The Last Photo of My Father
Seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. This photo is the last time my father ever recognized me before he died from Alzheimer’s.
I'm not looking for sympathy. I’m asking you to consider if your lifestyle is as healthy as it should be.
My father passed away from Alzheimer’s in August of 2021. He was diagnosed in 2018, but looking back we saw the signs of the disease long before 2018. If you have a loved one you have watched die from Alzheimer’s you know how terrible it is to see the decline. The only tiny silver lining I see with Alzheimer’s is: you see the end coming and you have time, often too much time, to prepare. I wrote the eulogy I would read at dad’s funeral while he could still understand who I was. I framed it, and put it on the wall in his home. It became one of his most prized possessions. If someone you love has Alzheimer’s tell them how you feel about them before it’s too late.
After my father’s diagnosis, I started reading books about the disease. I wanted to know what I could do to help him and my mother, and what I could do to spare my wife and I from the same fate.
According to one of the first books I read: Alzheimer’s disease strikes an estimated one in nine Americans 65 and older. Globally, a projected 160 million people will develop Alzheimer’s by 2025. It was sobering to read those numbers and to see that eight years ago there were no drugs or therapies that could prevent or even slow the progression.
Not much has changed in the past eight years. There are still no promising drugs or therapies. This is what I have concluded are the best things my wife and I can do to lower our risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and many other things like heart disease or cancer:
Sleep well – every night
Eat well: Eat whole foods – avoid processed foods – especially high fructose corn syrup
Exercise daily with a focus on strength training. We built a home gym. I use Apple fitness+.
Control your weight and blood sugar. I do this by fasting often. We just do not need three meals a day.
Stay socially active with real people – not just social media
Stay mentally active – keep learning new things. I started a new business.
There is no magic here. These are the things we have been told to do our whole lives. I was doing very few of these things eight years ago. I am not perfect, but I focus on all of them now.
As executives, we often make excuses for our lifestyles. I know I did. I was doing some of these things when I was at home. But when I traveled, and I was traveling very often, I did not do any of the top five on my list. I decided I needed a change, and I left the job that had me traveling all the time.
I live a much healthier and happier life now. I am not suggesting that you quit your job to get healthier, but I am suggesting that all of us should look at how we live and consider making some changes.
We will all have a last picture taken with our parents, our spouse, and our children. I hope you have many more healthy years before you take those last pictures.
Many Alzheimer’s researchers believe that whatever causes Alzheimer’s begins in our 30’s – long before we see symptoms. What are you willing to change to get healthier today?