How Might Mindfulness Help with Alzheimer’s?

A couple of weeks ago I was approached by a woman who took a yoga class and told me her instructor talked about “mindfulness practice.” She tried it, and it made her feel at peace. Her husband was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and coping with the diagnosis has, understandably, caused him a lot of stress. She thought he should try the mindfulness techniques through yoga, but he is not interested in it. He prefers bike riding. She wanted to know what she could do to change his mind. Oftentimes, people think that yoga is the only way to achieve this mindfulness practice, when in fact, practicing mindfulness can be done through a variety of methods. Numerous studies have shown mindfulness practice helps reduce stress, and improves overall health and well-being. There are many forms of mindfulness that can be practiced both mentally and physically. 

Mindfulness is achieved by calming the mind and the body. One of the most common method is a deep breathing technique, where you concentrate on inhaling and exhaling full breaths of air. As cliche' as it sounds, it works. Another popular technique is meditation, which can be achieved in a quiet setting: paying attention to your thoughts, or in a busy setting: paying attention to your surroundings, non-judgmentally, and becoming an observer. Mindfulness practice can be when listening to music, any type of music you like. You can practice being mindful while exercising— whether bike riding, walking, gardening, painting, mowing the lawn, etc.  Try being an observer to your own thoughts or keep a journal to help you reflect upon your thoughts. There are many sources available to learn exactly how to incorporate any of these mindfulness techniques into your life.

Keep in mind that finding a method of mindfulness can be a very personal choice and varies from person to person. For those with Alzheimer’s (and other types of dementia), you may try several different options before finding the most appropriate technique. Mindfulness won’t take Alzheimer’s away, but it can be a good tool to help people cope more effectively. It’ll activate the brain and body to help improve quality of life.