The link between Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes has been known for quite a while. Some people even refer to Alzheimer’s as “Type 3 diabetes” just because the two share so many similar traits. Recent research has been using knowledge of this connection to help make progress on both fronts. One study in particular has been attempting to limit the amount of dementia cases in Type 2 diabetics by controlling blood sugar levels. 350,000 patients were looked at for this study, and it was discovered that those with poor control over blood sugar levels were about 50 percent more likely to be admitted into the hospital with dementia symptoms. Researchers believe that this indicates that taking better care of diabetes can lead to fewer instances of dementia.
If you have someone in your life that suffers from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, you have seen firsthand what this does to them. It leads to confusion and a tougher time communicating at first and keeps getting worse. Many types of dementia are terminal illnesses, At first, they will need increased supervision and help around the house. This can be done by you or another trusted family member, or you can hire a professional caregiver. There are many benefits to going with a fully trained professional, but the biggest one is the fact that they have the skills and the knowledge to make sure that your loved one is as safe and healthy as possible. With their experience, they will be able to identify any problem areas within their home that could prove to be dangerous, and they will also be able to let you know if and when more intensive care is needed.
Hopefully this will never be the case for your family members, though. By addressing issues early, such as what the above study identified, you might be able to help prevent dementia. Other studies have shown that exercise is also a big benefit to brain health and cognitive functioning. Many people in this study were elderly–the average age was about 67 years old–and this shows that at this point, it might be too late to do anything about the issues. Health issues should be addressed as early as possible so that when people become older, finding care is not as pressing of an issue so early in life. This might not apply to your elderly loved ones, but it is certainly something that you can apply to your own life now in order to prevent a senior care emergency of your own.
One other thing to consider is that if you have a loved one that has had a stroke, they are at an even higher risk of developing dementia. These people were 40 percent more likely to develop dementia. The message to take away from this is that if you have a loved one that’s had a stroke, even if they don’t necessarily need in-home care to get through the day, you may want to consider it anyway. Having a set of eyes on people that are at risk is always a good preventative measure.
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