Supplements to Start
Using
· Add Fish Oil – Fish oil has positive effects on cognitive functioning. There are
possible benefits on the brain health and aging according to the researchers at
Rhode Island Hospital’s Alzheimer’s Disease &
Memory Disorders Center.
· Add Acetylcholine supplements, or medications that slow the breakdown
of this neurotransmitter. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “a decrease in acetylcholine may be responsible for
some of the cognition deficits in Alzheimer's disease” and “patients taking
medications that slow the breakdown of this neurotransmitter have experienced
improvements in memory.”
Supplements to Stop Using
· Phosphatidylserine – According to Dr. Glen Smith at the Mayo Clinic, the early studies that showed health benefits with
this supplement were only when the supplement was derived from the brain cells
of cows. Mad cow disease concerns led to developing the supplements form soy or
cabbage and the plant-based versions have not been researched enough to prove
results.
· Ginkgo Biloba – According to Dr. Brent Bauer at the Mayo Clinic, a 2009 issue “of the Journal of American Medical
Association, found no evidence that ginkgo biloba prevents memory loss or slows
the progression of cognitive decline in older adults.”
Therapeutic/Memory
Triggering Activities
· Decorate the place to resemble a past era, like
Belfair Gardens did with a 1940s makeover to help Alzheimer's patients go for a walk down memory lane.
· Play DVDs that focus on past eras, like the Living Memories Archive is making for fostering “The stimulation of the
memories of dementia patients, which help to provide new topics for
conversation.”
· Add Music Therapy - According to research by Willamette University posted
on the US National Library of Medicine, music therapy has a “possible
beneficial effect on symptoms including social, emotional and cognitive skills
and for decreasing behavioral problems of individuals with dementias.”
· Add “training and practice in problem-solving skills,
memory techniques, and other cognitive strategies” to help improve their
abilities according to “Aging Concepts and Controversies” by Sasser and Moody
(page 23).
· Group people together to let others help “compensate
for cognitive losses through a social process dubbed ‘interactive minds’ or
‘collaborative cognition’” (Sasser & Moody, p. 24.) whereby one person
helps to fill in the gaps of another person’s memory when recalling things.
