I had a sad but interesting talk with a group of great women the other night. Of the nine of us sitting around, sharing a perfectly wonderful evening, three were directly involved with someone living with some form of dementia.
Don’t think for a minute that I am a mathematician but that’s about 30 percent, right? That seems like far too high of a number for me. But according to the Institute for Neurological Disorder and Stroke, approximately 7 million Americans suffer from age-related dementia. Sadly, this number is about to skyrocket as our population, think boomers and beyond, continues to age.
It’s depressing, terribly, terribly depressing.
However, I left that evening feeling that while there are no guarantees, I can continue to do what I am doing in an attempt to fend off this miserable health crisis. I will continue to exercise, eat well, stay socially connected, challenge my brain … and keep my fingers crossed!
I will also make every attempt to maintain a positive perspective. I think leaning towards the “glass is half full” philosophy has merit. Really now, worrying about what ‘may be’ won’t do me a bit of good. In fact, chewing on stuff like this will only make me feel worse. Nope, instead I’ll stay the healthy course and enjoy myself for as long as I possibly can!