Pat Gruber has seen what Alzheimer’s — a progressive and fatal brain disease — can do to a person. She watched as it slowly took aunts, uncles and grandparents. So Gruber has become determined to make changes to reduce her risk.
“To stay busy, I serve as a volunteer community educator for the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association,” said Gruber.
Recent research has shown that volunteering later in life may protect the brain against cognitive decline and dementia. A study from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in 2023 found that volunteering was associated with better executive function and less cognitive decline.
For Gruber, volunteering with community events like Walk to End Alzheimer’s Polk County, gives her a way to give back and support families impacted by Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. It’s also helped her learn strategies to reduce her risk for Alzheimer’s.
“I try to live the education I provide,” Gruber shared. “Since I started volunteering, I have lost more than 40 pounds, and I get no less than 7 hours of sleep to be at my optimal functioning level every day.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, while some brain changes are inevitable with age, there is a growing body of research to suggest that adopting healthy behaviors may impact brain health at any age.
“Science is at a point where we know what habits will keep our brains healthy,” said Jody Streussnig, a program manager in Lakeland for the Alzheimer’s Association. “Some are already well-known, like staying active and eating a healthy diet. Other habits continue to become more important as the research grows, like getting enough sleep each night and keeping your brain active.”
According to Streussnig, as many as 40% of dementia cases may be attributable to a risk factor that can be changed. Based on mounting evidence, the Alzheimer’s Association has developed a list of 10 healthy habits for optimal brain health:
- Challenge your mind. Be curious. Put your brain to work and do something that is new for you. Learn a new skill. Try something artistic. Challenging your mind may have both short- and long-term benefits for your brain.
- Stay in school. Education reduces your risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Encourage youth to stay in school and pursue the highest level of training possible. Continue your own education by taking a class at a local library, college or online.
- Get moving. Engage in regular exercise. This includes activities that raise your heart rate and increase blood flow to the brain and body. Find ways to build more movement into your day — walking, dancing, gardening — whatever works for you.
- Protect your head. Help prevent injury to your head. Wear a helmet for activities like biking and wear a seatbelt. Do what you can to prevent falls, especially for older adults.
- Be smoke-free. Quitting smoking can lower the risk of cognitive decline back to levels similar to those who have not smoked. It’s never too late to stop.
- Control your blood pressure. Medications can help lower high blood pressure. Healthy habits like eating right and physical activity can help, too. Work with a health care provider to control your blood pressure.
- Manage diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or controlled by healthier eating, increasing physical activity and medication, if necessary.
- Eat right. Eating healthier foods can help reduce your risk of cognitive decline. This includes more vegetables and leaner meats/proteins, along with foods that are less processed and lower in fat. Choose healthier meals and snacks that you enjoy and are available to you. Make eating right a habit.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Talk to your health care provider about the weight that is healthy for you. Other healthy habits on this list — eating right, physical activity and sleep — can help maintain a healthy weight.
- Sleep well. Good quality sleep is important for brain health. Stay off screens before bed and make your sleep space as comfortable as possible. Do all you can to minimize disruptions. If you have any sleep-related problems, such as sleep apnea, talk to a health care provider.
Streussnig emphasizes it’s never too late or too early to reduce dementia risk. “No matter what your age, it is never too early or too late to put these habits into practice,” Streussnig said. “Even if you have not been impacted by Alzheimer’s or other dementia, these healthy habits are critical.”
For Gruber, these healthy habits have become a part of her family life. Her husband Jim also has become a volunteer for the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, saying the effects of the disease are too great to ignore.
“Seeing the impacts of the disease and the genetic potential for my wife to be impacted, I want to learn as much as I can about care, prevention and treatment,” said Jim Gruber.
For more information: Visit alz.org/HealthyHabits or call the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline at 800.272.3900.
2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s: Join hundreds of other families impacted by Alzheimer’s at the 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s Polk County, sponsored locally by Lakeland Regional Health, Mary E. Tye and Publix Super Market Charities.
- When: Saturday, Dec. 7. The event begins at 8 a.m. The walk begins at 9 a.m.
- Where: Bonnet Springs Park, 400 Bonnet Springs Blvd., Lakeland, FL 33815.
- Register: You can donate, create a team, register to walk or sign up as a volunteer at alz.org/PolkCountyWalk.
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