Want to Reduce Your Future Risk of Dementia? Just Do This Now.
About This Article
Can you delay or avoid dementia? You cannot avoid aging but doing this one thing will reduce your dementia risk by 300%, according to a new study. Are you willing to be prepared and make changes that will benefit you in the decades ahead?
James Kelly
LTC News author focusing on long-term care and aging.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that those people who lived a healthy lifestyle could reduce dementia risk by 300%, regardless of their genetic risk for dementia.
The study researched 196,000 participants, and the results show that you can control your dementia risk by having a healthy lifestyle. There is a genetic link to some dementia, and you cannot choose your family, but you can change your lifestyle.
Dr. Douglas Scharre, MD, the director of the Division of Cognitive Neurology at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, says the number one lifestyle change to reduce dementia risk is to quit smoking - or never smoke in the first place.
Read Dr. Scharre's other tips here - Living a Healthy Lifestyle Could Reduce Your Dementia Risk By 300% (parade.com).
Millions Suffer from Dementia
A U.S. government study shows that one in nine Americans aged 45 and older say they are experiencing some memory decline. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noticing a cognitive decline is an early sign of future Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
Plus, some people who have had COVID-19 infection experience brain fog and memory loss that is not resolving following the infection and clearing of other symptoms.
Many people with memory loss require supervision and long-term health care. Care is not cheap and gets more costly every year. Health insurance, including Medicare and supplements, will not pay for this care putting financial strain and stress on families.
Find the current and future cost of all levels of long-term health care by using the LTC NEWS Cost of Care Calculator - Cost of Care Calculator - Choose Your State | LTC News.
Medicaid will only pay for long-term care if you have little or no income and assets. Long-Term Care Insurance will pay for this care but don't think you can purchase coverage when you need care - you must buy coverage when you are fairly healthy, usually in your 50s.
You can take steps to be ready for your 'senior' years. A better lifestyle and planning, like obtaining LTC Insurance, make getting older easier on your family and finances.