Ask anyone what worries them most about getting older and more than a few people will say losing the ability to remember things is high up on their list. After a lifetime of making memories and forging meaningful relationships, the idea that a disease like Alzheimer맥스카지노�s could swoop in and steal it all away is, frankly, pretty frightening. But what exactly does an Alzheimer맥스카지노�s diagnosis mean, anyway? And what is life like with the condition? Truthfully, it's tough to be fully prepared until you're actually living it, either yourself or because you're a caregiver or family member of someone with Alzheimer's.맥스카지노�Newly diagnosed adults and their family members are deeply concerned about how to navigate this uncertain future,맥스카지노� says Laura Rice-Oeschger, LMSW, who runs a caregiver wellness program for the University of Michigan맥스카지노�s Alzheimer맥스카지노�s Disease Center. 맥스카지노�They맥스카지노�re overwhelmed with ideas and fears, which often stem from a previous personal experience with Alzheimer맥스카지노�s or what they learn from the media.맥스카지노� Given that June is Alzheimer맥스카지노�s & Brain Awareness Month, there맥스카지노�s no better time to introduce some real talk about what the disease means (and doesn맥스카지노�t mean) for someone newly diagnosed. If you맥스카지노�re dealing with a diagnosis or preparing to care for a loved one who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's, these 12 facts 맥스카지노� straight from Alzheimer's health care providers and caregivers 맥스카지노� will help paint a more accurate reality of navigating life with the condition. 1. You can still have meaningful relationships despite having Alzheimer's.A lot of the fear surrounding an Alzheimer맥스카지노�s diagnosis comes from worrying about how the disease will affect your relationships with family and friends. They will inevitably change but your connection to your loved ones doesn맥스카지노�t have to disappear. Bobbie, an Alzheimer맥스카지노�s caregiver in Rice-Oeschger맥스카지노�s wellness program, says she has learned that the spirit of her husband is still there despite their changed relationship: 맥스카지노� I맥스카지노�m mystified by what he says and does, he is trying to communicate something that is important to him. If I am present to him, completely and with kindness, our ability to communicate and learn from each other ... is greatly enhanced.맥스카지노�2. Brain degeneration happens very gradually.With Alzheimer맥스카지노�s, symptoms of the disease do not appear overnight, and they also don't go from mild to horrible in the blink of an eye. While it's a degenerative disease, meaning it continues to develop and worsen gradually, you do have some control over the speed at which it carries on.Brain degeneration happens over the course of 15 to 20 years, according to David A. Merrill, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist and geriatric psychiatrist at Providence Saint John맥스카지노�s Health Center in Santa Monica 맥스카지노� which means decades can pass from the time it begins until the brain is no longer functioning. 맥스카지노�There is no reason to be hopeless about an Alzheimer맥스카지노�s diagnosis,맥스카지노� Merrill asserts. 맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s never too late to start changing your lifestyle to slow down the progress of the disease.맥스카지노� 3. Diet, exercise and sleep matter more than you think.Speaking of lifestyle changes, they can help you slow or even stave off the brain degeneration associated with Alzheimer맥스카지노�s. Aerobic exercise, sufficient sleep and a healthy diet are all integral to both brain and body health, says Henry Paulson, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist and director of the University of Michigan맥스카지노�s Alzheimer맥스카지노�s Disease Center. Why? Regular cardio activity boosts the parts of the brain involved with memory and cognition, Harvard Health reports; and some research suggests eating a Mediterranean-style diet may slow the brain degeneration linked to Alzheimer맥스카지노�s, according to the National Institutes of Health. As for sleep? 맥스카지노�If you don맥스카지노�t get enough good sleep, your brain can맥스카지노�t clear the abnormal proteins that accumulate,맥스카지노� Paulson explains. He's referring to beta-amyloid, which is a brain compound suspected of being one of the causes of Alzheimer맥스카지노�s.4. It's not always helpful to focus on the genetic component.If your mother and grandmother both had Alzheimer맥스카지노�s, does that mean you definitely will, too? While there is a genetic risk factor that increases the hereditary likelihood, Merrill says it맥스카지노�s better to focus on the areas of your life that you have control over instead of the ones you don맥스카지노�t.맥스카지노�Genetic risk factor is less important than the sum of all the modifiable risk factors,맥스카지노� he says. 맥스카지노�Changing our behaviors and lifestyle can actually counteract any genetic risk factor we have.맥스카지노� Merrill suggests paying attention to subtle age-related changes as they happen, whether you맥스카지노�re at an elevated risk of developing Alzheimer맥스카지노�s or not. Addressing your diet and exercise routine or prioritizing brain-stimulating activities 맥스카지노� like puzzles, computer games and book clubs 맥스카지노� can ward off some of the normal (and not-so-normal) cognitive effects that occur during the aging process.5. Planning for the future is critical after a diagnosis.맥스카지노�There are so many difficult and excruciating decisions families must make when caring for a family member with a dementia disease,맥스카지노� says Rice-Oeschger. Depending on your situation, this might mean:Establishing power of attorney for legal and health decisions.Speaking with a financial adviser.Discussing end-of-life options.Making long-term residential plans, like arranging in-home care or finding an assisted living facility.Glen, another caregiver in the University of Michigan맥스카지노�s wellness program, recommends considering the logistics of how your life will change together as a couple or as a family while you still can, as opposed to waiting or delaying these conversations.6. Socialization is a regularly prescribed 맥스카지노�treatment맥스카지노� method.There맥스카지노�s no actual cure for Alzheimer맥스카지노�s. But don맥스카지노�t overlook the power of regular social interaction in preserving cognition. And this is extremely important before and after a diagnosis.