Diabetes FAQ » Diabetes Tips » Tips Concerning Alzheimer’s Disease for Diabetics and their Caregivers

Tips Concerning Alzheimer’s Disease for Diabetics and their Caregivers

Many individuals who have Alzheimer’s disease also have diabetes. There seems to be a molecular link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s, but as yet scientists are still researching it. Approximately 20 percent of people who have Alzheimer’s disease also have diabetes mellitus. It is well known that high blood glucose levels in individuals with diabetes deteriorate the circulation in the cardiovascular system. Poor circulation in the body also means poor circulation to the brain, which can lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The following tips will help you to see what Alzheimer’s disease looks like and how you may be able to avoid getting it. If you are a caregiver of someone with Alzheimer’s disease, these tips may help you also.

The best way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease may be to live a lifestyle that is conducive to preventing diabetes. You are at risk for Alzheimer’s disease if you are diabetic, obese, have high blood pressure, if you smoke, and if you have continued stress in your life. Therefore, it is safe to say that living a healthy lifestyle that reduces your risk of becoming obese you will have less risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure. Smoking elevates stress in your body, and also elevates your blood pressure. Smoking can elevate blood glucose levels above the normal level if you are diabetic.

Certain types of foods are better for the brain than other foods, such as with pink salmon, and other kinds of sea food. Eating a diet rich in sea food may help to ward off the onset of Alzheimer’s. Sea food, eaten regularly, may also improve cognition in some people with Alzheimer’s disease, whether they are diabetic or not.

Relaxation is just as important as activity. It is important to be able to manage stress appropriately, so that stress does not stimulate an overabundance of stress hormone, Cortisol, to be released into your body. Stress hormone starts a cycle that is hard to stop; it raises blood glucose and blocks insulin. Cortisol is also responsible for excess weight gain, which puts you at risk for diabetes if you aren’t already a diabetic. If you are diabetic, the stress hormone can exacerbate your symptoms of diabetes mellitus.

If you are a caregiver for someone with diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, it is important to test his/her blood glucose level with a glucometer. The individual’s attending physician may want you to test his/her blood sugar each day up to every 4 hours while the individual is awake. If you are the caregiver of someone with Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes, you will have to manage his/her care so that the individual eats enough. You may have to feed the individual, if he/she cannot manage to feed him/herself. You may also have to initiate physical exercise so that the person with Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t just vegetate on the couch. If the person you care for is a wanderer, you will also need to keep watch that he/she doesn’t get outside and get lost. Many people with Alzheimer’s disease who are cared for at home must wear an ankle or wrist monitor which will set a door alarm off if they were to venture out of the house by themselves. Being diabetic complicates the situation a bit, that if the individual were to wander, low or high blood glucose levels could make the confusion even worse.

Scientists tell us in many different publications that can be found on the Internet that one of the best way to prevent or reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is to stimulate your mind. There are many ways in which you can keep your brain active. There are games on the Internet that challenge your memory. You can keep your brain active by journaling, or by writing. You can also stimulate your brain by doing something that you like doing that requires you to think. Of course, you may do everything to prevent diabetes, and you may do everything you can think of to prevent Alzheimer’s, but you still may get it. The point is to do all you can to live a healthy life while you are well, and you may prevent serious illnesses such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s later on.

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