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Deciding to exercise regularly is one effective prevention strategy since the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation reports that it can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 50%. Regular exercise can also decrease further deterioration in those who have already begun to develop cognitive problems. This exercise can be as simple as walking around the block or up a flight of stairs for 30 minutes five times a week.

Regular exercise is particularly important for African Americans since we have a higher rate of diabetes and high blood pressure which are known risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Exercising regularly reduces a person’s chances of developing these conditions and by extension lowers their chances of developing Alzheimer’s.

Which brings me to a popular quote by Hippocrates…Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food. We have to be more careful about what we put in our mouth. We will deal with this more in depth in the near future.

Meanwhile, stop smoking is other thing we can do to prevent Alzheimer’s since a study showed that middle aged persons who smoke more than two packs of cigarettes a day double their risk of developing this disease. Not smoking also reduces the chances of developing conditions like heart disease and stroke which also lead to cognitive decline. Smokers who decide to quit can begin by gradually cutting down the number of cigarettes they smoke each day and calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW for more specialized help since tobacco companies are said to target African American communities with intensive merchandising.

Staying mentally active is another thing African American can do to keep Alzheimer’s at bay since cognitive activity has been shown to reduce the rate of cognitive decline. This is very important for us since African Americans are less likely to have a diagnosis of this condition and consequently less time for treatment and planning. Seniors from our community should therefore make it a point to challenge their brains every day by doing simple things like doing crossword puzzles, learning new languages, playing board games like Scrabble or number games like Sudoku.

Last, but not least, let’s not forget the importance of socializing. The human interaction is very stimulating. Some of the places could include: church, adult day care, family outings, and social clubs.

What do you do to keep your loved one’s brain active?

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Keep checking back and let us know how we can be of service to you, the caregiver and/or as it pertains to Alzheimer’s Awareness in the African American Community.

Let’s embrace 2015 and all its possibilities!

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Here’s wishing you a happy and successful 2015. We wish you and your loved ones unbridled favor and blessings.

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Momsey and I hope you had a Merry Christmas…we did. It was simple and uneventful.

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For what seemed like the nineteenth time, I answered, “It’s your birthday and we’re going to the opera to see Porgy and Bess.”  She smiled and said that’s nice.

6:10  Since we live only 20 minutes away from the Civic Opera House I planned on leaving home no later than 6:30 or so. After making sure everything was in place earlier with Uber (so I thought), I made numerous attempts to get a car only to see several rate hikes on my screen. Each time I hit accept, but still no Uber…that’s another story.

6:45  It’s apparent, Uber isn’t coming.  No time for a taxi, frantically I put Momsey in the car (that’s another 7 minutes) and head downtown.  I tried my best to stay calm, but obviously it wasn’t working because Mom asked me a number of times if I was okay.  I told her I was trying to get us to the opera on time. She went on to recite her customary prayer when we were running late (which for us is quite often), “Spirit of the Lord go before us and make it safe, happy and successful along our way.”

7:22  Somehow that prayer always seems to work and tonight was no different. When we arrived the usher greeted us with, “Six minutes before showtime.”

Favor continued, there was no one in front of us at the ticket window. I grabbed the tickets from will call and off we went to our seats-just in the nick of time.

7:30  Lights dim, the curtains rise to reveal a mammoth two-story set which is a depiction of the fictitious Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina. One of the residents, Clara started singing a lullaby, “Summertime” to her baby.  All of the sudden, my mother leaned over to me and asked, “Where’s my baby?”

“Shhh,” I said, “The baby is at home.”

“He better be,” she replied.

My answer seemed to placate her for the moment, but I started second guessing myself as to whether I did the right thing by bringing her. Then it seemed from that point on she was really engaged-so much so, later on in the show she started following the surtitles and started singing along with Porgy as he belted out “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin.”

I smiled to myself, knowing she was really enjoying the show-though once again I had to quickly shhh her so she wouldn’t disturb those around us.

Porgy and Bess is an opera that stirs lots of emotions. For someone with Alzheimer’s I didn’t know what she was thinking.

After making it through a really challenging intermission I was ready for anything, so I thought. All was well until the hurricane scene. Momsey became alarmed.  She thought a real storm was coming.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

This time I held her hand in reassurance and told her it was a part of the show. In a child-like innocence she held tightly to my hand almost until the end.

When it was said and done, I know she enjoyed herself. Of course she did, it was music and she managed to stay awake for the entire 3 hours and 10 minutes.

Music therapy is known to be a healing tool for those with Alzheimer’s. It encompasses all genres of music, including opera. It’s the familiar. So there were bits and pieces of Porgy and Bess that struck a familiar chord. I no longer second guessed myself.

Happy 86^th Birthday, Momsey! I’m looking forward to our next outing.

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