June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. It is an ideal time to pause and reflect on the millions of Americans who are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease and the individuals who are caring for them. It is also a time for caregivers, friends and families to show their support and get involved in the fight against Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Why? Because, today, Alzheimer’s affects 47.5 million people worldwide – with 7.7 million new cases diagnosed every year. It is the fifth-leading cause of death for those over 65.
May is National Stroke Awareness Month and an ideal time to learn more about strokes, and how they can be recognized quickly and treated through medical intervention and rehabilitation.
April is Occupational Therapy Month, and it’s the ideal time for senior adults to consider the many ways that occupational therapy can improve important life functions and enhance their quality of life.
Sometimes confused with physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) is a separate healing discipline with its own specific purpose and goals for the individual’s recovery.
March is National Nutrition Month, and it’s the perfect time for senior adults, and those who love them, to consider the vital importance of nutrition and diet in healthy aging.
While a healthy, nutritious diet is critical to the good health of all age groups, proper nutrition is especially important to the well-being of seniors.
To quote author and women’s advocate Betty Friedan, "Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength."
Getting older might not be something we all look forward to, but aging is a reality we all have to face. And how we approach the passing of the years, say aging experts, has a lot to do with our happiness and health later in life.
