Living well with dementia

A healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity, eating a balanced diet, staying socially active, learning new things, getting enough sleep, and managing stress can bring positive benefits and improve overall quality of life.

Physical Activity

If exercise has been a part of your life, keep doing it! An active lifestyle can be as simple as housework, gardening or walking your pet. There are many ways to include movement as a part of your daily routine. Always check with your healthcare provider before starting a new exercise routine.

Diet

• Eat a balanced diet with a variety of whole foods.
• Limit foods with high saturated fat and cholesterol, refined sugars and high sodium
• Hydrate with healthy fluids like water or sugar-free juices.

Consider incorporating the “MIND” diet (Mediterranean/DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) into your lifestyle. This diet helps keep your brain healthy. Talk to health care provider before making any major changes to your diet.

Staying Socially Active

It is important to continue being as socially active as you were before your diagnosis. Keep in touch with your friends, family and community or try something new like a walking group or choir. Staying social will help with your confidence and keep your brain active. As your disease progresses, it may become more difficult to participate in these activities on your own. You and your caregiver may want to consider respite care. Respite can not only offer the caregivers a break from caregiving duties, it can also help someone with advanced dementia stay socially active.  Contact your local Area Agency on Aging for programs near you.

Helpful resources:

• ALZConnected
• Dementia Action Alliance
• Discovery center
• Virtual discussions  
• Virtual Engagement  
• Living well with dementia  
• My ALZ Journey
• Staying connected to the people who matter to you after a dementia diagnosis
• Taking care of yourself  
• Tips for keeping active and involved when you have dementia  

Ways to stay socially active in Utah:

• Ballet West “Senior Steps” program  
• Community Choirs across the Wasatch Font  
• Gleeful Choir and dementia friendly activities by Jewish Family Services  
• Memory care kits at the Salt Lake Library
• Music in Motion
• New Horizons International Music Association
• Now Playing Utah!  
• Utah Symphony Finishing Touches Series

Keep Your Brain Active 

When you regularly keep your brain active, it can help maintain function and stimulate  memories. Here are some ideas:

• Music
• Reading
• Games and Puzzles
• Art

Sleep

Dementia can cause changes to the brain that affect the sleep-wake cycle, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. You may also sleep more during the day.  Try the following tips for better sleep:

• Maintain a regular schedule for meals, bedtimes, and wake times
• Get exposure to morning sunlight
• Exercise regularly, but avoid exercising within four hours of bedtime
• Limit naps to one nap under 30 minutes
• Participate in one to two hours of social activity per day
• Avoid stimulants like caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine
• Talk with a doctor about the best time to take medications
• Make sure to address any sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, with your doctor

Stress management

Living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia brings demands to your life that can result in stress. Too much stress can be overwhelming and affect your health and ability to function. Taking steps to reduce stress can help improve concentration, decision-making and your quality of life.

Taking care of your overall health

Although you are living with dementia, make sure to continue caring for your overall health!

• Keep up with your health screenings, including dental, eyesight, and hearing check-ups.
• If you have any other chronic conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, be sure to let your provider know of your diagnosis and keep up your regular visits with them. They may need to review the medications you are on.

• When you're ready, it's important to tell others about your diagnosis. Let your family, friends and neighbors know. With this knowledge comes understanding, compassion and confidence from those you hold dear. Help others understand what support you need or want and with those closest to you use them as a sounding board to ask for help, discuss your wishes, concerns or thoughts. You have a support network, let's help you find it. 

  Helpful resources:

  • Can a person with dementia work? Safety, accessibility, and more
  • How to explain a dementia diagnosis to family and friends
  • Living well with dementia
  • Sharing your diagnosis
  • Telling people about your dementia diagnosis

• Keep your regular routine.
• Keep a list of important phone numbers close to your phone or in an obvious place such as on your fridge.
• Use a pill organizer or have your medications packaged by your pharmacy to help you know when and what to take.
• If you are going to continue to drive (which many do for years after initial diagnosis, this is up to you and your family), be mindful that if you start getting lost or losing time while driving, you may need to decide to stop. Safety first. 
• Don't hesitate to ask for help or support. Keep a list of tasks you need to do, circle those you'd like to continue doing yourself and ask people in your care network to help with the others.
• Plan ahead. A dementia diagnosis doesn't change this. No matter your age, make plans for your future and talk about them with those closest to you.
• Ask yourself these questions- What type of medical care do you want as the disease progresses? How can your family talk to you about questions or concerns? When should you stop driving? Who do you want to be a part of your care team?

Helpful resources:

• Advance care planning
• ALZConnected online community
• Building a care team
• Dementia Action Alliance
  • Virtual discussions
  • Virtual Engagement
• Dementia and driving 
• Living well with dementia
• Planning after a dementia diagnosis
• SHARE for dementia

Dementia can affect people of all ages. Those with younger onset dementias can face unique challenges when it comes to finances, family, care, support, and resources. Below you will find resources specific to people diagnosed with a form of dementia who is younger than 65. 

Helpful resources:

• Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration
• If you have younger-onset Alzheimer's disease
• Parkinson's disease dementia
• What causes young-onset dementia?

• Newly diagnosed checklist (FTD)
• Pathways to well-being with dementia
• The Big Umbrella