Caregiving
Stay Social to Help Cut Your Odds of Dementia We know that it has other health benefits in terms of benefiting physical and mental
Dr. Sam Gandy is director of the Mount Sinai Center for Cognitive Health and NFL Neurological Care in New York City. He said, “I tend to believe these findings are correct.” Many studies have shown that being mentally and physically active affects keeping the mind sharp, he noted. “Physical activity, mental stimulation and social engagement are popping up in these studies left and right all around the world,” Gandy said. The bottom line for Gandy is that keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol low,
The demands of caring for a loved one can be stressful and it is difficult to provide care when you are unsure of what you’re doing. You’ll feel much better when you’re confident of your skills and we can help! Give us a call today to sign up for one or both workshops available every month! Please register in advance. To RSVP call: 514-7642 x 201 This training is made possible through a partnership between Pima Council on Aging and Lutheran Social Services. Training is availabe to upaid family caregivers who are caring for someone age 60 or older, or caring for someone of any age suffering from Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. The evidence continues to mount that staying socially engaged as you age helps keep dementia at bay. In a new study, British researchers found that being socially active in your 50s and 60s may reduce the risk of developing dementia. The findings showed that people in their 60s who interacted with friends nearly every day had a 12% lower risk of developing dementia than people who saw a couple of friends every few months. “This has important implications for people in middle-age as it suggests that keeping socially active is important for brain health.
health,” said lead researcher Andrew Sommerlad, a research fellow in the division of psychiatry at University College London. Social activity during midlife was linked with better memory and reasoning skills, he said. “We think this may be because social contact gives us a chance to exercise different aspects of thinking, like memory and language, which may make people more resilient against the damage which accumulates in the brain in people who develop dementia,” Sommerlad explained.
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FREE FAMILY CAREGIVER TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE – SEPTEMBER
September 20: Tucson City Council, Ward 5 Office, 4300 S. Park Ave., Tucson, 85714 30 minute break – lunch not provided
WORKSHOP I – MORNING September 20: 9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. • Stress and Time Management • Communication Skills • Alzheimer’s & other related dementias • Infection Control and Providing Personal Care • Nutrition, Assistance with Eating, & Redirecting • Fall Prevention • Activity Planning • Psychological & Emotional Conditions • Grief & End of Life Resources
WORKSHOP 2 – AFTERNOON September 20: 1:00–3:30 p.m. • Proper Body Mechanics • Home Environment Safety • Planning for an Emergency • Understanding Assistive Devices • Proper Walking /Transferring Techniques • Re-positioning with Reassessment • Outings and Car Etiquette
To register or receive information, please contact: Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, (520) 514-7642, ext. 201, or email Jason Browne at jbrowne@lss-sw.org
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Pima Council on Aging
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