A Better Brain for Life: Preventing Dementia and Other Chronic Diseases

About the Book

The brain is the powerhouse of the body. In A Better Brain for Life, Angela Caughey draws on the latest research to show what can be done to foster a healthy brain, ward off many common chronic diseases, and prevent, or at least slow down, the brain’s decline.

By practising healthy ways of living from early childhood onwards, we can significantly reduce the risk of dementia and chronic disease in our later life. Much can be achieved by optimising the key modifiable lifestyle factors of:

• diet and exercise
• mental stimulation
• social connections
• stress reduction and sleep.

This book advocates for us all to be responsible for our own health and asks you to examine the way you live from day to day. It has a clear message: we all can, and should, take practical steps to nurture our brain health and enjoy the long-term benefits for our wellbeing.

Author Information

Angela Caughey began writing in the mid-1980s, and she is the author of six previous books. For more than 12 years she took care of her husband, who had dementia. Following on the international success of Dealing Daily with Dementia, and How to Communicate with Someone Who Has Dementia, she here turns her focus to the wider questions of the brain’s development.

Reviews

The prospect of getting dementia is very scary for most people and Angela Caughey explores what we can do to prevent it. As it turns out, doing many of the things we know prevent other diseases – eating a healthy diet, staying active, keeping alcohol intake down, and not smoking – are also critical for preventing dementia. Books like this which translate technical complexities of things people care about into accessible explanations and stories become our gems of greater understanding. — Boyd Swinburn, Professor of Population Nutrition and Global Health, University of Auckland, Chair Health Coalition Aotearoa

For a long time, dementia was assumed to be an inevitable part of ageing. The good news is that this view is wrong: dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing and the theme of this book is that we can do something about it. The guidance provided in this book can help us as individuals to identify ways to preserve our brains. — A. David Smith, FMed Sci, Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology, University of Oxford

A fascinating insight to the brain, its development and where things can go wrong. A Better Brain for Life provides simple approaches to improve long-term brain health for yourself, your children or your grandchildren. It is full of valuable insights on ways to keep your brain healthy. — Rich Easton, CEO, Neurological Foundation of New Zealand

Specifications

ISBN: 9781877429385
Pages: 184
Format: 229 x 152 mm, paperback
Illustrations: Deborah Hinde
Published: March 2022