Letter: Time to work on our brain health

I had a eureka moment in early January as the entire population was assaulted by diet messages, commercials, videos, social media posts, late-night fodder and the like. New Year’s resolutions — we can help you take off those extra pounds.

But the eureka moment wasn’t about losing weight; it was this: why is it that we are hard-wired to be cognizant of our weight and overall physical health but not our brain health? Why are we resigned to correlate aging with the loss of our brain health?

This week, March 13-19, is Brain Health Week, as designated by the Dana Foundation. I find it remarkable that, with all of the weeks designated by Congress, none exists federally.

And keep in mind that not all poor brain health is a result of dementia. Many of our citizens — especially veterans — live with traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder, not to mention the damaging effects of drugs and alcohol.

My point being: Let’s take some action — at all levels. Students deserve at least one class on this critical subject as they learn; communities need educating; and caregivers need support.

This is not something that lives alone at home with families and caregivers. With regard to the Hilton Head/Bluffton area, I am proud to say that Memory Matters (memory-matters.org) provides much-needed support and education. However, even its efforts are still evolving and growing. This week, let’s all take a positive step toward improving our own brain health.

This story was originally published March 16, 2017 at 12:37 PM with the headline "Letter: Time to work on our brain health."