Columbia Aged Care

Are you worried about losing your memory? Do you feel that your brain isn’t as sharp as it used to be? Then maybe it’s time that you improved your mental fitness.

Your brain is like any other muscle, which means it needs a regular workout to stay fit.

Better Health Channel has provided some great tips on how to give your brain a mental workout and improve your mental fitness.

• Exercise for 30 minutes a day: Physical exercise increases the flow of oxygen to your brain to enhance your mental functioning and improve your memory
• Reading regularly: Reading helps to stimulate your brain and allows you to learn new things. You brain then receives a workout by expanding your knowledge base.
• Increase your vitamin B intake: Vitamin B is important for maintaining a healthy brain. This means you should eat wholegrain cereals and dairy foods.
• Exercise your intelligence: Take part in mentally challenging activities such as learning a new language, completing a cryptic crossword or a jigsaw puzzle.
• Maintain your health: The health of your body can have an effect on the health of your brain. You should visit your doctor for regular check-ups to identify potential health issues early.
• Socialise: Other people can help you exercise your mental fitness with thought-provoking conversations or by playing a board game or watching TV game shows together.

Your brain is a very important muscle that co-ordinates all of your body’s functions. It is essential to exercise your mental fitness regularly to ensure that your body can function effectively and that your memory, speech, perception and comprehension remain sharp.

Read the full article here.

Depending on our age and wellbeing, our diet continually changes throughout our life. What we are putting in to our mouths is very important when aiming for a well-balanced diet. The elderly in particular must keep track of the many foods they are consuming. Lack of some foods and too much of others can result in a lack of nutrients.

Aging Care has listed some important nutrients that your loved one should include in a well-balanced and healthy diet.

Omega 3 fatty acids
Foods with omega 3 fatty acids have been proven to reduce heart disease and arthritis. Omega 3 fatty acids can be found in different types of food such as fish and flaxseed oil. Making sure your loved one has a serving of omega 3 fatty acids twice per week will ensure that they are having the right amount of nutrition intake.

Calcium
Your loved one’s diet should consist of a substantial intake of calcium. This is because calcium can help preserve bone health and lower blood pressure.  It is recommended milk is consumed daily. However, to find out how much milk you loved one should be consuming it is best to consult your doctor.

Hydrate
One of the most simple and commonly forgotten forms of nutrition is liquids. As people age however, they tend to not get as thirsty. Our bodies, however, still need the same amount of liquids.

If you notice your loved one is not drinking as often as they should, try and encourage them to drink amounts of water that is appropriate for their body type. Consulting with your doctor would be a great way of knowing how much water or liquids they should be consuming.

Before making any changes to your loved one’s diet, it is important to consult a doctor to make sure that any changes made will not have a negative effective on your loved one’s health.

It is important to have a moderate amount of all types of foods within your loved ones diet to ensure that they are getting the right amount of solids to help stay strong and healthy. By setting an example and making eating a social activity, you may be able to show them that a few dietary changes aren’t so drastic.

Read full article here.