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Dementia is a serious and progressive disease that leads to memory loss, confusion and communication problems that can make life confusing for dementia sufferers and the elderly. To increase awareness of the disease the Alzheimer’s society has created a Dementia Awareness Week which runs from the 18th-24th May 2014.

This week is National Falls Awareness Week in the UK. Falls Awareness Week offers an opportunity for elderly people, family and carers to find out more about falls prevention. Currently there is around a third of over 65’s and half of those over 80 who will fall every year. There are many simple things that older people can do to prevent falls. The awareness week aims to get this message across to the nation.

Do you want to reduce the risk of patient/ resident harm resulting from falls? Falls and fall related injuries in older hospital patients and nursing home residents are a major problem! Falls can occur due to many reasons which include muscle weakness, cardiovascular problems, dementia, delirium, toileting and medication.

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This is the sixth installment of the ‘Help to Reduce Your Risk and Protect You Brain’ series. The sixth prevention pillar that I will be writing about is an active social life. Us as human beings are highly social creatures. We don’t thrive in isolation and neither do our brains. Studies show that the more connected we are, the better we fare on tests of memory and cognition. Staying socially active may even protect against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, so make your social life priority.

This is the fifth installment of the ‘Help to Reduce Your Risk and Protect You Brain’ series. The fifth prevention pillar that I will be writing about is stress management. Chronic or severe stress takes a heavy toll on the brain which leads to shrinkage in key memory areas of the brain known as the hippocampus. This is a hampering nerve cell grow which will increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. You can add simple tools into your daily routine to minimize its harmful effects.

This is the fourth installment of the ‘Help to Reduce Your Risk and Protect You Brain’ series. The fourth prevention pillar that I will be writing about is quality of sleep. For your brain to function at optimum capacity it needs regular and restful sleep. Lack of sleep will not only leave you tired and cranky, but it impairs your ability to think, problem-solve and process, store and recall information. If nightly sleep deprivation is slowing your thinking and affecting your mood, you may be at greater risk of developing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Deep, dreamy sleep is critical for memory formation and retention. The recommended about of sleep per night for a vast majority of adults is at least 8 hours. Any less, and productivity and creativity suffers.

This is the third installment of the ‘Help to Reduce Your Risk and Protect You Brain’ series. The third prevention pillar that I will be writing about is mental stimulation. Continuing to learn new things and challenging the brain will help to slow down the progress and reduce the risk of dementia in healthy elderly people. In essence, you need to ‘use it or lose it’. Make time for activities which involve communication, interaction and organization. This can involve games, puzzles, handicrafts and social gatherings. Setting aside time each day will help to stimulate the brain which keeps it active.

This is the second installment of the ‘Help to Reduce Your Risk and Protect You Brain’ series. The second prevention pillar that I will be writing about is a healthy diet. Just like the rest of your body you brain needs a nutritious diet to work at its best. The main focus of a healthy diet is to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats. Researchers believe that gilal cells may help remove debris and toxins from the brain that can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Eating foods like ginger, green tea, fatty fish, soy products, blueberries and other dark berries may protect these important cells from damage.

This is the first instalment of the ‘Help to Reduce Your Risk and Protect Your Brain’ series. The first prevention pillar that I will be writing about is regular exercise. According to professional health reports physical exercise helps to reduce the risk of dementia by 50%.