Memory & Dementia
How Do We Treat Dementia?
Amarish Dave, DO explains why dementia treatment depends on the cause, stage, symptoms, health risks, safety needs, and goals of each patient and family.
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Can Lifestyle Impact Dementia?
Lifestyle is an important part of overall brain health and of caring for memory loss and dementia—alongside, not instead of, medical evaluation and treatment.
Written and medically reviewed by Amarish Dave, DO, board-certified neurologist. This page is educational and does not replace an individual medical evaluation.
How lifestyle fits into brain health and dementia care
Lifestyle factors influence overall brain health, vascular health, and how a person functions day to day. They are part of a complete care plan for many people living with memory loss or dementia, but lifestyle changes do not cure dementia and do not replace an individual medical evaluation or treatment.
Physical activity supports cardiovascular health, sleep, mood, strength, and balance. Cardiovascular risk-factor management—blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and smoking—matters because vascular disease can contribute to cognitive change. Nutrition that supports heart and vessel health is generally also brain-healthy.
Sleep problems, including untreated sleep apnea, can worsen attention and memory and are worth evaluating. Social engagement and cognitive activity—conversation, hobbies, reading, learning, and meaningful routines—support function and quality of life. Hearing and vision problems should also be addressed, since they limit engagement.
Which changes are appropriate, safe, and realistic depends on the person, the cause of the cognitive change, other medical conditions, and the goals of the patient and family.
Key takeaways
- Lifestyle supports brain health but does not cure dementia.
- Physical activity, vascular risk-factor management, nutrition, sleep, social engagement, and cognitive activity all matter.
- Untreated sleep apnea, hearing loss, and vision problems can worsen day-to-day cognition.
- Identifying the underlying cause of cognitive change remains an important first step.
- A lifestyle plan should be individualized and reviewed with a clinician.
Continue learning about memory and dementia
Lifestyle guidance works best alongside a careful dementia evaluation and a clear understanding of memory loss evaluation. Learn how dementia is treated, what happens with cognitive testing, what tests are ordered when evaluating dementia, and what happens during a dementia evaluation.
If you are unsure whether a change is expected with age, compare normal aging vs dementia. For practical prevention guidance, see dementia risk reduction, exercise and brain health, brain-healthy nutrition, and sleep and brain health.
In-person memory evaluations are available in Crystal Lake, Illinois, Woodstock, Illinois, and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, with telehealth available to patients located anywhere in Illinois or Wisconsin. Review appointment and contact options.
Free Illinois family resource
Illinois Dementia Guide
Practical guidance for Illinois families navigating memory loss, Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Explore information about diagnosis, treatment, caregiving, safety, planning, lifestyle and dementia resources for Illinois families.
Explore the Illinois Dementia Guide →Related dementia videos
More medically reviewed memory and dementia videos appear here automatically as they are published.
Memory & Dementia
What Tests Are Ordered When Evaluating for Dementia?
Amarish Dave, DO explains the tests a neurologist may order when evaluating memory loss and other thinking changes, from cognitive testing to blood work and brain imaging.
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Memory & Dementia
Why Can Someone With Dementia Seem Normal Sometimes?
Amarish Dave, DO explains why a person with dementia can have good moments, hours, or days—and why that does not rule out real cognitive change.
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Memory & Dementia
Is This Normal Aging—or Could It Be Dementia?
Amarish Dave, DO explains how occasional forgetfulness differs from cognitive change that affects everyday life.
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