맥스카지노�When it comes to the brain, I tell patients to 맥스카지노�use it or lose it,맥스카지노�맥스카지노� says Paulson. 맥스카지노�People are social animals and socialization drives us. Do a lot of whatever mentally stimulates you.맥스카지노� Maybe that means weekly lunches with friends, FaceTime sessions with long-distance relatives, volunteering for a cause or joining local clubs, groups and committees. Whatever keeps you connected, fill up your calendar the best you can with that. Letting your inner social butterfly loose can give your brain function a serious boost. 7. Support programs can help preserve the mental well-being of both patients and caregivers.If you맥스카지노�re an Alzheimer맥스카지노�s patient, finding a local support group can help you navigate the challenges of life with a dementia disease. You can find one here.If you맥스카지노�re a caregiver, Rice-Oeschger recommends seeking out a wellness program to combat the often-isolating nature of caregiving and forge invaluable relationships with people who know exactly what you맥스카지노�re experiencing. 맥스카지노�You will benefit from continuous, enjoyable, thought-provoking, and profound connections with other caregivers,맥스카지노� she says. 맥스카지노�Find and commit to a counselor or enriching wellness program you to how to take care of yourself over the long haul.맥스카지노�8. Caregiving is a lot to handle emotionally. But it's also incredibly rewarding.On the topic of caregiver needs, Rice-Oeschger says daily caregiving is stressful enough to impact a person맥스카지노�s health and well-being (which can, in turn, directly affect your loved one맥스카지노�s health and well-being). In a 2017 National Poll on Healthy Aging released by the University of Michigan, 78% of caregivers surveyed said their efforts are stressful. But it맥스카지노�s not all gloom: In that same poll, 85% of caregivers reported that caregiving is a rewarding experience and 63% called it both stressful and rewarding. 맥스카지노�Most people do not understand how stress and positive , even joy, can be experienced alongside one another,맥스카지노� explains Rice-Oeschger. The point? There will be happy days and sad days, easy days, and tough days for both the patient and the person helping to take care of them 맥스카지노� and it맥스카지노�s all normal.9. Education is important, but it맥스카지노�s only one piece of the puzzle.Before you spend every waking hour researching the ins and outs of the disease, know that education has a time and place in your new role as patient or caregiver.맥스카지노�Go to every workshop, conference, support group and education event you can, but also know these will only take you so far,맥스카지노� says Rice-Oeschger. Debra, an Alzheimer맥스카지노�s caregiver from Michigan, echoes these thoughts based on her experience caring for her husband: 맥스카지노�Gather facts and information and read about the disease, but understand that each individual with the diagnosis is unique. What you know about your loved one is as important, or I would argue more important, than any fact about the disease that you will ever read.맥스카지노� 10. You will have difficult interactions.Most caregivers find themselves unprepared for the changes in personality and memory recall they observe in their loved ones.맥스카지노�Your sweet, innocent who does not swear will curse like a sailor and call you names,맥스카지노� says Kelly, who lives in Cypress, Texas, and cares for her mother with mid- to late-stage Alzheimer맥스카지노�s. 맥스카지노�Try to remember it is not her doing these things ... it맥스카지노�s this disease.맥스카지노� Kelly also reveals she turned into a good 맥스카지노�white liar맥스카지노� when it became too traumatizing to remind her mother over and over of her own mother맥스카지노�s passing more than 20 years earlier and advises against arguing with a person with Alzheimer맥스카지노�s. 맥스카지노�If your loved one says something more than once, just pretend like it was the first time you heard it,맥스카지노� she suggests. 맥스카지노�맥스카지노�Do not say, 맥스카지노�Mom, you just said that.맥스카지노� That will only cause an argument.맥스카지노�11. People with Alzheimer's don't lose all independence.Whether you맥스카지노�re in the patient or caregiver role, you might be stressing over just how much personal freedom will be taken away as a result of Alzheimer맥스카지노�s. But patients can still do things for themselves 맥스카지노� it맥스카지노�s just a matter of finding the right balance.맥스카지노�My mom has always been very independent, so it is hard to watch her slowly lose the ability to do things she was once able to do easily, like remembering computer passwords and keeping appointments,맥스카지노� says Shon, a contributor to the Alzheimer맥스카지노�s Association맥스카지노�s Our Stories campaign, from Chicago. 맥스카지노�So we focus on my mom맥스카지노�s strengths right now, and how we can help her enjoy life with as much dignity as possible.맥스카지노� 12. You shouldn't let the anxiety surrounding a possible diagnosis deter you from getting your brain health checked.It맥스카지노�s important to see a doctor if you맥스카지노�re noticing memory loss that맥스카지노�s impacting your life, even if you맥스카지노�re worried about what he or she might tell you. Doctors can look for reversible, treatable causes first, like thyroid disease or nutritional deficiencies, Paulson says. And if it does turn out to be Alzheimer맥스카지노�s after other possible causes get ruled out, it맥스카지노�s valuable to have that knowledge sooner rather than later, too. For Veronica, who frequently speaks about her experience caring for her husband, Mario, and is also part of Our Stories, she wishes her family pursued the diagnosis sooner. 맥스카지노�I wish we would맥스카지노�ve talked sooner about the changes we both noticed in Mario맥스카지노�s behavior because it would맥스카지노�ve helped ease a lot of stress and pressure on him,맥스카지노� she explains. 맥스카지노�Although it wasn맥스카지노�t easy to hear, receiving his diagnosis was sort of a relief because we finally had answers to what was going on.맥스카지노�For more information on being diagnosed or caring for someone with Alzheimer맥스카지노�s disease, visit the Alzheimer맥스카지노�s Association or the National Institute on Aging.