Dementia and devotion

A Japanese dementia expert offers five tips to help old people prevent the decline of their brain functions like memory and judgment.

Hachiro Sugimoto, who developed the Alzheimer’s treatment drug Aricept, tells the Japanese media Weekly Josei Prime that dementia has three likely causes, namely, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and Lew y body dementia.

The diseases are basically caused by the accumulation of disease-causing proteins in the brain, which happens due to poor lifestyle habits, Sugimoto says, The Standard (TS) reports.

The 82-year-old advises doing aerobic exercise like one-hour walks to make ample blood flow through the brain and nourish its cells. He does this daily followed by push-ups, sit-ups, and sword-swinging or Kendo movements.

Sugimoto also suggests making your own decisions, taking up hobbies, eating foods rich in antioxidants to improve blood flow and protect brain cells, and thanking your family.

Meanwhile, a special two-night vacation for 14 families aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas offered dementia-friendly activities like gentle stretching exercises and family group games in the middle of the beautiful sea and sky, TS reports.

Among the participating families was a man and his wife with dementia. The daughter of the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Lee, arranged the cruise as her gift on their 60th wedding anniversary, with help from the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing.

Mrs. Lee had always longed to go on a cruise and the three-day trip fulfilled her wish of many years, according to TS.

Mrs. Lee, 94, was diagnosed with dementia 10 years ago and has been cared for by her husband, 95, ever since. Their relationship started 80 years ago, when Mr. Lee, then 15, met Mrs. Lee, then 14.