In September, the Ingleside Navigating Dementia series welcomed filmmaker and author C. Nathaniel “Chuck” Brown, a Certified Dementia Practitioner, as part of our ongoing series. In this informative webinar, Mr. Brown explored practical, science-informed strategies for supporting lifelong brain health.
With more than 100 forms of dementia, it can be important to distinguish between diagnoses so as to find the best way to either slow the progression of a particular form of dementia or to find support systems that are specific and informed as the disease changes. Brown recommended speaking with your neurologist regarding the specific form of dementia that’s exhibited.
Brown’s main message was an encouraging one regarding prevention: it’s never too late to make brain-healthy choices that can lower your risk of dementia. According to a 2024 Lancet Commission report, addressing modifiable risk factors for dementia — such as physical inactivity, hearing loss, high blood pressure, and social isolation — could help prevent up to 45% of cases of dementia.
The Six Pillars of Brain Health
During the webinar, Brown shared six pillars that represent six unique ways to lower dementia risk and protect your brain, no matter where you’re starting from.
Mental Stimulation
The brain benefits from being challenged with something new, whether that’s reading, learning a language, playing games or puzzles, using a new form of technology, or having meaningful conversations.
Brown shared his favorite form of brain training for seniors, which is simple hand and finger coordination challenges that work both sides of the brain at once. You can find a number of these by Googling “finger exercises for the brain,” or you can invent your own. You don’t need to master anything; the key is continuing to give your brain opportunities to learn, think, and experience something new rather than relying on familiar routines.
Regular Exercise
Physical activity benefits more than muscles, bones, and cardiovascular health. Regular movement can also support brain health, and contrary to what some might believe, it doesn’t require a gym membership.
Brown pointed to chair exercises, resistance bands, and walking as simple yet effective ways to build exercise for brain health into daily life, and he also got creative with what counts as equipment: a can of beans or a jug of water for curls, a T-shirt for a resistance stretch. Dancing counts, too, and exercise doesn’t have to happen alone. Taking a walk with a friend or dancing with a partner, for example, can combine physical activity with another pillar of brain health, social connection.
Healthy Eating
The brain uses about 20% of the body’s energy, so what you eat matters. Brown called out the Mediterranean diet, which is built around many of the best foods for brain health, as a healthy framework: plant-based foods daily, seafood and other omega-3-rich foods a few times a week, poultry, eggs, and dairy in moderation, and red meat and sweets sparingly. You don’t need to eliminate the foods you love, just make them the exception rather than the everyday habit.
Restorative Sleep
Sleep gives both the body and brain important time to restore and recharge. In particular, restful sleep helps the brain consolidate memories, repair cells, regulate emotions, and flush out waste products that build up and are linked to higher dementia risk. If persistent sleep problems are interfering with daily life, consider discussing them with a health care professional.
Managing Stress
Stress is a natural part of life, but chronic stress can make you forgetful and takes a real toll over time. Brown encouraged participants to recognize sources of stress and develop healthy ways to manage them. His go-to tools for managing stress include meditation, deep breathing, naps, music, and setting boundaries around what drains him. Developing routines and methods like these that help us respond to and recover from stress can be an important part of caring for our brains and ourselves.
Social Connection
Brown closed the webinar with an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Isolation is a real risk factor for dementia, particularly as people age and social circles may shrink. Staying connected, whether through a routine walk with a friend, a class, or regular conversation, supports the brain in ways that are hard to replicate alone.
This idea is reflected in Ingleside’s own memory care assisted living programs and approach to memory care. Our person-centered plans at each of our communities build in social connection alongside creative arts, music therapy, and personalized therapeutic and daily wellbeing programs, helping residents across all of Ingleside’s Life Plan Communities stay engaged in daily life.
Small Steps Can Support Lifelong Brain Health
One of the biggest takeaways of the webinar was that these practices don’t exist in isolation.
A walk with a friend combines physical exercise and social connection. Cooking a new recipe involves mental stimulation and healthy eating. Dancing can bring together movement, memory, music, and connection, all at once.
Supporting brain health doesn’t necessarily mean reinventing your routine. Even small, sustainable habits, repeated over time, can create opportunities to keep the mind and body active while staying connected to the people and activities that bring life meaning.
Key takeaways from the webinar:
- Dementia is not a normal part of aging.
- There are more than 100 types of dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.
- Up to 45% of dementia cases may be preventable or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors.
- The six pillars support brain health at every life stage.
- It’s never too early, or too late to start.
For more resources on dementia prevention, care, and support, visit Ingleside’s Navigating Dementia resource hub. And if you’re exploring memory support or memory care for yourself or a loved one, we invite you to discover Ingleside’s three Life Plan Communities in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., and learn more here.
The Navigating Dementia webinar series continues on Thursday, November 19 at 11:00 a.m. with “Elevated Support Across the Continuum: Helping the Care Partner Navigate from Dementia Diagnosis to Assisted Living,” featuring our Directors of Memory Support Programming Marianna Blagburn, Amy Hewes, and Shruti George. RSVP today to save your spot.