Experts Say Exercise and Healthy Life Choices Key in Maintaining Cognitive Ability

By Reginald Williams | The Afro | Word In BlackThis post was originally published on AfroCredit: Unsplash/Nappy(WIB) – For many aging adults, cognitive decline can create a good bit of anxiety. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “while older Black Americans are twice as likely as older Whites to have Alzheimer’s or another dementia, research hasn’t yet identified the cause.” The organization also reports that “among Black Americans ages 70 and older, 21.3 percent are living with& Alzheimer’s, a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior.”Monica Ziegler’s mom and dad, Jean and Chester Preyar, were both diagnosed in their mid-60s – Jean with Alzheimer’s and Chester with dementia. Both educators, Ziegler, began to notice personality changes in her parents.“He was working at A&T (North Carolina A&T University) and couldn’t remember many things. He lost his sense of smell and then he couldn’t remember normal things like who was the president, or how to use the phone,” said Ziegler.Her dad, a physically fit walker, had a penchant for leaving home and walking for miles to places unknown after being diagnosed. & Experts say lifestyle and social indoctrination are the primary culprits driving neurodegenerative disease– not aging.“Aging is not a disease,”...