Healthy Lifestyles in Aging Overview

Healthy Lifestyles in Aging, Inc., is designed to provide individual consultation service to enhance

• memory
• focus and
• cognitive vitality through activity plans that provide engagement in healthy lifestyles that support healthy cognitive function.

Several studies suggest that lifestyle factors such as:

• physical activity,
• social engagement,
• mental stimulation, and
• adequate levels of B vitamins and antioxidants play an important role in enhancing memory.
  1, 2, 3

Some review articles suggest that the most effective means to decrease dementia and memory loss is to combine these successful lifestyle factors in an activity plan that targets individual deficit areas. 4, 5

The importance of creating preventative measures for dementia and cognitive decline related to Alzheimer’s disease is underscored in The State of Aging and Health in America 2007:

“Although current science linking cognitive decline and dementia is not clear, the work on maintaining cognitive function may hold future possibilities for preventing dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease (p.6).” 6

Critical Need

Average Life Expectancy

Along with nations in Europe and Japan, the United States is becoming a nation with an aging population with issues that grow in urgency, including dementia and memory loss related to Alzheimer’s disease. 10 According to National Vital Statistics, average life expectancy in America will be

• 81.4 years in 2010
• 82.2 years in 2015  7

Prevelence Rate of Dementia

By 2030, the number of individuals over the age of 65 will increase to 71 million. For individuals over the age of 80, the number will increase to 19.5 million. 11 The Canadian Study of Health and Aging CSHA (2000) provide estimates of the prevalence rate memory loss related to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia for individuals over the age of 65

• to approximately double every five years. 12
• About half the population over the age of 85 will be effected with issues related to dementia.

In America, the prevalence rate for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

• has increased over 50 percent since 1980 and 
• will increase dramatically as our population ages in the next 30 years. 8,13 
• Today, half the people over the age of 85 demonstrate memory loss associated with dementia. 14

Quality of Life

With life expectancy increasing every five years, well-being or life satisfaction becomes factors of consideration for healthy aging. Dementia effects individuals at a personal level, such as

• quality of life issues and
• the supporting families in terms of cost and time demands. 9

Members of the supportive family of an individual with memory loss related to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia demonstrate

• more depression and
• chronic health problems. 15

Preventative measures as in any other health issue, are a means to decrease the prevalence rate. Healthy Lifestyles in Aging, Inc. provides consultation service

• to effectively decrease dementia through an effective activity plan and 
• provide outcome measurements through pretest and post test measurement using Dr. Folstein’s Mini Mental State Examination. 16