The Alzheimer Society celebrates Brain Awareness Week from March 14 to 20 to encourage people to challenge their brains and reduce the risk of dementia.
Bruce and Sheila Anderson are great examples of people who take action to do just that. They both stay mentally, physically and socially active on a day-to-day basis to keep their brains healthy.
This is especially important for Bruce, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia over two years ago. He aims to keep his brain healthy as a way to help slow the progress of the disease.
Bruce maintains he’s the same person he always was. He says he’s “still kicking, just not as high” as he was during his career as a firefighter, but even so, he wants to continue being active in his community.
Sheila is right by his side as they live life as fully as they can. “We still do the things we enjoy doing – we visit friends, attend exercises and go grocery shopping together,” she says.
The couple includes a myriad of activities in their schedule, and it’s working: Bruce has a gleam in his eye as he talks about Sheila and his family, claiming that dementia does not define his approach to life.
For example, he and Sheila attend the Alzheimer Society’s Minds in Motion program, where they engage with other participants in physical activities for overall fitness. The program also offers games and puzzles to challenge their minds, as well as opportunities to socialize so they can keep up meaningful interactions with others.
Touch of Glass
A hobby working in stained glass keeps Bruce’s mind in gear and his eye-hand coordination intact. For Sheila, it allows her to focus entirely on the task, which stops her from worrying about other things. “It’s almost meditative,” she says. “You don’t have time to think about anything else.”
The pair has enjoyed the craft for almost 20 years, and they have no reason or desire to put their tools away. And that’s a good thing: research shows that trying new skills fires up neurons in the brain and opens up mental pathways. With their stained glass, Bruce and Sheila are coupling a tried and true skill with ideas for new designs, keeping their brains active.
Along with the positive activities enjoyed by Bruce and Sheila, people can improve brain health by making healthy food choices, reducing the stress in their lives and protecting their heads when participating in sporting activities.
The Alzheimer Society celebrates Brain Awareness Week from March 14 to 20 to encourage people to challenge their brains and reduce the risk of dementia.
Bruce and Sheila Anderson are great examples of people who take action to do just that. They both stay mentally, physically and socially active on a day-to-day basis to keep their brains healthy.
This is especially important for Bruce, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia over two years ago. He aims to keep his brain healthy as a way to help slow the progress of the disease.
Bruce maintains he’s the same person he always was. He says he’s “still kicking, just not as high” as he was during his career as a firefighter, but even so, he wants to continue being active in his community.
Sheila is right by his side as they live life as fully as they can. “We still do the things we enjoy doing – we visit friends, attend exercises and go grocery shopping together,” she says.
The couple includes a myriad of activities in their schedule, and it’s working: Bruce has a gleam in his eye as he talks about Sheila and his family, claiming that dementia does not define his approach to life.
For example, he and Sheila attend the Alzheimer Society’s Minds in Motion program, where they engage with other participants in physical activities for overall fitness. The program also offers games and puzzles to challenge their minds, as well as opportunities to socialize so they can keep up meaningful interactions with others.
Touch of Glass
A hobby working in stained glass keeps Bruce’s mind in gear and his eye-hand coordination intact. For Sheila, it allows her to focus entirely on the task, which stops her from worrying about other things. “It’s almost meditative,” she says. “You don’t have time to think about anything else.”
The pair has enjoyed the craft for almost 20 years, and they have no reason or desire to put their tools away. And that’s a good thing: research shows that trying new skills fires up neurons in the brain and opens up mental pathways. With their stained glass, Bruce and Sheila are coupling a tried and true skill with ideas for new designs, keeping their brains active.
Along with the positive activities enjoyed by Bruce and Sheila, people can improve brain health by making healthy food choices, reducing the stress in their lives and protecting their heads when participating in sporting activities.
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string(3215) " The Alzheimer Society celebrates Brain Awareness Week from March 14 to 20 to encourage people to challenge their brains and reduce the risk of dementia. Bruce and Sheila Anderson are great examples of people who take action to do just that. They both stay mentally, physically and socially active on a day-to-day basis to keep their brains healthy. This is especially important for Bruce, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia over two years ago. He aims to keep his brain healthy as a way to help slow the progress of the disease. Bruce maintains he’s the same person he always was. He says he’s “still kicking, just not as high” as he was during his career as a firefighter, but even so, he wants to continue being active in his community. Sheila is right by his side as they live life as fully as they can. “We still do the things we enjoy doing – we visit friends, attend exercises and go grocery shopping together,” she says. The couple includes a myriad of activities in their schedule, and it’s working: Bruce has a gleam in his eye as he talks about Sheila and his family, claiming that dementia does not define his approach to life. For example, he and Sheila attend the Alzheimer Society’s Minds in Motion program, where they engage with other participants in physical activities for overall fitness. The program also offers games and puzzles to challenge their minds, as well as opportunities to socialize so they can keep up meaningful interactions with others. Touch of Glass A hobby working in stained glass keeps Bruce’s mind in gear and his eye-hand coordination intact. For Sheila, it allows her to focus entirely on the task, which stops her from worrying about other things. “It’s almost meditative,” she says. “You don’t have time to think about anything else.” The pair has enjoyed the craft for almost 20 years, and they have no reason or desire to put their tools away. And that’s a good thing: research shows that trying new skills fires up neurons in the brain and opens up mental pathways. With their stained glass, Bruce and Sheila are coupling a tried and true skill with ideas for new designs, keeping their brains active. Along with the positive activities enjoyed by Bruce and Sheila, people can improve brain health by making healthy food choices, reducing the stress in their lives and protecting their heads when participating in sporting activities. Let’s face it: brain health is worth the effort. For more information on brain health, visit our website! https://alzheimer.mb.ca/about-dementia/brain-health/#10070"
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