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Alzheimer's Foundation of America lays out
Strategies for Healthy Aging…New
Web Site focuses on being proactive,
reducing risks for Dementia
NEW YORK,
May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Look at
your calendar from the past week: Have you
gone for a brisk walk, eaten dark leafy
vegetables or toured a museum with a friend?
With growing evidence that these are the
types of lifestyle choices that can pay off
now and in the future, the Alzheimer's
Foundation of America (AFA) has introduced a
new interactive Web site -
www.alzprevention.org - that focuses on
being proactive about your mental and
physical health.
It highlights strategies that help promote
healthy aging and may reduce the risk for
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
The site also includes tips, research
updates, a survey, a bulletin board and
guest columns, as well as information about
dementia and the importance of early
diagnosis of memory problems.
"It's critical to embrace a heart-healthy
and brain-healthy regimen at any age," said
Eric J. Hall, AFA's president and CEO. "Care
begins with taking care of the whole
person."
The Web site is the centerpiece of AFA's new
initiative about the "power of being
proactive," which also includes the
establishment of a Prevention Advisory Board
composed of leading experts; the release of
a special edition of care ADvantage, AFA's
quarterly magazine for caregivers, and
ongoing distribution of successful aging
literature during memory screening events in
communities nationwide.
AFA unveiled the Web site as the nation
celebrates Older Americans Month in May and
as the rising incidence of Alzheimer's
disease increasingly poses a public health
threat.
The number of people with the brain
disorder, which results in memory loss and
other intellectual decline, doubles every
five years beyond age 65.
While advancing age and genetics are the
greatest known risk factors, evolving
research emphasizes that some other factors
may be controllable.
According to Richard E. Powers, M.D.,
chairman of AFA's Medical Advisory Board,
"We know that if you have clinical
conditions like poorly controlled
hypertension, diabetes and obesity, your
risk for developing memory loss goes up.
"That's
why you have to make good lifestyle
decisions and act on the risk factors you
can change."
Penning the site's first "Prevention Pundit"
column is Paul D. Nussbaum, Ph.D., chairman
of AFA's Prevention Advisory Board and
author of "Your Brain Health Lifestyle."
In his column, Nussbaum urges a
comprehensive approach for overall brain
health that includes multiple lifestyle
behaviors: physical activity, mental
stimulation, nutrition, socialization and
spirituality.
"It is time for our society to recognize the
miracle of the human brain and to apply what
we know about brain health to all aspects of
daily life.
"Most
importantly, individuals must take steps
that will generate brain reserve and do
their best to protect their own life story
from being robbed by devastating diseases
such as Alzheimer's disease," said Nussbaum,
an adjunct associate professor in
neurological surgery at the University of
Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
For Jane Angelich of Novato, CA living a
healthy lifestyle is paramount.
Having watched her mother decline from
Alzheimer's disease and her father struggle
as a caregiver for about 10 years, Angelich,
57, said her biggest health concern is
Alzheimer's disease.
As a result, her lifestyle rules include an
annual checkup, no smoking or drinking,
eating a balanced diet, constantly reading
"to keep myself sharp," and keeping abreast
of the latest research.
Although Angelich realizes she "can't
control her future entirely," she said, "I
just don't want my husband to have to go
through what my dad went through."
The Alzheimer's Foundation of America is a
national nonprofit organization
headquartered in New York and made up of 950
member organizations that provide hands-on
programs to meet the educational, emotional,
practical and social needs of families
affected by Alzheimer's disease and related
illnesses. AFA's services include a
toll-free hotline, counseling, educational
materials, a free caregiver magazine and
professional training. For information, call
(toll-free) 866-AFA-8484 or visit
www.alzfdn.org
Source:
Alzheimer's Foundation of America
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