Wellness & Prevention
Are you or your loved one due for a mental health or brain health check-up?
It is a visit that can focus on any number of concerns and stressors as well as lifestyle factors that contribute to your brain health & emotional wellness. It gives you the chance to talk about healthy coping, stress management, identifying personal goals, improving relationships, developing positive habits, parenting, lifestyle changes, and more.
Primarily, it can help you gain insight and the tools needed to manage life’s circumstances. A wellness checkup applies to everyone and research has found that stress managemet is one of the most important factors in overall health.
The following topics may be discussed during a wellness visit:
Mood
Stress Management
Food & Nutrition
Physical Exercise
Relaxation Techniques
Daily Habits
Cognitive Stimulation
Social Interaction
Sleep
Supplements
Depending on the circumstances, in order to achieve wellness, you may also need to address:
Pain management
Coping with changes and transitions
Caregiver Issues
Brain-gut connection
Self-regulation/Awareness/Mood
Building Healthy Habits/Life Choices
FAQ: When should I have a cognitive screen?
Each year starting at the age of 60 or sooner if noticing cognitive decline (or memory problems) and/or you have significant medical history including brain injury, cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc.
Optimizing Brain Health & Longevity
If you have no signs of decline but want to improve your cognitive functioning and keep your brain healthy as you age, the habits you establish today can have an impact on your future health and functioning. Pre-clinical stages of dementia can last 20 or more years.
Mild Cognitive Decline
Chronic medical conditions such as blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and others often impact cognitive functioning. Some neurological conditions also experience mild cognitive decline. Improving lifestyle and contributing risk factors makes a difference! Early treatment can slow down and in some cases, reverse the progression of disease.
Cognitive Impairment
Brain injury, dementia and other conditions result in cognitive impairment. However, current research shows that the brain is able to continue growing and changing throughout the lifespan due to neuroplasticity. Simply put, it is the ability of the brain to adapt and change. This means that it is possible to develop new brain circuits, new mindsets, new skills, and new abilities.
Sleep Problems
Anyone can experience sleep difficulties from time to time. Insomnia, on the other hand, is defined by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at least 3 times per week for at least 3-months. As many as 30% of adults complain of insomnia. It is more common in older adults, women, people under stress and people with certain medical and mental health problems.
If you plan for at least 7 hours of sleep at night in a dark and quiet environment and still have difficulty, ask yourself the following questions:
Do I take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, or do I wake up during the night and have trouble returning to sleep, or do I wake up earlier than desired?
Do I feel fatigue, moodiness, sleepiness or low energy during the day?