2026/09/30 09:22
Nutritionist Xu Cijia pointed out that regular exercise, continuous learning, social interaction, controlling chronic diseases and a balanced diet can help reduce or delay the risk of dementia; the picture shows the situation. (Picture taken from freepik)
[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] If you want to understand the cognitive function degradation of the elderly, you can make a preliminary observation through a simple test. Nutritionist Xu Cijia pointed out that one method is to ask the elders to name as many animals with four legs as possible within one minute. If you can name more than 12 kinds, you will be considered qualified. But this does not mean that you are suffering from dementia if you do not meet the target. The key is that if you have four warning signs, such as forgetting things repeatedly, making mistakes in familiar cooking steps, getting lost easily, and deteriorating judgment, you should seek medical treatment as soon as possible.
Xu Cijia shared on Facebook "Xu Cijia Nutritionist Sherry" that if you want to know whether there are changes in the cognitive function of your elders, you might as well take out your mobile phone and time it for one minute, and ask your elders to name as many animals with four legs as possible, such as cats, dogs, lions, tigers, etc. If you can name more than 12 types, you will be considered qualified. This method comes from one of the BHT-7 "Brain Fitness Test". The complete scale has 7 questions. The study included 1,090 subjects over the age of 50, hoping to more quickly find clues to mild cognitive impairment and early dementia.
Please read on...
Xu Cijia reminded that if the elders in the family cannot speak 12 types, it does not necessarily mean that they are suffering from dementia. This may be related to the spirit and emotion of the day. At the same time, language and educational background may affect the results.
Master the 5 principles of brain care
Xu Cijia said that rather than a single score, you should pay more attention to whether the elders have recently shown the following four signs. If these conditions persist, it is recommended to go to the neurology department, psychiatry department, geriatric medicine department or memory clinic for further evaluation:
●Repeatedly forgetting what was just explained
●Familiar cooking steps often make mistakes
●Easy to get lost, make mistakes about time or accounts
●Judgment, communication and life skills have significantly deteriorated
How can elders reduce the risk of dementia? Xu Cijia mentioned that research estimates that starting from adjustable life and health risks, about 45% of dementia cases have the opportunity to be prevented or delayed. She provides the following 5 practices to protect brain health:
1. Physical activity: Walk, do housework or perform muscle strength training every day to reduce sitting for long periods of time.
2. Brain exercise: learn new things, read, play chess, and sing instead of just watching TV or scrolling on your mobile phone all day long.
3. Interaction: Chat regularly with relatives and friends, participate in courses or community activities, and avoid long-term loneliness and isolation.
4. Take good care of your health: control blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipids and weight; problems with hearing, vision, sleep and mood should also be dealt with as soon as possible.
5. Eat the right diet: Choose more vegetables, whole grains, beans, fish, nuts and good oils, and less refined sugar, processed meats and fried foods.
Xu Cijia concluded that protecting the brain does not depend on a certain magical food or health product, but on moving the body and brain every day, and staying connected with people.
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