Are My Memory Changes Normal?

This fact sheet discusses memory changes. As we age, our brains age right along with the rest of our bodies. Our reaction time may begin to slow as a result of aging, and we will continue to experience “mild forgetfulness” as a normal part of life. If your memory changes are greater, or these changes seem to be noticeably impacting your ability to carry on your normal day-to-day activities, these are indicators that it is time to be evaluated by a physician for MCI, dementia, or other cognitive problems. An accurate diagnosis of dementia will help you and your physician plan the best course of action for you, to keep your memory as sharp as possible as you get older

A Healthy Brain: Use It or Lose It!

Challenging your muscles makes for strong healthy muscles, and challenging your brain cells makes for a strong healthy brain. Build up your brain’s cognitive reserve – create a well-connected, high-capacity brain – through overall healthy behaviors (diet and exercise) and making mentally challenging activities part of your daily life. The more options your brain has to get its signals sent, the better able it is to handle areas of damage. A well-connected brain may be better able to delay or prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s

Psychological Stress Among Risks for Alzheimer\u27s Disease

This fact sheet defines stress, stressors and reaction to them, what stress does to our brain and body, and how stress effects can accumulate over time. It also includes tips on reducing the effects of stress on the brain

Caring for a Family Member During Stressful Times: Considerations for Maintaining Mental Health

Caring for a family member can take many forms. Whether you are caring for your mother with dementia or your son with a disability, caregiving for a family member can be very rewarding yet very stressful. As a family caregiver, it is likely that your stress has increased even more due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever, you might find it helpful to “care for the caregiver.” This fact sheet will help you identify your own stress, explore strategies to manage this stress, and then use additional resources for further support and assistance

Late-Life Depression

This fact sheet describes late-life depression, including what it is, how common it is, risk factors, where to get help, treatments, suicide risks, and how depression relates to dementia

Between-Person Disparities in the Progression of Late-Life Well-Being

Throughout adulthood and old age, levels of well-being appear to remain relatively stable. In this chapter, we argue that focusing on a phase of life during which this positive picture does not necessarily prevail promises to help us better understand between-person disparities in the progression of late-life well-being. In a first step, we review empirical evidence from the German Socio-Economic Panel and other large-scale longitudinal data sets to demonstrate that ubiquitous reports of a "stability-despite-loss phenomenon" of well-being do not generalize into years of life immediately preceding death. Instead, mean-level representations of the end of life are characterized by a rapid deterioration in well-being. In a second step, we highlight the vast heterogeneity in how people experience the last years and consider the role of biopsychosocial individual difference factors to account for such disparities. The select factors reviewed here include socio-demographic characteristics, cognitive fitness, pathology, and disability. In a third step, we argue that macro-contextual factors such as the social, service, and physical characteristics of the communities and societies people are living and dying in also profoundly shape the nature and progression of individual late-life well-being. Our conceptual reasoning forecasts some of the insights that can be gained by pursuing this line of research, but also underscores the challenges researchers must deal with.Late-Life Well-Being, SOEP, BHPS, HRS

Values: Helping Agricultural Producers Find Motivation by Focusing on What Matters

This fact sheet addresses the importance of tuning into values as a way of maintaining motivation and promoting mental health for agricultural producers

Responding to Financial Stress for Agricultural Producers and Couples

Finances are a necessary component of running an agricultural production and with an uncertain economy, drought conditions, and rising costs, financial stress is increasingly common. Although financial stress is linked with poor individual and relationship outcomes, research suggests that there are effective ways to manage financial stress so that it does not reduce personal or relationship well-being. We review the body\u27s response to stressors and how to respond rather than react to stress. We present specific strategies couples can use to navigate financial stress together. We include ideas for practical application for individuals seeking to improve the way they manage financial stress

Maximizing the Quality of Life for Persons with Dementia

This fact sheet show how through simple adjustments to the environment and by providing opportunities for meaningful activities or pleasant experiences, caregivers can play a key role in maximizing the quality of life that people with dementia can maintain despite their impairments

Dementia Risk: Is It Nature or Nurture?

Alzheimer’s is a complex disease for which there is no known method for reversing its effects and no known cure for those who develop it. While a large part of the risk for developing AD comes from genes we inherit, there is evidence suggesting that an even greater part of our risk comes from our “environment,” and more specifically, our lifestyle