{"id":177,"date":"2022-05-12T13:12:14","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T17:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/brain-health\/?page_id=177"},"modified":"2024-05-17T14:05:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T18:05:38","slug":"take-care-of-your-health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/brain-health\/take-care-of-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Take Care of Your Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-177\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-177-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-177-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-177-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-779 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/156\/2024\/05\/Heart-Health.png\" alt=\"Heart Health\" width=\"248\" height=\"249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/156\/2024\/05\/Heart-Health.png 248w, https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/156\/2024\/05\/Heart-Health-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 248px) 100vw, 248px\" \/>Growing evidence suggests that many factors that increase the risk of heart disease also may increase the risk of dementia. These factors include smoking, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Following are important steps you can take to take care of you.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Visit your doctor regularly.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Know your numbers<\/strong> \u2013 weight, blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol \u2013 and keep yourself within healthy ranges.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you have diabetes, manage it properly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Stop smoking.<\/strong> If you don\u2019t smoke, don\u2019t start.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Avoid excess alcohol.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Get enough sleep.<\/strong> Inadequate sleep due to conditions like insomnia or sleep apnea can result in problems with memory and thinking.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Take action to manage stress.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seek professional assistance to address anxiety, depression or other mental health concerns.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Medicare Yearly Wellness Visit<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Medicare yearly Wellness visit is a yearly appointment with a primary care provider to create or update a personalized prevention plan. A cognitive screening is available as part of this appointment, but typically must be requested by the patient. Even if you are not currently concerned about your memory, it is a good idea to request this screening to understand your baseline. Remember, it\u2019s never too early to begin a discussion about brain health with your provider. Be sure to ask your doctor to include this important assessment in your next Wellness visit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Learn more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicare.gov\/coverage\/yearly-wellness-visits\">Medicare yearly Wellness visit<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Learn more about what to expect during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alz.org\/professionals\/health-systems-clinicians\/cognitive-assessment\">Cognitive Assessment<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-177-0-0-1\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><h3 class=\"widget-title\">Talking with your healthcare team<\/h3>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p>If you are concerned about changes in memory or thinking, begin a conversation with your primary health care provider. Your doctor will evaluate your overall health to determine what may be causing the cognitive changes you are experiencing. Your doctor may ask you detailed questions about your symptoms and have you complete a brief written or oral examination. When discussing issues regarding changes in memory or thinking, it is always a good idea to have a close loved one or friend attend appointments with you.<\/p>\n<p>The Alzheimer\u2019s Association has developed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alz.org\/media\/Documents\/alzheimers-dementia-communicating-doctor-health-care-pro-ts.pdf\">guide<\/a> to help you navigate a conversation with your healthcare team.<\/p>\n<p>You or your physician may decide it will benefit you to see a neurologist, neuropsychologist or other specialist who is an expert in brain health. These specialists may want to conduct further tests and interviews to understand your symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>The Alzheimer\u2019s Association has created a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alz.org\/media\/Documents\/alzheimers-dementia-choosing-a-doctor-ts.pdf\">guide<\/a> to help you choose a healthcare provider to evaluate memory and thinking problems.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Resources:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/diabetes\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Diabetes<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/heart-disease\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Heart disease, hypertension, high blood cholesterol<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/tobacco-free-living\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Smoking Cessation<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/drinklessbeyourbest\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Drink Less, Be Your Best<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/arthritis\/self-management-programs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chronic Disease Self-Management Education<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/sleep\/about_sleep\/sleep_hygiene.html\">Tips for Better Sleep<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growing evidence suggests that many factors that increase the risk of heart disease also may increase the risk of dementia. These factors include smoking, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and high [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":390,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-177","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Take Care of Your Health - Brain Health Virginia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/brain-health\/take-care-of-your-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Take Care of Your Health - Brain Health Virginia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Growing evidence suggests that many factors that increase the risk of heart disease also may increase the risk of dementia. 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