking, reasoning, responding, etc… According to ThreeBestRatedⓇ psychiatrist in Australia, “dementia is not deadly in all the cases, but it affects and changes the life of the sufferer and their family member as well. With proper medications, a healthy lifestyle and some activities, the risk of dementia can be reduced”.
When it comes to a healthy lifestyle, you must consider the things mentioned below.
Eating habit:
People with dementia are suggested to take proper meals to maintain the appropriate sugar level. You may be surprised by this, as all these years sugar is believed to be an enemy of health. However, sugar is essential for the body and brain to get energy. So an ideal blood sugar must be maintained for the brain to function properly.
Keep in mind that excess sugar is detrimental to your health, so sugar must come in a healthy form. Only a healthy and well-balanced diet can give you adequate glucose for your brain to function properly.
Unwind the stress:
Stress management plays a vital role in the brain’s health. You may have heard a lot about the impacts of stress on overall health. Needless to say, stress can worsen the condition by increasing damage to the brain. Therefore, destress your mind to reduce the risk of this condition.
Socialisation:
Isolation is one of the main causes of dementia. Staying isolated lets you bottle up your emotions which may result in depression and anxiety. As dementia leads to loss of memory, strengthening your social network can help you in relieving stress and keeping the brain’s memory power sharp.
Get adequate sleep:
When discussing mental health, it is unavoidable to talk about sleep. Sleep is the best way to relax both your mind and body. However, many people are deprived of this, which is dangerous. Sleep doesn’t mean the number of hours you’re in the bed, but the hours you sleep deeply. Only sleep quality matters in stress management and dementia prevention. So focus on the sleep quality, if you don’t get adequate, get the help of a physician.
Activities to prevent dementia:
Activities are the most crucial thing to be focused more on to prevent dementia. Since dementia results in a decline in the brain’s functions, especially cognitive functions, the sufferers should indulge themselves in some activities to keep them engaged.
Some activities to keep the brain active are solving puzzles, talking more about interesting subjects with family members, learning new things, etc… Be sure that all these activities should be in line with their interests. Sticking with the hobbies that they are passionate about before dementia is a great activity to go with. Some studies show that passion plays a major role in maintaining the brain’s health and keeping conditions like dementia at bay.
Obviously, this is what keeps this grandma to play the piano, as she had been a piano teacher and had a great passion for it. No wonder her passion helped her today. Thus the risk of dementia can be minimised to a greater extent by adopting a healthy and active lifestyle.
