DEMENTIA PREVENTION
TECH
HEALTHY LIVING FOR DEMENTIA PREVENTION
A discussion with incoming Alzheimer Society of Manitoba CEO Erin Crawford
BY KRISTIN MARAND
slow the progression of dementia.” The best way to reduce the risk of developing dementia is to live a healthy lifestyle and by being socially connected, engaged and active. This can be as simple as making plans to have lunch with friends, play golf or exercising your brain through stimulating activities such as puzzles, learning a language or playing an instrument. Crawford points out that we often don’t make time to take care of our own needs, and when it comes to risk reduction, activities that may seem leisurely are also an ounce of prevention. “Go get yourself a golf club membership, join a curling or a bridge club, or go for a walk with your friends. Those kinds of things are important. Take care of your hearing. Take care of your sleep,” Crawford advises. “A dementia diagnosis is a scary thing. Let’s let that motivate us to do some of the things we know we ought to be doing and don’t always do.”
As program director at the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, Erin Crawford oversaw all the programs run for people with dementia and their care partners. This includes research, advocacy, education, support groups, counselling and recreation opportunities. Moving into the position of CEO is a natural fit, as she brings her wealth of knowledge and offers encouraging words on the state of current research and hope for the future. “There’s still a lot that we don’t know about dementia,” Crawford admits. “But there’s been a lot of interesting developments in the last few years around prevention - what we’re more often calling risk reduction. We do a lot of work educating the general public and people who already have a dementia diagnosis around exercise, healthy eating, avoiding smoking and drinking and the potential for that to reduce your risk of developing dementia or helping to
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MATURE 17
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