4a. Introduction to Healthy Brain Habits
Now that we know what dementia is and how it can occur, a natural question is: Is there any way I can prevent dementia from happening to me?
Because researchers are still trying to understand exactly how certain types of dementia are caused, there is no guaranteed path a person can take to prevent themselves from developing it.
Additionally, certain uncontrollable risk factors come into play that increase someone’s chance of getting a type of dementia. These include:
Age is the greatest risk factor for a person to develop dementia, such as Alzheimer’s
Our genes are passed to us from our parents and even small changes can cause disease
- Research has shown that certain races, such as African Americans, American Indians, and Alaska Natives have higher rates of dementia
- Risk factors can also change based on if a person is male or female
This information may seem overwhelming and even scary. Thankfully, there are many risk factors you can control. In the next section, we will explore 9 healthy brain habits you can introduce into your life today!