According to a research done by Dr. David Bennett, the director of Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, two of the most important factors to prevent the onset of Alzheimer are staying socially connected and having high levels of education—and I am not talking about a college degree or the cookie points you earn from school, it’s your zest for learning new things and acquiring new skills every now and then.
Furthermore, it was said that by continually stimulating your mind, you prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease even if your brain is already developing plaques which to me, makes a lot of sense. Meanwhile, staying socially connected will help you stay grounded, combine these two and you are sure to have a relatively simple but happy life however, strong spiritual life can be your strongest anchor against Alzheimer’s disease and it can also be your refuge and comfort when battling this terrible disease.
Alzheimer’s disease or not, it is important to encourage spiritual growth especially for seniors as indeed there will be issues in your life that will be hard to deal with if you don’t have enough faith. Consider spiritual growth as personal growth, something you need in order to grow wise and mature—who wouldn’t want to be remembered as old and wise anyway? Coupled with your life experiences, focusing on your spiritual growth would be the most natural thing to do when growing old.
In order to achieve spiritual growth, you must learn how to connect with your God. Building spiritual intimacy with the being you believe in would be your key to spiritual growth. Assess your current level of intimacy with God and gradually improve it by taking it a little further everyday. Notice the way you pray to God, is it riddled with personal petitions, requests and rants? Is it always “me, me, me”? It shouldn’t be. Try sharing your thoughts with Him, share your secret longings without expecting anything in return, or perhaps plea for someone you know who really deserves to be blessed. These are the things that will satisfy your soul.
Seeing things in a different light will also give you another perspective on things. Things should not always be negative, try to adapt a positive outlook in life and be an optimist instead of always expecting the worst. Unfortunate things happen but always look at the brighter side of things and you’ll be fine.
Always listen to your inner voice. You’ll notice that as we age, our inner voice also becomes a little louder and a lot clearer. It is because at this point in our lives, we are certain of the things we want and need. Your inner voice is your only ticket to knowing what will satisfy your being so you need to learn how to listen to it.
