Looking After Yourself

Keeping fit and healthy is important for everyone in life. This is even more so if you have been diagnosed with Dementia. Although you may experience some challenges as time goes on, you can still keep yourself in good shape with a few simple considerations. This will help you remain independent to a degree, especially in the early stages of your condition, and keeping physically fit has been proven to help delay the onset of memory problems associated with Dementia.

You may need the help of your carer, family, or support worker to do some of the things mentioned in this section, but you should always use whatever resources are available to keep to your chosen routine. If you would like to swim as part of your weekly exercise, then you will most certainly need help from someone. Although you could view this as being less independent than doing it alone, the social aspect of having someone with you will certainly make the swimming session more enjoyable.

Now that we have established the importance of keeping our bodies fit and healthy, we also need to highlight the importance of keeping our minds fit. If you have Dementia, any form of regular mental exercise will help retain your mental abilities. As time goes on, your memory will decline, but regular mental 'workouts' can help slow down the deterioration.

In addition to keeping active, you also need to make sure that you are eating regular, healthy meals. Once again you may need assistance, but maintaining a healthy diet is also very important. In the early stages of Dementia, you should be able to prepare simple meals, but as time progresses and your memory deteriorates, you may need some help around the kitchen.

Whilst you may need help doing some of the more complicated tasks, it is important that you do as much of your routine as possible yourself. Self-care has been proven to benefit people with long-term conditions, Dementia being one of them. Retaining your independence can help you live longer, experience less depression or anxiety, experience less pain, experience less fatigue, and have a better quality of life. The key to this is managing your Dementia well and getting the appropriate levels of care and guidance from day-to-day. This will involve decisions by you and your carer, family, or support worker, and must be reviewed regularly to ensure you are receiving the full benefits of your routine.

Further information and ideas can be found on looking after yourself in this section of the website.