Yes, when we think about eating healthy diets to support our health.

We often think about eating a healthy diet to keep our heart, bones, and muscles strong and healthy. The foods that we eat and beverages that we drink also impact our brain health. There is a connection between keeping our brain healthy and our heart healthy! Eating a healthy diet, along with other healthy behaviors like being physically active, getting enough sleep, and maintaining a healthy weight, can help us keep our brain and our hearts healthy!

There is not one single food or nutrient that magically improves or maintains our brain health on its own. Rather, it’s the combination of foods that we eat over time, and the nutrients we get from those foods, that influence our health- and our brain health! This combination of foods is sometimes called our eating pattern.

Choosing foods that are full of nutrients most often, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and seafood, nuts and seeds, low fat dairy products, and lean protein foods, can support our brain health and our overall health!

The Mediterranean Diet and MIND Diet are two eating patterns that research has found may reduce our risk for developing cognitive decline and dementia.

The Mediterranean diet, or Mediterranean eating pattern, reflects the traditional eating pattern of the people who lived in areas surrounding the Mediterranean sea.

The Mediterranean eating pattern includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods, fish and seafood, legumes, and olive oil

The MIND Diet features combines features of the Mediterranean Eating Pattern and the DASH Diet, a heart healthy eating pattern. The MIND diet features vegetables, especially leafy green vegetables, and fruits, especially berries. The MIND diet also includes whole grain foods, beans and peas, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and at least one serving of fish.

Make small, gradual changes that you can sustain over time to regularly have foods like Fruits, especially berries

• Vegetables, especially leafy green vegetables
• Oils, especially olive oil
• Nuts and seeds
• Fish and seafood
• Beans and peas
• Low-fat dairy products
• Poultry
• Whole Grains

Be patient. Make sure to approach the subject with care and help the person living with dementia understand why this discussion is taking place.

Calmly explain the importance of your need to understand their assets and expenses, to ensure their wishes for the future are sustained.

Try to use short sentences and simple terms. Pause frequently to make sure both of you understand what is being said. Also, take breaks if the discussion becomes stressful. You may have to end the discussion and try again at a different time.

You will need to gather all income sources/assets (pensions, IRA, 401K, CD’s, etc.), insurance information, bank names and account numbers/passwords, car ownership, income tax return, deed to home. You will also need to locate an Advance Directives (will, living will, power of attorney, etc.) and any liabilities (property taxes, mortgage. Organizing all relevant paperwork in one place and setting up autopay for recurring bills will give you as the caregiver peace of mind and a sound understanding of the financial situation. Click here for more information

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Advance directives for financial planning are documents that communicate the financial wishes of a person. These documents need to be created while the person still has the legal capacity to make decisions. The most common documents are a will, a durable power of attorney for finances and a living trust.

A will defines how a person’s property, money, and other financial assets will be distributed and managed when they die. It may also address care for minors, gifts, and end-of-life arrangements, such as funeral and burial. In the will, an individual may name an executor and beneficiaries. An executor is the person who will manage the individual’s estate; however, the executor has no legal authority during the person’s lifetime. A beneficiary is anyone who will receive assets in the estate.

A durable power of attorney for finances allows someone to designate another person to make decisions about their finances, such as income assets, and investments, when they can no longer do so.

A living trust provides direction about a person’s property and assets. It allows an individual to pool financial resources in one place (a trust) and provide instructions to another person (a trustee) about how to handle these resources when they are no longer able. The individual should also name a successor trustee who will take over if the initial trustee is unable to fulfill their responsibilities. All assets should be transferred to the trust, including property titles and bank accounts. Depending on state law and the individual’s circumstances, a living trust may allow an estate to avoid probate, which is the process used by the court to distribute property after a person’s death.

A living will expresses a person’s wishes for what medical treatment they do or do not want near the end of their life, such as life-prolonging treatments. This document is primarily between a person and his or her doctor, and it advises them how to approach treatment. The guidelines for living wills will vary in each state. Some states require a specific form for a living will, while others an attorney may draft the document. It is advisable and required in some states, that at least one witness should not be a relative, spouse, adopted child, heir or any other beneficiary.

A Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care allows a person to name a health care agent – someone who can make health care decisions on their behalf when they are no longer able to do so. This includes types of treatments, care settings, health care providers, and end-of life decisions, such as the use of feeding tubes and DNR (do not resuscitate) orders. It is important for the person and their health care agent to discuss wishes regarding care early and often to make sure that the agent understands the person’s wishes and is willing and able to act on their behalf when the time comes.

While the Power of Attorney for Finances and the Power of Attorney for Health Care serve different purposes and require separate documents, you do not have to name different individuals to fulfill these duties. Some attorneys share that it makes good sense to name the same agent under both documents. If two different people are named, they should work well together.

• Discuss finances and future care wishes soon after a diagnosis.
• Organize and review important documents.
• Seek help from well-qualified financial and legal advisers.

• Estimate possible costs for the entire disease process.
• Explore all insurance options.
• Find out for which government programs you are eligible.
• Learn about income tax breaks for which you may qualify.
• Identify the financial support you can personally provide.
• Take advantage of low-cost and free community services.
• Consider how personal property can become a source of income.

According to the National Institute on Aging, dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning (thinking, remembering, and reasoning) to such as extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities.

There are many forms of dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia are the top four.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia accounting for 60 -70% of cases.

Normal aging is a natural process that causes a small decline in cognitive ability due to loss of neurons in the brain, but it doesn’t typically interfere with activities of daily living. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease also cause loss of neurons in the brain, but they are degenerative, causing steady and sometimes rapid cognitive decline that directly impairs one’s ability think, make decisions, and remember.

• Age
• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar
• Being overweight or obese
• Smoking
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Social isolation
• Depression

• Being physically active
• The Physical Activity Guidelines for Adult Americans recommend 150 minutes of moderate physical activity and 2 days of muscle strengthening activity.
• Not smoking
• Avoid harmful use of alcohol
• Monitoring your weight
• Eating a healthy diet
• Maintaining a healthy blood pressure
• Maintaining or reducing cholesterol levels
• Maintaining or reducing blood sugar levels
• Remaining socially active

You are the best person to answer this question. It is possible. Find support for you and your loved one. It might be part-time caregivers to give you a break, and/or a caregiver support group to have a place to share your thoughts and concerns, as well as to learn from others going through the same things. You might enroll your loved one in a local adult day center to give them the socialization they need, and you the ability to continue your job or other pursuits. These are just a few of the options. Depending on where you live, there may be others.

Caregiver support groups (online or in-person) are a great way to connect with people who understand what you’re going through. Your doctor or faith community may be able to help you find the right support group. You can also reach out to your local senior center, state office on aging or social services office, or local Area Agency on Aging for information about support groups.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by caregiving, tending to your own needs may be the last thing on your mind. But taking time for yourself can make you a better caregiver. Some suggestions that may help when you’re feeling overwhelmed is to be active, eat well, prioritize your sleep, make time to relax, and be kind to yourself. Remember that you are doing the best you can and that you are not alone. Many caregivers have trouble tending to their own health and well-being. But give yourself credit for everything you’re doing. Your caregiving makes a big difference in someone else’s life.

When people have asked you if they can lend a hand, have you told them, “Thanks, but I’m fine”? Accepting help from others isn’t always easy. You may worry about being a burden, or you may feel uncomfortable admitting that you can’t do it all yourself. Understand that many people want to help, and it makes them feel good to contribute. If asking for help is hard for you, you try to ask for small things at first, if that makes it easier for you. Many large jobs can be broken down into simpler tasks. If you aren’t comfortable asking face-to-face, send a text or email with your request. Also, consider a person’s skills and interests when thinking about how they could help. Lastly, be prepared with a list of things that need to be done, and let the other person choose what they’d like to do.

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment—and accepting it without judgment. Mindfulness is now being examined scientifically and has been found to be a key element in stress reduction and overall happiness. Mindfulness improves well-being. Being mindful makes it easier to savor the pleasures in life as they occur, helps you become fully engaged in activities, and creates a greater capacity to deal with adverse events. By focusing on the here and now, many people who practice mindfulness find that they are less likely to get caught up in worries about the future or regrets over the past and are better able to form deep connections with others. Mindfulness improves physical health. Mindfulness can: help relieve stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties. Finally, mindfulness improves mental health. In recent years, psychotherapists have turned to mindfulness meditation as an important element in the treatment of a number of problems, including depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, couples’ conflicts, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.