Sheila Lewis is the Midlands Region Program Director for the Alzheimer’s Association-South Carolina Chapter.
The most important issue for you to know is not the extent of Alzheimer’s disease among us or how long someone with Alzheimer’s has to live, but what can you do to avoid dementia. There are seven factors that are associated with Alzheimer’s: diabetes, midlife hypertension, midlife obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, depression and educational attainment.*
If you are fat (obese), lose weight starting today. Start by eating a plant-based diet. Just losing weight can make Type 2 diabetes go away. Losing weight can also help reduce blood pressure. Exercise every day for at least 45 minutes. That lowers blood pressure too.
Walking is an exercise most can do on a regular basis. Don’t smoke. Get at least a college degree and keep learning and teaching new topics throughout your life. Find friends in your neighborhood. Help your neighbors. That will help keep depression away, as will exercise and a plant-based diet.
Putting a dollar in the blue Alzheimer’s bucket every week is not going to keep you from getting Alzheimers. It will help pay for research. But, only you can prevent Alzheimer’s. We all can help each other to reduce the risk factors in our lives. Team up with others to adopt a healthy lifestyle and reduce risk factors for this type of dementia.
Lewis makes her living from Alzheimer’s disease in our community, working with caregivers and older adults for the last 15 years, most recently at the Greenville Area Office of the Alzheimer’s Association. A Columbia native, she received her bachelor’s degree in nonprofit administration from the University of South Carolina-Upstate and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration. Her connection with the Alzheimer’s Association started many years ago when her grandmother developed the disease in the early 80’s. Sheila’s mother, Dr. Delores Macey, founded the Alzheimer’s Association in Columbia after discovering the lack of and the need for resources for those affected by the disease. Sheila is dedicated to promoting awareness of this disease and providing support to those affected.
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*Norton, S., Matthews, F. E., Barnes, D., Yaffe, K., & Brayne, C. (2014). Potential for primary prevention of Alzheimer’s disease: an analysis of population-based data. King’s Research Portal DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(14)70136-X