Alzheimer's Foundation Unveils Healthy Aging Web Site

NEW YORK, NY-Look at your calendar from the past week: Have you gone for a brisk walk, eaten leaf...  More »

NEW YORK, NY-Look at your calendar from the past week: Have you gone for a brisk walk, eaten leafy vegetables or toured a museum? With growing evidence that these are the types of lifestyle choices that can pay off now and in the future, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) has introduced a new interactive Web site-www.alzprevention.org-that focuses on being proactive about your mental and physical health. It highlights strategies that help promote healthy aging and may reduce the risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and includes checklists, research updates, guest columns and a bulletin board as well as information about dementia and early diagnosis of memory problems. "It's critical to embrace a heart-healthy and brain-healthy regimen at any age," said Eric J. Hall, AFA's president and CEO. "Care begins with taking care of the whole person." The Web site is the centerpiece of AFA's new initiative about the "power of being proactive," which also includes the establishment of a Prevention Advisory Board and a special edition of care ADvantage, AFA's quarterly magazine for caregivers. AFA unveiled its site as the nation celebrates Older Americans Month in May and as the rising incidence of Alzheimer's disease increasingly poses a public health threat. The number of people with the brain disorder doubles every five years beyond age 65. Advancing age and genetics are the greatest known risk factors. According to Richard E. Powers, M.D., chairman of AFA's Medical Advisory Board, "We know that if you have clinical conditions like poorly controlled hypertension, diabetes and obesity, your risk for developing memory loss goes up. That's why you have to make good lifestyle decisions and act on risk factors you can change." Penning the site's first "Prevention Pundit" column is Paul D. Nussbaum, Ph.D., chairman of AFA's Prevention Advisory Board and author of "Your Brain Health Lifestyle." In his column, Nussbaum urges a comprehensive approach for overall brain health that includes multiple lifestyle behaviors: physical activity, mental stimulation, nutrition, socialization and spirituality. Produced for: Alzheimer's Foundation of America  « Less