If you suspect that you or a loved one may be showing signs of Alzheimer’s, here are some things you can do that will keep the disease at bay or at least help slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s. These are easy exercises and you don’t need any special tests or tools. First of all, if you or a loved one has any of the following symptoms, it does not necessarily mean they have Alzheimer’s, but it won’t hurt to practice the exercises on a daily basis, if nothing else, just to keep the mind active. The more you can do to keep the mind alert and active, the longer you can fend off Alzheimer’s disease and stay healthier.

Confusion. For example, not knowing where you are or how you got there.

Poor Judgment: Trusting in strangers, lending money to anyone who may ask, giving jewelry away.

Misplacing Things: Most of us sometimes forget where we placed our keys, but misplacing items, especially more important one’s, becomes more and more frequent with Alzheimer’s.

Drastic Mood Swings: Becoming anxious, irritable or suspicious are some of the changes in mood.

Forgetfulness: Especially forgetting people and places they have known for years. These are just some signs of Alzheimer’s disease. There are more, but these seem to be very common.

Here is an easy and fun exercise to help keep Alzheimer’s at bay: Gather some individual photographs of friends and family (especially children and grandchildren) and take a 3 x 5 index card or piece of paper and write down the name of each person, one name on each card. Start by laying out 2 or 3 photos on the left and the 2 or 3 cards containing each individual’s name on the right, but not necessarily next to the appropriate photo. Try to match the photo with the correct name. Next, mix up the same photos and same names and try it again.

After several rounds of doing this, change the photos and names to different people and do it again. As you progress, you can begin to add more photos, 4, 5, 6 or more and switch them around. This easy Alzheimer’s exercise may not prevent the disease, but it will surly help slow it’s progression, especially if it is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

Many experts agree that doing crossword puzzles, even very easy ones, is a good exercise for the disease. Crossword puzzles have many components to them that require the use of reading and comprehension, “hard thinking” which keeps the mind healthy, using your memory and writing skills. It’s important to gear the puzzle to the skill, intelligence and comprehension level of the individual; otherwise the patient will become frustrated and even angered which will defeat the purpose.

Make some flash cards with different symbols on them; triangles, circles, squares, rectangles, “X’s”, or whatever. Flip one over and look at the symbol for a few seconds, then turn it over. Flip the next card and ask if it’s the same or a different design than the previous design. The important thing is not to make any of the Alzheimer’s brain exercises difficult or frustrating. They need to be a happy medium of getting the mind and memory to be used with somewhat of a challenge and be fun to do.