Boca Home Care Services brings the latest Alzheimer’s Disease research together for easy reading. Learn what you and your older loved ones can do to stay fit and possibly beat the odds of having dementia later. This is probably one of the most active fields in medicine as Alzheimer’s Dementia is already shaping up to be our generation’s worst health epidemic.

New Research Studies on Alzheimer's Disease

Eat healthy and exercise – there is a consensus on these two things being important for overall better health, heart health and a clear mind. Some new studies are sharpening the point around which type of exercise may be most beneficial in actually preventing types of dementia.

Presenters at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference showed a link between they types of exercises done in different groups had different impact on results – as measured by brain imaging with MRIs. Findings showed that the people who did primarily weight bearing, or resistance training exercises showed the most improvement. The samples were small so further studies must be done with larger groups in order to have definitive confirmation of these early findings. By targeting the types of exercise which have the best outcomes for better brain function we will be better able to identify these benefits for people.

Findings also showed that those who began with a higher cognitive ability benefited the most from resistance training exercise. So those who were already doing well, did better and showed the most improvement which at face value seems counter-intuitive. So we should all begin exercising, and weight bearing movements earlier rather than later for best results.

Another finding at the conference was that gait, balance when walking may also be an indicator for a person developing Alzheimer’s disease. How we walk may signal a future decline in cognitive functioning. We know that habitual falling indicates cognitive impairment, among other physical considerations. An irregular gait may be a foreshadowing of cognitive decline. In a study at the Mayo Clinic of about fourteen hundred participants who were check twice in three years, results showed that overall, people who showed a slower or irregular gait over time also showed decline in their cognitive abilities. Gait may not be a diagnostic tool just yet but it is a simple and inexpensive way to monitor a person by watching their walk over time and noting any changes. Then exploring what is causing those changes.

Boca Home Care Services repeatedly urges readers and clients to exercise regularly, consult their doctors about falls or balance issues and certainly to eat a more healthy diet and to keep moving and excersing. If you need help, then hiring a companion or caregiver is a good way to begin. Having someone to exercise or walk with, help for safety and nutrition are all pieces of the puzzle which together can make for a better picture and outcome.