For yiderG@mericans. Brain Health Of Older Adults Focus Of Holiday Campaign (NAPSA)—The holidays are about families gathering together to celebrate and to discuss issues of importance to everyone, including older membersof the family. For this reason, an annual campaign called Home for the Holidays was established to provide families with information to help stimulate a dialogue about major issues affecting their older loved ones. This year’s campaign focuses on the risks to brain health for older adults and offers some simple strategies to gas omneced Lar,i, Brain Health You Can Makea Difference! help mitigate thoserisks. The campaign is conducted by the Eldercare Locator, a program established and funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and administered by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). Brain Health A Key Issue In recent surveys of people over the age of 50, worry about the ability to stay mentally sharp is consistently ranked among the top concerns, surpassing such issues as having an adequate retirement fund or the ability to meet health care expenses. Meanwhile, the numberof reported cases of brain health-related conditions is expected to rise with the aging of the baby boomer population. In a 2011 survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 13 percent of respondents, age 60 and older, reported increased confusion and memoryloss in the preceding 12 months, and of that number, over 35 percent said they experienced functional difficulties that might require services and supports noworin the future. The centerpiece of the campaign is a brochure entitled “Brain Health: You Can Make a Difference!” The information in the brochure draws from materials developed by ACL in partnership with the National Institutes of Health and the CDC. Here are a few practical tips from the brochure: Eat Right Try to maintain a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats (including fish and poultry) and low-fat or nonfat dairy products. Monitor your intake of solid fat, sugar and salt, and eat proper portion sizes. A free brochure can help older adults learn ways to improve their brain health. Get Moving Being physically active may help reduce the risk of conditions that can harm brain health, such as diabetes, heart disease, depres- sion and stroke; it may also help improve connections among your brain cells. Older adults should get at least 150 minutes of exercise each week. Drink Moderately, If At All Staying away from alcohol can reverse some negative changes related to brain health. Think and Connect Keep your mindactive by doing mentally stimulating activities like reading, playing games, learning new things, teaching or taking a class and beingsocial. Additional tips and information on smoking risks and the dangers of falls to brain health are among the topics covered in the brochure and more than a dozen links to helpful online resources are also included. n4a CEO Sandy Markwood noted, “We recognize how critical brain health is to ensuring successful aging. The brochure was designed to help people realize that there are practical steps they can take to promote their brain health and to offer information about a wide range of healthy aging services through the Aging Network.” To order a copy of the free brochure, contact the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 or visit www.eldercare.gov.
