SUNDAY, JANUARY 31, 2021
1B
THE COASTLAND TIMES
Health and Wellness
Cognitive changes: Admitting you need help is never easy
By Gail Sonnesso GEM Adult Day Services, Inc.
Caring for a loved one or community friend who is experiencing cognitive changes due to Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia is never easy. First you have to realize that they are changing and accept it. Next you have to act and that means you begin to make changes, you begin to adjust. But this is a degenerative disease and it gets progressively more difficult. You think “I can handle this until you can’t.” I received a phone call on Christmas day from a family caregiver who shared her normally loving tiny mom was throwing furniture at her and screaming. There have been other similar calls. Caring for a person living with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia is made more difficult due to our sense of “I can do it all.” Yes you can but you require adequate supports. They say it takes a village to raise a child; well it also takes a village to care for a person living through the stages of dementia. In the early stages of the disease, friendly reminder calls, assisting with doctors’ visits and grocery shopping work. Then you
find out mom has not been paying her bills when you go out to lunch and her credit card is declined. Some individuals are the victims of scams, for example one older man was paying his “girlfriend” in the islands thousands of dollars a month. The Outer Banks is a loving community and we reach out and help our friends who are experiencing dementia we include them, take them to meetings or to play golf. This works till the disease progresses a little bit more and the person becomes difficult. The family caregiver is getting more and more involved in care and the community friends are no longer coming around. Knowing when to add paid and consistent care makes all the difference in supporting you in your caregiving role. Reach out, get a diagnosis from a professional knowledgeable in dementia to be sure it’s a form of dementia and not something that’s reversible. Learn what type of dementia it is. Discover existing supports and lifestyle changes that are beneficial and take advantage of them. GEM provides programs that will enhance the well-being of both the caregiver and the
person they are caring for. Did you know, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine analyzed medical records of thousands of participants in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-running study that followed more than 5,000 adults living in Framingham, Mass. over many years? “Their findings are important, because interventions for Alzheimer’s disease are most effective in the earlier stages of the illness. For example, numerous studies suggest that lifestyle measures like a hearthealthy diet and regular exercise may help to slow disease progression in people with early Alzheimer’s. Likewise, people with mild or moderate Alzheimer’s may benefit from programs like art or music therapy, or day-program services that can provide social outlets and help to ease anxiety…” *Read full article on The Fisher Centers page at alzinfo.org. GEM, a local non-profit is here to help. We have been supporting individuals experiencing cognitive changes and their families since 1997. We provide programs, and services for not only the care partner, the person living with dementia, but also
for their friends and our community. One of our programs, GEMz, addresses the difficulty of finding friends and maintaining friendships due to Covid. We at GEM are reaching out to share a way to connect with friends, enjoy fellowship and interesting virtual programs via Zoom. All are welcome and there is no cost. To join this, we will require your email address. You can email Gail at: gsonnesso@gmail. com. We will email you an invitation to our program on Wednesday, which will include a Zoom link, and
we will also send a follow-up reminder again on Friday at noon to make it easier to find. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with Zoom, Angelo is available starting at 1:30 p.m. to guide you through the program. If you require further assistance, please call Gail at 252-480-3354 and we will be happy to help you. To join our craft programs, we will get our craft kits to you with everything you need to complete the activity. Bingo cards can be emailed or hand delivered. Let’s Tell A Story: we use a picture
that tells a story and then go around the group and ask what they think of the picture. Sing-a-long with Angelo and celebrate birthdays during the month by singing “Happy Birthday.” Angelo has a wide variety of songs to share and if you have a favorite song, ask him to play it. Additional support for families are the Area Agency on Aging – Lynne R. Raisor (252) 404-7090; OBX Dementia Friendly Coalition – Dianne Denny (252)489-9508; Outer Banks Homecare – Rose Jones (252) 491-1234.
More than just a resolution: The Mediterranean way of eating New Year’s always seems to bring lots of resolutions that focus on health – quit smoking, drink more water, exercise regularly and the famous eat healthy/lose weight. Television, magazines and Facebook are especially full of advice at this time of year. But how much of that information is research-based and scientifically proven? We all know fad diets aren’t good in the long-run, but what is? Have you heard of the Mediterranean way of eating? It has been researched since the 1960s and has been proven to be a diet associated with reduced risk factors for
cardiovascular disease. It is one of the healthy eating plans recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and recognized by the World Health Organization as a healthy and sustainable eating pattern. The Me d iter ranean-style eating pattern incorporates the basics of healthy eating that are traditionally practiced in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. It is high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds and olive oil. Fish, other seafood and poultry are the primary sources of meat, with red meat eaten only occasionally. Other features of the Med way of
eating are slowing down to enjoy (safe) meals with family and friends, being physically active and even enjoying a glass of red wine! If you’d like to get started eating the Med way, here are some tips: – Get at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day. Choose a variety of colors and eat more of the dark green, leafy vegetables such as collards, kale, spinach and turnip greens. – Eat primarily plantbased foods. Replace red meat with plant-based proteins such as beans and legumes often. – Choose whole-grain foods such as oatmeal,
quinoa, brown rice and popcorn. When choosing bread and pasta, look for “whole” in the first ingredient on the ingredient list. – Choose at least three ounces of nuts and seeds each week, while keeping within your calorie budget. Avoid candied, honey-roasted and heavily salted nuts and seeds. – Choose olive oil. Replace solid fats like butter and margarine and other oils with olive oil. Use olive oil for cooking, in dressings and marinades. Aim to consume at least four tablespoons each day, while keeping within your calorie budget. – Use herbs and spices
instead of salt to flavor foods. – Eat seafood at least three times each week. Include fatty fish, such as mackerel and salmon. Avoid fried fish. Eat white-meat poultry, such as turkey and chicken at least twice a week. – Be physically active. Aim for at least 150 minutes per week or 30 minutes per day. – Optional: drink red wine in moderation. No more than five ounces of wine a day for women of all ages and men older than 65 and no more than 10 ounces of wine a day for younger men. “Med Instead of Meds” is an eight-week program
created by a group of nutrition and health professionals from NC State University and NC Division of Public Health. Eating the Med Way has been proven to protect against chronic illness. In some cases, eating the Med Way may even result in decreasing medications taken for blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. Hence the name Med Instead of Meds. For lots of great information and Med recipes, go to medinsteadofmeds. com. You can also contact your North Carolina Family and Consumer Sciences Extension agent: Dare and Tyrrell – dee_furlough@
See EATING, 1B