17 Comments
author

Thank you, and extra points for outstanding alliteration.

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Jan 13Liked by Don Akchin

This is great information. Best of all, these preventive & maintaining methods don't cost much money, if anything. Just time, diligence and the drive to do one's damndest to deter dementia.

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Great article, and very accurate. Many people with dementia struggle with anxiety. I had not heard that anti-anxiety medication can make it worse. Do you have a reference for that?

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Jan 15Liked by Don Akchin

Always great to hear some good news and to be given opportunities, at any age, to take some manageable actions. We don’t have to do everything perfectly, none of us do, but it is important to do what we can when we can. We can, and some of us must, start with baby steps.

Thanks for the article!

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author

Thanks, Kathy, for the affirmation.

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I learn something from you every week. Thank you.

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author

Oh, Alice! That just makes my day!

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Thanks for the reminders! Since my heart attacks and stroke I've been off my bicycle and vision and balance issues have reduced my walking speed. A weight lifting friend of mine told me that when you see stars during intense workouts that is from oxygen reaching parts of the brain that it doesn't usually get to.

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author

Can't say I've ever heard that one before, Pete. Let's be careful out there.

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I couldn't agree more. I have found that pickleball is a fun way to exercise - done in moderation, of course, I just upgraded my Spanish course to learn more, and write as much as possible. Hopefully my brain will get the memo and continue to grow..

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author

I hope so too!

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founding

You read my disappearing-sooner-than-I expected mind. It has really hit me as a reality in the past month or so. It's reassuring to know that so much is within my control--thanks very much for the information. Now, time to get back to learning an instrument, buck up my French, focus, and find some exercise that I enjoy!

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Great ideas for keeping our minds strong! I'd also add creativity as a great brain-strengthener.

I may be biased, of course, given that I'm trying to get everyone over 65 to write a romance novel.

But there is peer-reviewed evidence here:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378512214001947

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author

It's interesting that you say that, Stella. Look what hit my email today, and which I am framing over my computer as a permanent reminder:

https://robyneveringham.substack.com/p/what-do-long-term-writers-have-cognitively?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2

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Excellent! And I hope every word is true. Thanks for sharing!

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author

My source on that is the Clionskys and their book.

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Good stuff. I’m hungry for more.

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